Fear makes us react emotionally, doing all the wrong things. We abandon the principles of Scripture and grab for all we can get, withholding and hoarding in case things get worse. Don’t surrender to the fears rampant in our increasingly godless culture. Instead, faithfully follow God’s economics for tough times.
When Israel did this they enjoyed mega harvests. But when they withheld and hoarded what God provided, He said, ‘You are under a curse—the whole nation of you…’ (Malachi 3:9 NIV) Whether they experienced abundance or lack, depended on their attitude and actions towards God’s economics. His principles required they ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse…’ not a partial tithe. (Malachi 3:10 NIV) If they’d ‘Honour the Lord with…the firstfruits of all [their] crops,’ their barns would ‘overflow’ and their vats ‘brim over’. (Proverbs 3:9–10 NIV)
Jesus taught that if you ‘give... it will be given to you…’ in an abundance determined by the ‘…measure you use…’ when giving. (See Luke 6:38 NIV.) You, not the economy, determine the measure of your harvest by the measure of the seed you sow. The Bible says, ‘…He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.’ (2 Corinthians 9:6 NKJV)
The way it works in God’s economy is, anyone who ‘…withholds unduly…comes to poverty,’ while those who ‘…give freely…gain even more...’ God promises, ‘A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.’ (Proverbs 11:24–25 NIV) Try it. God’s principles work in any economy!
Mark 8:1–13, Ps 44:17–26, Pr 11:12–13
That first sentence, in this reading, reminds me of the behaviour of every drug addict that i met. Fear...they all live in fear of running out of that drug, not being able to get any more, and the withdrawals. What a way to live. Horrible.
I stayed up way too late last night. In fact, i was awake past midnight, both nights this past weekend. Quite happily though, busy doing things. It must be all the fresh air that i got over the weekend with working outside in the yard, that has given me more energy! That and my soup...of course.
Back later on...i need a bit more zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz this morning! x
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