Not desiring Baal’s riches

http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions#.U8edMVIg_X4

If you are reading this on another day, search for June 4, 2015 on the intouch.org website.

From the CANON on this blog:

      How the worship of Baal breaks the Ten Commandments

1.    Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

 

Tyrants do not believe in the true God.  Their god is Tyranny.  They cause their subjects to worship and be dependent on them, rather than God.

 

2.    Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

The idol that is the physical representation of the Tyrant’s god is money. Money is the physical means by which the Tyrant promulgates its prime tenet.

    10. Thou shalt not covet.

This is what causes Tyrants and their subjects to violate all the other commandments.  The Tyrants covet, and their resulting actions cause their subjects to covet.

 

      Solutions

1.    God is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem.  He may choose to use the solutions listed below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined.  The poor should cry out to God for help, rather than depending on Baal.

 

From today’s scripture reading:

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces.

Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with the finest wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT)

From today’s devotional:

If you knew that something you desired could destroy your life, would you keep chasing after it? The Bible warns about a certain kind of pursuit that can cause one to:

1) Fall into sin.
2) Be mastered by foolish wishes.
3) Engage in activities that erode character.
4) Plunge into moral ruin.
5) Wander from faith.

In spite of these dire warnings, many people are still ruled by a longing to get rich.

There is nothing wrong with being affluent, as long as we follow God’s rules for wise living. Specifically, we are to honor Him with our money, which includes acknowledging that He is the rightful owner (Proverbs 3:9;  Psalms 50:10). And we’re also to give it cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). The desire for riches becomes a sin when accumulation is among our highest priorities. If that is the case, the god we end up serving is money.

Believers are to live by grace in every aspect of their lives, including finances. That means we surrender wages, portfolio, and charitable giving into God’s hands. Furthermore, we accept what He gives as enough, even when the bank account seems low by the world’s standards. He has promised to supply our needs, so we’re to regard financial gains and losses as part of His will and plan.

I am not preaching a message that suggests godly people are rewarded with riches. Poverty and tough times are as common to believers as to unbelievers. However, the Bible promises that if we live by God’s grace, He will provide amply for whatever we need (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Commentary:

The desire for riches becomes a sin when accumulation is among our highest priorities. If that is the case, the god we end up serving is money.

We should accept what He gives as enough, even when the bank account seems low by the world’s standards. He has promised to supply our needs, so we’re to regard financial gains and losses as part of His will and plan.

The Bible promises that if we live by God’s grace, He will provide amply for whatever we need (“God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”  2 Corinthians 9:8).