Matthew 6:19-34; Exodus 35-36; Proverbs 16
All believers need to protect ourselves from pursuing the wrong things, things that can be destroyed, things that cause darkness, money that distracts, or things that cause worry. God has helped me over these last several years to minimize my worrying. God can help each of us overcome our struggles. I feel as though I have more faith in God and his promises the more time I spend with him. I am trying to take each day at a time and trusting in his blessings. God can use the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and minds and teach us to protect ourselves against things that do not have an eternal purpose.
From Exodus, I think one reason why the Sabbath is so important is that it requires faith that God will provide on that day. For the Israelites, to trust that they did not have to plow or harvest everyday just to provide—because God promised he would. It is to fight against materialism and greed by not working to accumulate treasures on earth. And when the people started giving, the amounts grew so excessive that Moses had to command them to stop! That is how God provides! Why do we think it would work any differently today?
In the area of giving, God doesn't reject any gift from any person, as long as it is not brought because of pride or force. The Israelites knew The Lord wanted them to bring what they had to honor him and they did—they used their skills for his service and gave their earthly valuables too. They were obedient! I pray that in my own life, in all of our lives, we are obedient in our giving. I have been reluctant and slow to do it in the past; I hope that we can learn to overcome our hesitancy and lack of faith in the area of our finances.
In this life, people make plans. Lots of people make plans—but many times, God had a different one. We don’t always understand why The Lord chooses the plan he does, but when we finally see the result, it is a wonderful thing. If we look back on how things have worked out--long term hindsight--we can often see just how beautifully things work out. Why do we fail to trust God in our current chaotic life?
Some great things from this proverb: Being prideful that I can never fall into a certain sin will surely take me there. Instead, if I am humble and recognize the depravity that lurks in my own heart, I can be wise and avoid such calamities. And, controlling my temper is better than being a hero that captures a city. I don’t know the full implications of that, but if simply controlling myself is better than being a big hero, then I need to focus on control. Good stuff to learn.
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