“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie    http://www.harvest.org/devotional   

Written by Adam R. Holz for “Our Daily Bread” @ http://odb.org

Original post @ https://odb.org/2020/07/06/a-flourishing-tree

July 6

A Flourishing Tree

Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

Proverbs 11:28

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Proverbs 11:24–30

I’ve always had a collector’s heart. As a kid, I collected stamps. Baseball cards. Comics. Now, as a parent, I see the same impulse in my kids. Sometimes I wonder, Do you really need another teddy bear? 

Of course, it’s not about need. It’s about the allure of something new. Or sometimes the tantalizing draw of something old, something rare. Whatever captivates our imagination, we’re tempted to believe that if we only had “X,” our lives would be better. We’d be happy. Content.

Except those things never deliver the goods. Why? Because God created us to be filled by Him, not by the things that the world around us often insists will satisfy our longing hearts.

This tension is hardly new. Proverbs contrasts two ways of life: a life spent pursuing riches versus a life grounded in loving God and giving generously. In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases Proverbs 11:28 like this: “A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.”

What a picture! Two ways of life: one flourishing and fruitful, one hollow and barren. The world insists that material abundance equals “the good life.” In contrast, God invites us to be rooted in Him, to experience His goodness, and to flourish fruitfully. And as we’re shaped by our relationship with Him, God reshapes our hearts and desires, transforming us from the inside out.

By:  Adam R. Holz

Reflect & Pray

When has an undue focus on material things become a major spiritual struggle for you? What helps you keep your desires in proper perspective?

Father, thank You for the good gifts You give. Help me to keep putting my trust in You rather than the stuff of this world.

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P.S. (from bruce) When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !!  If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ??  Here is the truth for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…   https://godsmanforever.com

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, please feel free to share this message of the cross with those in need…

Picture credit:   https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk0116oeoV4l3_QvVT9-xLq_9Yb_dIg:1594068903063&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=image+proverbs+11:28&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJo9u1wbnqAhU0NX0KHSLyCZ8QsAR6BAgIEAE&biw=1042&bih=577#imgrc=BV3cfMO-wyrYtM