Richness Toward God

[S] Luke 12:21 --
 ²¹"So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

[O] Richness is very often measured by how much money (or toys) you have but more accurate approach may be to see how richly filled is your heart with joy and happiness.  Haven't we seen many times where those who has everything they need or want materially are not necessarily rich in their hearts and emotions?  God is teaching us the same principle here by introducing the "richness toward God."  Investing in this type of richness is to store up His principles and truths from the Bible into my heart and then to exercise them in my own life.

[A] Set my mind to store up more richness toward God.  This means sustaining the standards of God's Kingdom over the standards of this world's definition of richness.

[P] Dear God, make me rich with Your thoughts today.  I want to store up more of your richness into my heart by continuously doing my devotions of reading Your word.  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.