It correlates on the date of this posting. If you are reading this on another day,
search for April 30, 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.
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.
2.
If Baal wasn’t so oppressive with the way it steals money from
its subjects, but instead, followed Scriptural principles, maybe Christians
would give a little more. Regardless,
Christians are called to give.
From today’s scripture reading:
Remember
this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one
who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each
decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in
response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God
will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you
need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered
forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer
and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your
resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can
always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they
will thank God.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NLT)
From today’s devotional:
The principle of
sowing and reaping is a universal truth ordained by God; it applies not only in
agriculture, but also in the area of giving. Despite the fact that the Lord
promises an abundant harvest for those who give generously, many Christians
still struggle with releasing their grip on money.
Some fear that
they won’t have enough if they give. Others, pulled by greed, are unwilling to
sacrifice pleasures and comforts. Those who succumb to their fears or
stinginess will miss out on the great harvest God wants to give them.
In the midst of a
chaotic economy and uncertain times, we can find our security in the Lord. His
ways are often the opposite of our natural tendencies. The world says that to
have enough, we must acquire more. Today’s passage says that in giving
generously, we will have an abundance of both provision for our needs (bread)
and resources to continue our generosity (seed).
Beyond this, the
Lord also promises that the harvest of our righteousness will increase, and we
will be “enriched in everything for all liberality” (v. 11). God’s riches
encompass so much more than earthly wealth. Generosity produces godly
character, which is valuable now and in eternity.
Although we have
been given the promise of a bountiful harvest, it will be realized only by
those who sow abundantly. In following God’s plan for giving, you can be free
of worry because the One who guarantees you a harvest is also the omnipotent
Lord who is able to produce it.
Correlation:
Baal’s subjects should
not be dependent on Baal. The true God
is the One who is the omnipotent Lord who is able to produce a harvest. In the midst of a chaotic economy and
uncertain times, we can find our security in the Lord. His ways are often the opposite of our
natural tendencies. The world says that
to have enough, we must acquire more. Christians
are called to give, not reluctantly or in response to pressure. As the Scriptures say, “They
share freely and give generously to the poor.”
