What do you rely on when life gets difficult?

That question often reveals where we place our trust.

When finances become tight, some people look to their bank account. When relationships are strained, others look for approval or affirmation. When life feels uncertain, many of us look for something we can control.

There’s nothing wrong with having savings, healthy relationships, or a good plan. In fact, those are all good things. The problem comes when those things become the foundation of our security.

David had plenty of reasons to feel insecure when he wrote Psalm 62. Enemies were opposing him. People were trying to bring him down. His future was uncertain.

Yet he repeatedly says that his hope is found in God alone.

That’s not the same thing as saying he had no other resources. David had friends, soldiers, and opportunities available to him. But he understood something important.

The things we rely on (outside of God) can be taken away.

• Money disappears.
• Health changes.
• Relationships sometimes disappoint us.
• Even our own strength fades with time.

God does not.

I’ve had multiple times in my life where my bank account was zeroed out. Yet, here I am today. Still breathing. Each time, when God brought me through the situation, I learned to trust Him more.

That’s happened in ministry as well. I can’t tell you how many times the efforts I’ve put forth produce none of the fruit I’d hoped for. Then God provides in another way I had no control over. Again and again, I learned that it is good to plan and work and try ideas, but when it comes to the fruit, it’s always from God. The ministry is His. The church is His.

Psalm 62 invites us to look at our own lives.

• What do we depend on?
• And what do we truly trust?

For Christians, the answer is found in Christ. Jesus is not simply one source of help among many. He is the rock upon which our lives are built. His death and resurrection have secured something that cannot be lost, stolen, damaged, or taken away.

That doesn’t mean life won’t shake us.

It means we have something that won’t move when it does.

David calls God his rock, his salvation, and his fortress. Those aren’t poetic exaggerations. They are descriptions of a God who remains faithful when everything else feels uncertain.

And because He remains faithful, we can entrust ourselves to Him.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

So often I place my confidence in things that cannot last. Help me to trust in You above all else. When life is uncertain, remind me that my hope is secure in Jesus Christ. Be my rock, my refuge, and my salvation each day.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

What have you been praying about lately?

Most of us would prefer a different answer to our prayers.

When we bring a burden to God, we usually want Him to remove it. If there is a problem, we want a solution. If there is pain, we want relief. If there is a weakness, we want strength.

That is how Paul prayed as well.

In 2 Corinthians 12, he speaks about a

“thorn in the flesh,”

some ongoing affliction that troubled him deeply. We are not told exactly what it was, but we know that Paul asked the Lord three times to take it away.

It was a reasonable prayer and it was a sincere prayer. Yet the answer Paul received was not what he expected or hoped for.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

At first, that may sound disappointing. Instead of removing the burden, Jesus promises grace. Instead of taking away the weakness, He promises His presence within it.

Yet Paul came to see that this was not a lesser gift. It was a greater one.

Had the Lord removed the thorn, Paul would have experienced relief. But through the thorn, Paul experienced something deeper: the sustaining grace of Christ.

That is often how God works in our lives.

There are burdens He removes. There are prayers He answers in exactly the way we hope. But there are also times when He allows a struggle to remain. A chronic illness. A difficult relationship. A recurring disappointment. A limitation we wish we did not have.

In those moments, we may assume that God is distant or inactive because the problem has not gone away.

But Paul discovered the opposite.

The presence of weakness did not mean the absence of God. In fact, it became the very place where Christ’s strength was most clearly revealed.

This runs against everything our culture teaches. We admire self-sufficiency. We celebrate strength. We often try to hide our weaknesses from others and sometimes even from ourselves.

But the Christian life is built on a different foundation.

We come to Christ not because we are strong, but because we are weak. We are saved not because we are capable, but because we need a Savior. And throughout our lives, God continues to teach us to rely on His strength rather than our own.

That does not make weakness pleasant. Paul never pretends that it is. But it does mean that weakness is no longer meaningless.

It becomes a place where we learn to depend on Christ.

A place where grace is not merely an idea, but a daily reality.

A place where the power of Jesus is seen not through our ability, but through His faithfulness.

Remember that God wants us to trust Him and rely on Him. It seems to me that God’s ultimate goal is not that you would be wealthy, be free from struggle, or accomplish great things, even if those great things would be for the Kingdom of God. He wants you to believe and trust in Him. He wants your first instinct in life to be turning to Him. And He wants you to know Him and His faithfulness.

For Paul, he says that God gave him this thorn in the flesh to keep him from pride. He WAS doing great things for the kingdom of God and had seen visions of God in heaven. He was also a former Pharisee and Pharisees were prone to pride. So, God protects Paul from pride and possibly going astray by giving him a thorn in his flesh and refusing to remove it because He loves Paul.

So if you are carrying something today that feels heavy or unresolved, do not assume that God’s grace is absent because your weakness remains.

His grace is with you and may be meeting you there in ways you cannot yet see.

And His grace is enough.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

There are burdens in my life that I would gladly lay down if given the choice. You know my weaknesses, my struggles, and the things that cause me pain.

When You choose not to remove them, help me to trust that Your grace is still at work. Teach me to rely on Your strength rather than my own and to find comfort in Your presence.

Remind me that Your power is not limited by my weakness. Instead, it is often revealed through it.

Thank You for Your sufficient grace and Your unfailing faithfulness.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

A few years ago, researchers studying communication discovered something most of us already know from experience: people often spend more time thinking about what they are going to say next than they do listening to what is currently being said.

You can almost feel it happening in a conversation.

Someone is talking, but instead of truly listening, you’re already preparing your response. You’re evaluating. Formulating. Planning your rebuttal or advice.

By the time the other person finishes speaking, you have an answer ready.

The problem is that sometimes you’re answering a question they never asked or, in your haste to answer you misunderstood the situation.

You’ve also probably been on the other side of the conversation, when you were trying to share your struggle or just tell a story from earlier that day and you can see the other person isn’t really listening or they just cut you off mid-story.

That’s the situation Proverbs addresses. It paints the picture of someone who responds before fully hearing the matter. The issue isn’t intelligence. The issue is impatience.

Wisdom listens first.

That sounds simple, but it is surprisingly difficult. Listening requires humility because it means acknowledging that we may not yet have the full picture. It requires patience because understanding takes time. And it requires self-control because our natural instinct is often to jump in quickly. We want to get out what we want to say and we may not get to.

This applies in all kinds of relationships.

• A spouse sharing a frustration after a difficult day.
• A friend wrestling with a decision.
• A coworker explaining a problem.
• A child trying to tell you what happened.

Sometimes what people need most is not immediate advice but the opportunity to be heard.

Of course, listening doesn’t mean we never speak. There are times when wisdom calls us to offer counsel, encouragement, correction, or comfort. But those words are far more likely to help when they come after careful listening rather than before it.

Jesus modeled this beautifully throughout His ministry. Although He knew people’s hearts better than they knew themselves, He often asked questions. He listened. He drew people out. He met them where they were before addressing what they needed.

What would happen if we did a little more of that?

What if today’s conversations were shaped less by the desire to be heard and more by the desire to understand?

You might discover that listening itself is one of the most loving gifts you can offer.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You are always ready to hear Your people. You ask us to bring all things to you in prayer. You listen to our prayers, our fears, and our struggles with patience and compassion. Forgive me for the times I have been quick to speak and slow to listen. Give me a humble and attentive heart. Help me to listen carefully before I respond and to seek understanding before offering my opinion. Use me to bring encouragement and wisdom to others, and teach me to reflect Your love through the way I listen.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

The First Article

What did you do when you got out of bed this morning?

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.”

Those are likely familiar words.

In fact, if you’ve been in church for very long, you may be able to recite them without even thinking about them.

But pause for a moment and consider what they mean.

The Creed begins with creation.

Before we talk about salvation, forgiveness, or eternal life, we confess that God made all things.

That means the universe is not an accident.

Your life is not an accident.

You are here because God wanted you to be here.

The opening chapters of Genesis reveal a God who creates with wisdom, purpose, and power. He speaks, and things come into existence. Light. Land. Oceans. Stars. Animals. Human beings. Everything owes its existence to Him. That also means God has authority over all things, including you.

But Luther reminds us that the First Article is about more than what happened in the beginning. God not only created all things, including you, but He still preserves you.

In his explanation, Luther points to things we often take for granted: body and soul, eyes and ears, reason and senses, clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, family and friends.

The point is simple.

Creation is not merely a past event. It is an ongoing gift.

Every breath you take today comes from the hand of God.

That can be easy to forget.

We tend to focus on what we lack rather than what we have received. We notice the problems in our lives more readily than the countless gifts surrounding us.

It’s been observed that if someone gave us a million dollars, we would thank them repeatedly. Yet every morning God gives us life itself, and we hardly notice.

The First Article invites us to notice.

To recognize that the God who made the heavens and the earth is also caring for you right now.

And He does so even when you don’t deserve it.

Luther emphasizes that God provides all these things

“out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.”

That is an important reminder.

The blessings of creation are not wages earned. They are gifts received.

And every gift points us to the Giver.

Ultimately, the God who created you is the same God who sent His Son to redeem you. The hands that formed Adam from the dust are the hands that were stretched out on the cross for your salvation.

The Father who made you has not forgotten you.

He knows your needs.

He provides for you.

And He invites you to trust Him.

Let’s pray…

Almighty God,

Thank You for creating me and for providing for me each day. Forgive me for the times I take Your gifts for granted. Open my eyes to see Your goodness in both the ordinary and extraordinary blessings of life. Help me to trust in Your fatherly care through Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Do you feel like you are enough?

When God calls Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, Moses immediately sees a problem.

Actually, he sees many problems.

• Pharaoh is powerful.
• Israel is oppressed.
• The task is enormous.

And Moses? He is a shepherd who has spent the last forty years in the wilderness.

So Moses asks a question that many of us have asked in one form or another:

“Who am I?”

Who am I to do this? Who am I to face that challenge or  handle that responsibility? Who am I to make a difference?

It’s a very human response. Moses looks at the assignment and then looks at himself. The gap between the two seems impossibly large.

But notice what God does not say.

He does not tell Moses to believe in himself, that he is enough. Nor does He does list Moses’ strengths, talents, or qualifications.

Instead, God gives a different answer:

“I will be with you.”

In other words, Moses is asking the wrong question.

The most important question is not, “Who am I?” The most important question is,

“Who is with me?”

That changes everything.

Throughout Scripture, God’s people are often placed in situations that exceed their abilities. Abraham is too old to have a son. Joshua must follow Moses. Gideon is told to take 300 men against an army. Jeremiah protests that he is too young.

Again and again, God’s answer is not, “You are enough.” His answer is,

“I am with you.”

That remains one of the greatest promises in the Bible.

There are moments when we feel overwhelmed by the tasks before us…

• A difficult conversation.
• A family burden.
• A health challenge.
• A ministry opportunity.
• A season of uncertainty.

Like Moses, we instinctively focus on our limitations. And God gently redirects our attention.

The strength of faith is not found in the believer. It is found in the One who is believed.

Moses would eventually stand before Pharaoh, lead a nation through the sea, and spend decades shepherding God’s people. It’s not because he became extraordinary, but because God was with him.

The beginning of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land is a great example of this, though Joshua is leading the people at this point, not Moses. The first city, Jericho, was surrounded by an impenetrable wall. Yet, because God was with them, that wall was meaningless and crumbled at the shouts of men. The very next city was , AI. It was a small village with no real defenses. Yet, they easily thwarted Israel’s attack because God was not with them because an Israelite had taken items from Jericho that were used to worship false gods. It clear from the very beginning, Israel isn’t going to take the Promised Land, God is going to deliver it.

The same Lord who called Moses, Joshua, and Israel has not changed.

You may not know exactly what lies ahead. You may feel inadequate for the responsibilities before you.

But God’s promise remains:

“I will be with you.”

And that is enough.

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

I often focus on my weaknesses, limitations, and fears. Help me remember that my confidence is not in myself, but in You. When challenges seem too great, remind me of Your promise to be with Your people. Strengthen my faith and help me trust Your presence each day. In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Do you know Jesus?

One of the surprising themes in the Gospel of Mark is that the people who seem most likely to recognize Jesus often struggle to see Him clearly.

That happens in this passage when Jesus returns to His hometown.

The people are amazed by His teaching. They cannot deny His wisdom or the reports of His mighty works. Yet instead of believing, they become offended.

They know His family. They remember Him growing up. In their minds, He is too familiar to be who He claims to be.

As a result, they reject Him.

There is a warning here for us.

Sometimes people imagine that if they could have seen Jesus in person, faith would have come easily. Yet many people who actually saw Him with their own eyes still refused to believe.

The problem was not a lack of evidence. The problem was unbelief.

They thought they already knew who Jesus was, and that assumption kept them from seeing who He truly was.

The same danger exists today. It is possible to know facts about Jesus, to have heard His name for years, and yet never truly trust Him. The old adage “Seeing is believing” isn’t actually true, at least not when it comes to Jesus. What Mark 6 and other passages teach us is…

“Believing is seeing.”

Familiarity is not the same as faith.

Yet the rejection Jesus experiences does not stop His mission.

Immediately after this, He sends out the Twelve.

They are not sent with impressive resources or elaborate plans. They go with His authority and His message. They preach repentance, cast out demons, and heal the sick.

This reveals something important about Jesus’ ministry.

He does not simply gather people to Himself; He sends them out with His Word.

The Kingdom of God grows as the message of Christ is proclaimed. Just as Jesus came preaching, now His disciples are sent to preach. This is the rhythm of the life of a Christian. We are gathered around God’s Word and then sent to proclaim that Word, day after day, week after week. The work is still His, but He chooses to carry it out through those He calls.

That pattern continues in the Church today.

Christ still sends His Word into the world. Through preaching, teaching, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He continues gathering people into His kingdom.

And just as in Mark 6, some will reject that message while others will receive it.

Our task is not to control the results. It is to remain faithful to the One who sends us and faithfully share the message He’s given us..

This passage shows us both the tragedy of unbelief and the persistence of Jesus’ mission.

People may reject Him, misunderstand Him, or ignore Him.

• But His saving work continues.
• His Word still goes out.
• His kingdom still grows.

And He is still calling people to faith…and that includes you.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

Keep me from taking You for granted. Help me to see You clearly through Your Word and trust in You with my whole heart. Bless the faithful proclamation of Your Gospel throughout the world. Put it in the mouths of pastors and on the lips of the congregation, including me, as they go into the world. And please use that proclamation to bring many people to faith in You.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Have you ever looked at someone and thought,

“Why do they seem to have it so easy?”

Maybe it’s a dishonest businessman who keeps succeeding. Maybe it’s a celebrity who openly mocks God yet appears to have everything. Maybe it’s someone who has hurt others and never seems to face consequences.

Meanwhile, you’re trying to do the right thing, and life is hard.

That’s the struggle at the heart of Psalm 73.

The psalmist, Asaph, is honest about it. He admits that he envied the arrogant when he saw the prosperity of the wicked. He looked around and began comparing his life to theirs. And the more he looked, the less fair things seemed.

Many Christians have had the same experience.

We know God is just and good. Yet there are moments when the world doesn’t seem to reflect that reality. Evil appears to prosper. Faithfulness appears to go unnoticed.

Asaph wrestled with those thoughts until, as he says, he entered the sanctuary of God.

Something changed there.

His circumstances didn’t change. The wicked were still prosperous. and the problems he saw in the world had not disappeared.

Standing in God’s presence, Asaph began to see beyond the immediate moment. He remembered that this life is not the whole story. God’s justice may not always arrive according to our timetable, but it will come.

What changed was his perspective.

That realization transformed his envy.

I’ve watched many movies with my kids. Sometimes, especially when they were younger, they would become frustrated because the villain seemed to be winning. The hero was struggling, and everything appeared to be going wrong.

As an adult, I understood something they didn’t.

The story wasn’t finished.

That’s the mistake Asaph was making. And it’s a mistake we can make, too.

When we focus only on the present moment, it’s easy to become discouraged. But Christians know how the story ends.

Jesus died and rose again. Sin, death, and evil do not get the final word. The resurrection guarantees that God’s justice and God’s mercy will ultimately prevail. And what is to come puts anything anyone has in this life to shame.

So when you find yourself wondering why the wicked prosper, remember that God is still writing the story.

And His ending is better than anything this world can offer. In fact, not only can that help you overcome envy, it can motivate you to share God’s Word with those people whose lives are “so much better” in this world, because you know this world is coming to an end and judgment day is coming.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

When I see evil prosper and faithfulness struggle, help me not to lose heart. Keep my eyes fixed on You and remind me that Your justice and mercy will prevail. Strengthen my faith through Jesus and help me trust Your timing and Your promises. Give me a heart to share the Gospel with all people.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

There is a difference between knowing something is true and personally receiving it.

You can know that a meal has been prepared. You can know that a gift has been purchased. You can know that an invitation has been extended. But until it is actually received, there is still a sense of distance between the gift and the person for whom it is intended.

The Christian faith is filled with truths that are meant not only to be understood, but also received.

That is especially true when it comes to the Lord’s Supper.

Paul writes,

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”

Notice how concrete his language is. He does not describe the Supper as merely a reminder of Christ or a symbolic act of fellowship. He speaks of participation.

When Christians gather around the Lord’s Table, Christ is not absent. He is present, giving exactly what He promises to give—His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

This is one of the beautiful realities of the Christian life. God does not leave us with vague assurances and distant promises. He delivers His gifts in tangible ways.

We hear His Word spoken aloud.

We receive water joined to His promise in Baptism.

And in the Lord’s Supper, we receive Christ’s body and blood under bread and wine.

Why does God work this way?

Because He knows what we are like.

We are often burdened by guilt. We struggle with doubt. We wonder whether God’s promises are really meant for us. So He gives us something we can receive with our own mouths as a personal declaration of His grace.

When you come to the Lord’s Table, Christ is not making a general announcement to a crowd. He is serving you.

The forgiveness won at the cross is placed into your hands and onto your lips. The same Savior who died and rose again comes to strengthen your faith and comfort your conscience.

You don’t have to wonder whether you really meant is when you said you believed or whether God really meant it when He said you are forgiven. You have this concrete experience. You have received His body and His blood. You have been washed in the water…and God always gives what He promises.

You are His. You have been forgiven.

Paul also reminds us that the Supper joins believers together.

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body.”

The Lord’s Table is both personal and communal. Christ gathers His people around Himself, feeding them with the same gift and uniting them in the same faith, making them one body.

Every celebration of the Sacrament is a reminder that Christianity is not simply a set of ideas to be believed. It is a relationship in which the living Christ continues to serve His people.

And His message remains wonderfully simple:

Given for you.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for not only speaking Your promises but also giving them to me in visible and tangible ways. Thank You for feeding me with Your true body and blood and assuring me that Your forgiveness is meant for me personally.

Strengthen my faith through Your Holy Supper. Comfort my conscience when I am burdened, and remind me that You continue to serve Your people with grace and mercy.

Keep me united to You and to Your Church until the day we feast together in Your eternal kingdom.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

How tightly do you hold on to money?

This Proverb seems backward, doesn’t it?

The most people think, if you want to have more, you should hold on to what you have. Protect it. Save it. Keep it from slipping away.

That’s how the math works.

Yet Proverbs presents a different picture. One person gives generously and somehow flourishes. Another clings tightly to everything they have and ends up poorer for it.

This isn’t a formula for getting rich. Proverbs is not teaching that if you give away ten dollars, God is obligated to send twenty back. That’s not wisdom; that’s a transaction and that’s the lie of the Prosperity Gospel.

Instead, Proverbs is describing something deeper about the human heart.

Have you ever noticed that generosity and gratitude tend to grow together? People who recognize God’s blessings often become more willing to share them. And people who practice generosity frequently discover a joy that money alone cannot provide.

By contrast, a person can spend their entire life accumulating more and still never feel like they have enough.

There is an old story about the wealthy American industrialist John D. Rockefeller. A reporter once asked him,

“How much money is enough?”

Rockefeller supposedly replied,

“Just a little bit more.”

Whether the story is perfectly accurate or not, it captures something true. The desire for more rarely reaches a finish line. If our hope is in what we possess, there will always be another amount to earn, another purchase to make, another level of security to achieve.

Generosity pushes against that mindset. It reminds us that everything we have is ultimately a gift from God. Our time, abilities, possessions, opportunities, and finances are not things we created from nothing. They have been entrusted to us. We are stewards, not owners.

That changes how we view them.

Instead of asking,

“How much can I keep?”

wisdom begins to ask,

“How can I use what God has given me to bless others?”

Sometimes that blessing is financial. Sometimes it’s hospitality. Sometimes it’s sharing your time with someone who needs encouragement. Sometimes it’s a simple act of kindness that costs little but means much.

The point is not the size of the gift. The point is the posture of the heart.

After all, our God is generous. 

I heard someone on the radio today say,

“I’m sure you can think of a time God saved you when you were on the edge: A check at just the right time or a friend that called when you were in a desperate moment, a time when God stepped in miraculously. Our God is faithful.”

You may be able to think of a time like that and certainly God is faithful, but I think that statement misses something about God’s faithfulness and generosity. Rather than thinking of the (probably) few time God provided when you were on the edge, remember that it’s God’s generosity and provision that keeps you off the edge most of your life.

He gives daily bread, family, work, and countless blessings we often overlook. Most of all, He gave His Son for our salvation. The cross is the greatest act of generosity the world has ever seen.

And as we receive His gifts, we learn to become people who give.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Everything I have comes from You. Forgive me for the times I cling too tightly to Your gifts or trust in them more than I trust in You. Create in me a generous heart that reflects Your goodness. Help me see opportunities to bless others with my time, resources, encouragement, and love. Thank You for the countless gifts You have given me, especially the gift of Your Son. Teach me to receive Your generosity with gratitude and to share it with others.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.