Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:8-9
I continue my study of Proverbs - starting week 10 from my study workbook, which focuses on Proverbs 30-31:9. My focus for today is questions #1-3 in my workbook and these questions look at: (1) humility and how we should view knowledge and wisdom as coming from God alone (Proverbs 30:2-4); (2) how insatiable earthly cravings drive sinful behavior (Proverbs 30:15-16); and (3) how we should be content with what we have (Proverbs 30:7-9).
Question #3 in particular strikes me this morning and how currently here in our country we are blessed beyond what anyone could imagine both relative to impoverished parts of the world and relative to our own country when compared to historical standards. In Proverbs 30:8-9, Agur prays that God provides what is needed, not riches nor poverty. He wisely makes this prayer recognizing that too much may tempt us to deny God (thinking what we have is from our own doing), and too little would cause us to curse God. This post from DesiringGod.com is instructive this morning. The post provide this as a takeaway: recognize that "[w]e need Christ and his strength to live focused on heaven, to risk reputation and fortune, and to make it clear in a land full of abundance, that we seek a better country — a heavenly one."
Comment and discuss this post.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and is so full of grace and compassion - You provide all of what I need, every day, and You provide what is most important - salvation! Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of how You provide. My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
