“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/ 

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht   

“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com/

Proverbs 8:18-19… Riches and honor are with me, Enduringriches and righteousness. ¹⁹ Myfruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than choice silver.  (NKJV) 

The opening scripture was written by the wise King Solomon, son of King David. Solomon prayed for, and was given wisdom by God, to make him the wisest man ever.  God also blessed Solomon with wealth beyond imagination and honor because Solomon’s humble prayer was asking God for enough wisdom to successfully take over the kingdom from his father 2 Chronicles 1:9-12.

With Solomon’s extreme wealth, honor, and wisdom beyond everyone else, Solomon admits to partaking in every pleasurable desire of his flesh that he could ever dream of.   He came to realize that lasting satisfaction was never achieved through using his vast material possessions to please his personal pleasures. 

Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes to reveal the fact his money, power, honor, and his labor to build a vast empire was all vanity, and of no real profit to him.   We read this very clearly, in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. 

Here is the link for this valuable teaching…

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecc2:1-11&version=NKJV 

I believe Solomon tells us in the opening scripture, that his relationship with the Lord (his “righteousness”), and his promise of eternal life in heaven (his “Enduringriches”), became more important to him than all of his vast material possessions.

Jesus teaches us the same thing, when He preached the “Sermon on the Mount” teaching, in Matthew 6:19-21 “Do notlayup for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ butlayup for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (NKJV)

Friends, it’s not a sin to have wealth and other vast material possessions.  It is God that provides us with every good thing in life, James 1:17.  The sin occurs when anything becomes more important to the Christian, than their love for the Lord.  If Christians are blessed with material riches, we see the instructions, the Apostle Paul pens in his letter to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 6:17. Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the livingGod, who gives us richlyall things to enjoy.  (NKJV)

We also see what the Apostle Paul says about the Christian’s motives for sharing our excess resources, in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. But this I say: He who sowssparingly will also reapsparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So leteach one give as he purposes in his heart, notgrudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in allthings, may have an abundance for every good work.  (NKJV) 

God will continue to grace His children in abundance in “allthings”, as long as we cheerfully give of our money, our time, our talents, and any other resources that God so graciously gives us…to help our church, our family, and those around us who could benefit from our cheerful giving out of our abundance. 

Heavenly Father, help your children to develop a heart and a mindset that is constantly searching for ways to bless those around us that could benefit from the abundance you have provided us.  Help your children to be good stewards of their time, their spiritual gifts, their talents and their finances. And help us Lord, to give cheerfully from the heart, with nothing expected in return.  I pray for this “Christ like” attribute for giving, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake, Amen.

Blessings in Christ,  bruce r mills