Read Proverbs 8
Highlights:
Benefits of wisdom; the wise and the foolish contrasted.
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty (Prov. 11:24).
Basically we are told that it is possible to give freely and still become more wealthy, but those who are selfish can lose everything. Our Heavenly Father wants us not only to share our material possessions, but most of all, to express our love and concern for the needs of others. And as we give our best to others, the blessings of the Lord rest upon us in ways we never thought possible.
So many Christians know God can take care of them, but they don't really have enough faith to believe He will do it for them. Therefore, they never experience the satisfaction that comes in completely trusting Him. If they would only let God have control, the outcome in life, even with its difficulties, would be so obvious. No longer would we have to endure the emotional ups and downs of the average human life. God would lead us in our goings and comings so we would know the difference between trusting in God and following our own ways. Jesus assured Peter that whatever is given for My (the Lord's) sake, and the Gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).
God is our great Provider. He supplies our every need. He tells us: God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). But best of all, when we are truly yielded to Him, we will enjoy giving to others. It will not seem like such a great costly thing because He would help us realize it is better to give than receive. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
Let God work miracles in your life. Don't be afraid of giving something you have — thinking it too precious to part with. Allow the Lord to reveal Himself and His abundance of blessings to you. He's real! He's alive! Just trust Him to do what He said He would do. Ask, seek, find!
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over . . . For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again (Luke 6:38).
Thought for Today:
You can never give more than God.
Christ Revealed:
As the Creator who prepared the heavens (Prov. 8:27-31). The heavens are the works of Thine hands (Heb. 1:10, John 1:3).
Word Studies:
8:12 of witty inventions, with wise insight; 8:29 his decree, its boundary; 9:7 getteth himself a blot, gets insults in return; 10:1 heaviness, grief, shame; 10:4 slack, negligent, lazy; 10:8 prating fool, self-sufficient know-it-all; 11:6 naughtiness, wickedness.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for Government Officials: Rep. Robert B. Adersholt (AL), Rep. John B. Larson (CT), Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (OH), and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) • Country: Mongolia (2.4 million) in east-central Asia • Major language: Khalkha Mongol • As a 70-year era of communism wanes, Bibles are now on sale in the capital, Ulaanbaatar • 95.5% Tibetan Buddhist; 4% Muslim; .3% Christian; .2% Other • Prayer Suggestion: Be glad in the Lord and rejoice at all times (Ps. 32:11).
Optional Reading: Titus 3
Memory Verse for the Week: Galatians 6:9
