Getting Back Everything God's Way

[S] 2 Kings 8:6 (NIV) --
The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, "Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now."

[O] The woman whose son Elisha had restored to life exiled to land of Philistines for seven years following the advice of Elisha.  And after seven years when she returned she was recognized by the king as the person who experienced Elisha's miracle and ordered his official to restore her house and everything belonged to her including the backlogged income.  This displays God's faithfulness keeping His promises (from when Elisha saved her son) despite the period of famine she had to weather through.  When following God's direction, He will take care of everything without any loss.

[A] Even though I know that I should surrender my financial income to God completely, it is still one of the challenging areas to do just that.  However, unless I trust His ways and guidance 100% I will forego the opportunity of receiving His faithfulness in my career and income just like this woman did.

[P] Dear God, grant me the heart of trust in Your financial provisions when I completely trust in Your way.  I want to bring out Your glory in my finances not because of my great efforts (although not be lazy) but because I am carrier of Your amazing works.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Higher Yield than Choicest Silver

[S] Proverbs 8:18-21 --
¹⁸"Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring wealth and righteousness.
¹⁹"My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than choicest silver.
²⁰"I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
²¹To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.

[O] These days in the midst of our financial downturn many of us are seeking to create higher yields with our investments both in personal and corporate levels. Banks are trying to attract new customers with their higher-yielding savings accounts, CDs, as well as lower interest on loans. The financial analysts are trying to analyze the current situation to death while attempting to project the outlook in next 1-2 years. I recently got a newsletter titled: "When Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong Strategy Report." I don't know about you but it's an information overload for me trying to keep up with all different perspectives and analysis. In the midst of all this, today passage was like an oasis to me because it talks about how God is in control of my yields as well as my treasuries. Oh yeah, I'd better not lose focus of Him in this roller coaster ride otherwise I'll lose my bearing and get dizzy.

[A] Do not forget that in the end, God will give and take away all things I have/will have.

[P] Dear God , You are teaching me to trust You in the whirlwind of the situation we're all in. Many uncertainties such as how long I'll be employed in my current position and how much more we need to dive before we hit the bottom. May I grasp on to your word as my untimate treasure and may Your grace allow my children to do likewise (in their concerns which are more school works and other activities). In Jesus' name. Amen.