Proverbs 11:4-7
Oh, what a burden it is to try to live up to the world’s standards of success: lots of money, a nice car, a nice house, luxury, designer clothes, the latest technology, etc. … But what if I told you that none of that mattered? What if there was a way out of all that pressure and continuously not having “enough” and not feeling “good enough”?
SURPRISE!!
There is a way out.
The God of the Universe loves you and desires a relationship with you! There is nothing that you can do to earn His love because the price was already paid at Calvary. All that He requires is for us to walk in obedience to His Word. However, this is no easy task, but choosing to live in God’s will rather than our own results in a reward much greater than any of the material possessions or temporary satisfaction that the world has to offer. 1 Timothy 6:7 reminds us that just as we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, we also cannot take anything with us when we leave the world. It is our duty as God’s children to live a life of constant surrender of our money, time, and possessions.
Proverbs 11 brings up some challenging questions that we must ask ourselves in order to keep ourselves in check and in balance:
4 Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death.
-What do you value the most?
-What do you spend the majority of your time doing?
–Anything you treasure more than the Lord is an idol.
5 The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin. 6 The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.
-What are the underlying motives behind your actions?
– How does it make you feel that the Lord knows the motives and intentions of your heart?
-Do you need to make some changes?
7 When the wicked die, their hopes die with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength.
-What are the situations and circumstances on which you choose to rely on your own strength?
–In perspective, it doesn’t make sense to choose to do things based on your own feeble strength when the God of the universe is willing and ready to empower you to accomplish great things for Him.
This side of heaven, we have a choice to make. Will you choose to load up on fleeting material possessions? Or will you choose to live in constant surrender with empty hands and a willing heart which has the eternal reward of glorifying the Creator?
Photography: @jacobnnorris