Thursday Devo
Scripture:
Proverbs 11:24-25
24 Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.
25 The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
24 Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.
25 The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Commentary:
11:24 Because there is a God who blesses generosity and withholds blessing from the greedy, this paradoxical proverb makes perfect sense (cf. note on 3:9–10).
Honoring the Lord requires giving proper weight to your wealth by using it only for righteous, just, and equitable purposes (“in all your ways acknowledge him,” v. 6), which begins with offering the firstfruits of everything to the Lord (see Deut. 18:1–5). To give the firstfruits is to imply that the whole belongs to God, indeed the whole worshiper. The prosperity described in Prov. 3:10 is the blessing of the covenant (Deut. 28:1–14), a kind of restored Eden. Your barns will be filled with plenty is a generalization concerning the effect of honoring the Lord with all that one has and is. It is not, however, more than a generalization (as Job’s comforters held), for to view this as a mechanical formula dishonors God and his inscrutable sovereign purposes.
Honoring the Lord requires giving proper weight to your wealth by using it only for righteous, just, and equitable purposes (“in all your ways acknowledge him,” v. 6), which begins with offering the firstfruits of everything to the Lord (see Deut. 18:1–5). To give the firstfruits is to imply that the whole belongs to God, indeed the whole worshiper. The prosperity described in Prov. 3:10 is the blessing of the covenant (Deut. 28:1–14), a kind of restored Eden. Your barns will be filled with plenty is a generalization concerning the effect of honoring the Lord with all that one has and is. It is not, however, more than a generalization (as Job’s comforters held), for to view this as a mechanical formula dishonors God and his inscrutable sovereign purposes.
Questions:
- In Genesis 13, while Lot was selfish in his motivation, Abraham was selflessly motivated. He actually thought about himself THIRD in his decision. God was first, Lot second. Because of this, God took care of Abraham. His selflessness was rewarded. Lot was motivated by a WHAT while Abraham was motivated by a WHO. When it comes to decisions about money, relationships, etc., what, or who, comes first? Does God get the first and best of all you have or receive?
- One of our main problems when it comes to honoring God with our finances and our stuff is that we tend to see it all as "ours". We earned it, we bought it, we worked for it. But scripture teaches that everything we have ultimately comes from the Lord. If we had a clear understanding that it's all His anyway and we'd have nothing without him, we would have an easier time trusting God with what is already His. We are not owners. We are merely stewards. Do you think of yourself as an owner or a steward of all you've been blessed with? Think about the differences in behavior between owners and stewards. Which one best defines your life?
Pray:
- That God would get your first and best in every area of your life.
- That you would behave as a steward, not an owner.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
6. Is the Bible God’s word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
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