By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, and honour, and life. Proverbs 22:4 KJV
Context and Charge:
Every line; a message. The man who is credited with most of the words of the book of Proverbs was a king, and a popular one too. He was rich and influential, and people came from all over the world to hear him speak. It was in his time that the bible records that silver was as common as stones, and gold was the usual article of use. It is not clear at what time things changed, but his heart was drawn away from God, and he pursued after strange gods and strange women. It is not a wonder that his end was not so great, but that is what God is saying very clearly in the passage before us today: humility and the fear of God are keys to unlocking the best that God has to offer us today. If I will be all that God wants me to be, I must be the kind of person He can lead and guide into the place He has prepared for me.
It is important to emphasize humility and the fear of God. These attributes make it clear that I know I am nothing outside of God. I know the One who has brought me this far, and I recognise that he is the only one who can take me to the promised land. Men have tried and laboured by their own power to lay hold of these things, and some have succeeded in getting some of these things, but when you consider their end, you realise that what they had was indeed dust and vanity. Look at what God gives: riches, honour and life. There are riches that come laden with heartaches, and there are riches that have no sorrow attached. There is honour a man can buy by hypocrisy, deceit or money, but there is an honour that even wealth will seek to be a part of. Which perspective am I pursuing: the world's, or God's?
Conviction and Conclusion:
And then there is a good life, which money may secure for you on earth, but there is a life that only total surrender to Christ can secure for you. Too many times, the lure of this earth wants to hold my heart. It presents the gifts of this world as important, but all that the world gives you will perish with the world. The treasures of this earth will be taken when the earth is destroyed by fire, but the man who fears God leaves no room for pride and self-sufficiency. He is always focused on pleasing God and making impact for him on earth. Do not let the world deceive you with its false tokens; let God hold your heart and keep you focused on the keys that give access to all that God is and has. The humble heart asks God to be Lord and Master over all, and the heart that fears God places God at the centre of his life and decisions. Of course, the opposite is equally true. Which side are you on? God's time of favour is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment