Day 56: Just Enough

Proverbs 29; Matthew 14:1-21; Leviticus 20-21; Proverbs 30 

There are a couple of verses about rulers:  they need to rule with justice and if they are dishonest or take bribes, they will bring a nation to ruin.  We need to pray for the leaders of this nation, and I pray that the poor or dishonest would not be reelected, but that the good and hardworking and just would win.  I hope that these leaders would be courageous, wise, and lead with justice.  They need to care about the poor, the orphans and widows, those that lack no support from elsewhere.

This verse is an excellent verse to memorize for those moments where we have the choice to get angry:  “A person with a quick temper stirs up arguments and commits a lot of sins.”  A spirit of gentleness rather than anger is what we should be cultivating because angry people fall into sin more easily.

The story of Herod and his niece is all about not listening to others for direction because often they will lead you astray.  The girl could have had anything she wanted and instead of thinking about her future, her own wellbeing, she listened to an outside source that did not care about her, but had her own agenda.  And it ended up being incredibly destructive.  John lost his life because this girl didn't think for herself. People have to learn to think for themselves! This is just an example of how terrible it can be if we don't.

Jesus, after hearing about John's death, wanted to be alone, to pray or mourn, but he didn’t stay wallowing in his own sadness because he saw the incredible need around him.  He spent some time by himself, but then moved forward and blessed others.Sometimes I get so caught up in my own problems that I forget about the incredible struggles of some of the people around me.

I love this proverb:  “There are two things, Lord, I want you to do for me before I die:  Make me absolutely honest and don’t let me be too poor or too rich.  Give me just what I need.  If I have too much to eat, I might forget about you; if I don’t have enough, I might steal and disgrace your name.”  Shouldn’t that be my prayer also?  This is so true. When people have too much, they don't need God, and when they have too little, they might resort to stealing. Talk about breaking the bad of greed and materialism with this prayer!