Bible League: Living His Word Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,"I will never leave you; I will never run away from you." There is nothing wrong with money per se. We need it. We need it most every day. It's a very useful tool with which to conduct commercial and financial transactions. Without money we would have to go back to the days of barter. We would have to lug our possessions around every time we wanted to improve ourselves financially. Money is one of the best inventions of humankind. The problem is not money, but the love of money. The Apostle Paul said, "The love of money causes all kinds of evil" (I Timothy 6:10). The problems begin when people live to make and receive money. Instead of living to serve and love God, they live to acquire as much money as they can. That's why Paul went on to say in I Timothy that some people have even "turned away from what we believe because they want to get more and more money." Instead of living meaningful lives in obedience to God, they squandered their lives "trying to catch the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14). Money is like the wind. It's difficult to hold on to. You never really catch it. You never really catch as much as you want. It has a way of eluding your grasp and slipping through your fingers. The minute you think you have enough of it the stock market dips, or the banks fail, or thieves steal some of it, or inflation reduces its value. Chasing after money is like trying to catch the wind because, like everything else in created reality, money is here today and gone tomorrow. It doesn't make much sense, therefore, to build your life around its acquisition. It's much better to serve and love God than money, because He will always be there for you. When we place God first in our lives everything else falls into place, everything else falls into the subsidiary positions where they belong. When we place God first we still make and use money, but we don't live for it. We still do what we can to improve ourselves financially, but we're also satisfied with what we have. We're satisfied because we trust God to take care of us, not money. Unlike money, He will never leave us; He will never run away from us. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingDaniel 1, 2 Daniel 1 -- Ashpenaz Takes Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to Babylon; They Refuse the King's Portion NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Daniel 2 -- Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar's Unspoken Dream NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 John 2 1 John 2 -- Christ 's Comfort; Keep His Commandments; Do Not Love the World; Beware of Antichrists NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.Insight God called the universe into existence out of nothing; he declared that it was to be, and it was. Our faith is in the God who created the entire universe by his word. God's word has awesome power. Challenge When he speaks, do you listen and respond? How can you better prepare yourself to respond to God's word? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Songs 4:7 There is no spot in thee.Having pronounced his Church positively full of beauty, our Lord confirms his praise by a precious negative, "There is no spot in thee." As if the thought occurred to the Bridegroom that the carping world would insinuate that he had only mentioned her comely parts, and had purposely omitted those features which were deformed or defiled, he sums up all by declaring her universally and entirely fair, and utterly devoid of stain. A spot may soon be removed, and is the very least thing that can disfigure beauty, but even from this little blemish the believer is delivered in his Lord's sight. If he had said there is no hideous scar, no horrible deformity, no deadly ulcer, we might even then have marvelled; but when he testifies that she is free from the slightest spot, all these other forms of defilement are included, and the depth of wonder is increased. If he had but promised to remove all spots by-and-by, we should have had eternal reason for joy; but when he speaks of it as already done, who can restrain the most intense emotions of satisfaction and delight? O my soul, here is marrow and fatness for thee; eat thy full, and be satisfied with royal dainties. Christ Jesus has no quarrel with his spouse. She often wanders from him, and grieves his Holy Spirit, but he does not allow her faults to affect his love. He sometimes chides, but it is always in the tenderest manner, with the kindest intentions: it is "my love" even then. There is no remembrance of our follies, he does not cherish ill thoughts of us, but he pardons and loves as well after the offence as before it. It is well for us it is so, for if Jesus were as mindful of injuries as we are, how could he commune with us? Many a time a believer will put himself out of humour with the Lord for some slight turn in providence, but our precious Husband knows our silly hearts too well to take any offence at our ill manners. Daily Light on the Daily Path Job 5:8 "But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God;Genesis 18:14 "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Isaiah 37:14,15 Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. • Hezekiah prayed to the LORD saying, Isaiah 65:24 "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Psalm 116:1,2 I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. • Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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