Are you Rich?

Proverbs 2:3-6 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 

Do you want to be rich? Silly question, right? Most people do. However, the Bible says we are to long for a different type of treasure. One not limited to material value.  

God is the vastest, mysterious being there is, and yet wisdom can teach you something about Him, because God is the One who grants wisdom (Proverbs 2:6). In essence, the Lord grants treasure. The overarching emphasis is to value wisdom, common sense, and knowledge, because they are the treasures we should desire (Proverbs 2:3-4), if it’s truly lasting treasure you seek. 

So, I’ll ask it again, do you want to be truly rich or are you already? 

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Lookout!

Proverbs 1: 20,23,24 

Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise. “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. “When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. 

If you want to be found, you go to a public square and you cry out. This is a beautiful personification of how much wisdom wants to be found, yet it’s unrequited. “I called yet you wouldn’t come, I reached out to you, but you wouldn’t pay attention.”  

In other words, wisdom is saying I made myself available to everyone, but only a few chose me. And as we all know, after so much rejection, eventually, you stop trying. 

In verse 28, wisdom says you’ll look for me but you won’t find my anymore. Wisdom cries out to be found in the public square. She wants to share her heart, she wants to make you wise, but she isn’t going to force you to want her back.  

So be on the lookout! Wisdom is waiting. 

Formula to Success

Joshua 1:8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 

We all want to be successful, right? We all want to be prosperous as well. What we don’t need is another self-help book or conference to attend to tell us how to do it.  

Joshua 1:8 says, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” 

So, what’s the secret formula to success? It’s in this scripture. 

1. Know God’s Word 

1. Obey God’s Word 

Then you will experience true lasting success and prosperity. It’s that simple, and it’s found in one verse. 

Study God’s Word. Study this book. 

Good Intentions

I fear for our society. We live in a confused world, and that shouldn’t be surprising since we live in a world that does not want to acknowledge God, the One who is not the Author of Confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Today’s society is lost. It’s lost and it’s searching for something, instead of Someone, Jesus Christ. And unfortunately, people don’t realize that the beauty in searching for Christ is that He allows you to find Him. The game of hide-n-seek we think He’s playing is actually us hiding from Him. 

Some way, somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that because I have the right, it is right. That’s certainly not true. And somehow, we’re operating under the belief that if a person means well that should be good enough.  

We live any kind of way, and then run for cover under the umbrella of grace as our self-storm of sins pours down. And don’t get me wrong, God is gracious. He’s so gracious that even though He knows, and we know we won’t do better, He’s still willing to extend a handful of forgiveness, grace, and mercy. 

I fear that not just society, but Christians are in a place where we want our good intentions to get us an honorable mention before God. I fear us valuing a wrong belief system. One that says, if we do enough good, we are good enough. One that says if we meant well, that’s just as well. And sadly, I think many of us are beginning to believe that God should be satisfied with us trying or intending. Christians, who know better do better, and understand that God can’t be satisfied with us being our second-best selves when He created us for so much. 

As for intentions, God examines our true intentions, and He says it’s a sin if you know you can do better and still don’t. When you do God’s will, God’s way, in humility before Him, no honorable mention is necessary. God, Himself, will honor you. (James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6) 

Proverbs 16:2 People may be pure in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their motives. 

James 4:17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. 

 

When It’s Time…

Exodus 2:25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. 

The God of the universe looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time. Do you believe He’s looking down on you now? What if He says it’s time? Are you ready to act with God? 

Do you ever just feel like it’s time? Like it’s now or never, do or die, no turning back? I like in the verse where it says God looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time. 

God knew it was time. And when God knows it’s time, it really is time. It’s not just a whim like when we think we’ve been through it all long enough and we’re ready for it to be time. It’s when God is ready to do something, or ready for you to get ready for Him to do something. 

So be encouraged today. God knows when it is time. He knows when it is time for a new job. He knows when it’s time for a new blessing. He knows when it’s time for the business to take off. He just knows. 

And the beauty of God knowing is this, He acts. When He knows, He acts. So, get ready. He may be waiting on you now. 

Love People to Jesus

Is love your number one goal? We live in a world today where people believe it’s OK to say whatever you want to because it’s true. It’s a free country, and you certainly have that right to, but how you say it and your motive behind it could be more harmful for you and them than you realize. So, let’s just get to the nitty gritty.

Jesus wasn’t a pushover. We like to use the term, “I have my truth.” Well, Jesus had His because He literally was the truth. And even in the things He said to the Pharisees that may make us blush in embarrassment for them, were said out of love for them. Jesus felt nothing but love for people, and no matter how aggressive His speech had to be to get that point across, He did and said everything out of love.

So, what’s my point? Do we do what we do or say what we say out of love? Or are we more motivated by the opportunity to correct someone? Or maybe the opportunity to just be right? And for some, even the opportunity to just call people out?

Here’s the bottom line.

If love wasn’t your goal, you were wrong. When you said what you said, was it because you loved them? When you did what you did, was it because you loved them? If it wasn’t, you were wrong. And no matter how true it may have been, if you didn’t say it as an expression of love in leading someone to Christ, you were wrong. See, no matter what, if you spoke the truth in selfishness, comparison, and pride, you didn’t speak it in love. And that’s wrong.

If love wasn’t your motive, then you may have made a mess.

 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  (1 Cor. 13:4,5).

1 Corinthians 14:1 Let love be your highest goal…

 

 

Jesus Cares for Your Two Cents

Mark 12:41-44

The Widow’s Offering

41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

 

We live in a world where the phrase “who asked you,” is all but too common. A world that says speak only if spoken to. And a world that says good enough, really isn’t good enough actually.

However, there is a God that cares for your two cents. There is a God that cares about what you have to say. A God that longs for you to speak to Him (and listen too). A God that created the universe and all that is in it, yet waited until His creation of man to say what He created was very good (Genesis 1:31).

God cares about everything you say. He cares about everything you do. And He cares about everything you have. Never believe the lie that God is too good to want what little you have, if you’re giving it with all you heart. While the world may not care for your two cents, God does.