Monday 28 Jan 2013

Monday Reading: Proverbs 21:17

Key Verse: Proverbs 21:17
17  He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

Devotion:
One of the dilemmas that we face in life is not just where we should be aiming but how we actually get there. If we are to believe the world then we should be aiming to live every day with the uttermost so that we can get the most out of life. Well, as a Christian we should be doing the same – but exactly what we seek to do that is very much in question. The world will say that you need to look for the pleasures in life so that your life can be as pleasurable as possible – but to us we have to take account of each of the treasures and pleasures we seek.

King David sought one of the greatest pleasures in life – that of having a partner. But the way he went about it was totally wrong. He sought to have another man’s wife because she was so very beautiful. Now we may turn round at this stage and say that we have not done that, but it is not the actual doing part that is cause for concern but the thinking and desiring in your soul as well; and not just for a partner but for many things in life. Just because we may get what we desire does not mean that we will be rich because of that. David took what he desired and ended up being in a very poor state because God did not want him to build His temple!

God does not want us to seek after those pleasures in life that will detract us from glorifying Him and worshipping Him. They may be pleasures of the heart or pleasures of the world that may be our trapping that will take us from a close walk with God and so we have to be very aware of those temptations in our lives. The Lord’s prayer, when He taught the disciples how to pray, tells us that we need to ask God to guide us so that we are not led into temptation – because it is those temptations that will ruin us, just as they did for Adam and Eve and so many others in our Bibles.

When we seek God with our whole hearts we will find treasures laid up for us that will make us far richer than any earthly treasure or pleasure. The treasures of this earth will only last a short time whereas the treasures that God has for us are for eternity and will never change over time. Our earthly stores will wither and die but all that God gives us will grow forever more.

Points to Ponder:
What supplies do you seek?

Are you allowing God to supply you?