Tag: Give Ear

1. Walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes

Exodus 15:26  saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

Deuteronomy 7:12-13     “And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers.  He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.

Deuteronomy 7:15    And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.

Deuteronomy 28:1-15     “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 12:28    Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

1 Kings 11:38    And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

2 Kings 22:2     And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

When I read these verses I think about how is a person to know they are carefully obeying, listening to the voice of the Lord,  giving ear to His word, being faithful, doing what is right, not turning aside to the right or the left?   Maybe the other question that should be asked is what is keeping us from all of this? What is the measuring stick or means to know the path you are on is in line with the purposes and plans of God for your life? Why do things get clouded and confused when trying to answer these questions?

Our culture speaks into our lives.  True, false and slanted news taints how we think and live.  Laws, tolerance, live and let live, separation of church and state, biased views based on liberal agendas and the list can go on and on.  All of these eat away at our ability to carefully obey, listen, give full ear to God unless we are intentional about it.  Intentional would mean we are staying in His word, growing in our knowledge and understanding of Him, growing our faith through times of testing, using His word to challenge the prevailing thoughts of our culture, using His word to speak to our heart and mind, desiring to hear His whispers of leading, seeking to humbly serve, honor, glorify, worship, follow and obey Him.

We can look very good when we compare ourselves to the culture we live in.  We only have to be a little be different to falsely think we are right in God’s eyes.  I can remember 35 years ago a Pastor telling me he continues to see the church always 10 to 15 years behind adopting what is not acceptable now.  It only takes that short time to weaken our thoughts and resolve if we are not faithful in our time in His word, faithful in our walk with Him, faithful in our intentional commitment, faithful in seeking Him with all of our heart, mind, and soul.

He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart

“For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Exodus 15:22   Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

Exodus 16:4    Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

Deuteronomy 8:2    And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

Deuteronomy 8:16    who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.

Judges 2:22     in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.”

Psalms 66:10     For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.

Proverbs 17:3    The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts.

Jeremiah 9:7    Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them and test them,

1 Peter 1:6-7     In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,  so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Do you ever wonder why we face trials and trouble this side of eternity?  Sometimes it is because of the consequences of others, sometimes consequences of our own doing, but in all things, it is allowed by God.  God can do this to test our faith (genuineness), to refine us, to humble us, to teach us, to see if we will remain true, and to allow us to see what is in our heart.

Being tested is good for us.  When we have been through a trial we can be vengeful, hateful, hurtful, prideful…. or we learn to be humble, hopeful, reliant, and thankful to God.  We find what He means when He speaks of never leaving or forsaking us, for being our refuge, our strength, our shelter, our road and fortress, our hope and peace.

It is good to be found worthy of being tested and refined.

They Grumbled

“Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.”

Exodus 15:23  When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.  And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”  And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them,  saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

Exodus 16:2     And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,

Numbers 11:1-6     And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

Numbers 14:2   And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!

Numbers 16:11    Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

Numbers 16:41    But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron,

Numbers 20:2-5     Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.  And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD!  Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?  And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”

Numbers 21:5     And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”

Jude 1:16    These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires;

Philippians 2:14   Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

Matthew 6:25     “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Grumbling? What is it that creeps into our lives that make us grumble?  Can you hear it in the voice of the people in these verses?  Note how God had just split the Red Sea, the people crossed over on dry ground and the whole Egyptian army was wiped out and now there is a little test put on them with food and water.  What did they do? Grumbled.

Take a quick glance back at all the times God has been faithful in your life.  What is it that you are facing that is greater than what God can do?  Is He testing you?  Are you grumbling?  Are you looking for something other than God’s provision and timing?

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He will not change.  Yet we (I) allow doubt to creep in.  Faith does not allow doubt.  Faith waits.  Faith trusts.  Faith knows God is in control.

What ever it is that is casting doubt on God’s faithfulness – stop it – humbly seek to serve, honor, glorify, and praise Him through it.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”

“O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.”

Psalms 103:3  who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

Psalms 32:1-5    Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.  For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Isaiah 43:25     “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Luke 7:47-48     Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”  And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Ephesians 1:7     In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Psalms 38:1-7   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!  For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.  There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.  For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.  My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.

Numbers 21:7-9     And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you.

Exodus 15:26     saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

Isaiah 53:5     But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Jeremiah 17:14     Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.

If our sin was exposed so all could see, what would people see?  If our sin were heavy weights and tied to our backs would we even be able to walk? If our sin was a brick tied to our feet and we were cast into water over our head would we ever be able to reach the surface for a breath?  If our sin was a sickness would we need life support?  The answer to these metaphoric questions depends on our ability to see our sin.  Many times I think we use a comparison approach to sin.  We look for someone else who, in our eyes, has worse sin than us.  We use this to look away instead of looking inward.  This is a lie fed to us in heaping measure by satan.  We easily latch on to this instead of seeking to know what is in our heart, mind, and soul that is offensive to God.  David wrote it this way: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” He asked God to reveal His sin to him so that he could live in such a way that honored and glorified God.  Start your day today asking God to reveal that which is not right in your life.  Then run with arms wide open confessing them to Jesus Christ and seeking to honor, glorify, worship, and praise Him for salvation and forgiveness of sin.

Before the rooster crows

“Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”

“And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

“Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.”

“bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.”

John 18:15  Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest,  but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.  The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”  Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

Matthew 26:69     Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”  But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.”

Luke 22:56     Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.”  But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”

Joh 18:25  Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Luke 22:60     But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”  And he went out and wept bitterly.

Zechariah 12:10    “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

Psalms 126:5     Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!  He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalms 130:3     If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

Psalms 143:1    Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!  Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.  For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.  Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.

I wonder how many times a day I deny Christ.  How many opportunities are theres to speak Christ into the lives of others that I pass on?  How many times do I deny by closing my ears to hearing His whispers of guidance?  How many times to I close my eyes to seeing His hand at work?  How many times do I look at my accomplishments and deny they are all at the hand of God?  How many times do I deny the conviction of the Holy Spirit?  How many times do I only think of me first and deny Jesus Christ as Lord putting aside humble service, honor, following and obedience to Him?  It is sad to think about the amount of time wasted on self, self concerns, self interests, and self wants at the cost of knowing and serving Jesus Christ.  Purpose, this side of eternity, is for serving, honoring, living for, following, and obeying Jesus Christ.  Oh that my heart and mind would be desiring and seeking God as David said “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

Thankful – God will supply all our needs

“Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?”

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

“Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered”

Psalms 84:4  Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!  Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.  As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.  They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.  O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!  Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!  For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.  O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! 

Philippians 4:19     And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 34:9     Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!  The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Proverbs 2:7     he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Proverbs 28:6    Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

Have you ever thought of what it is that hinders walking with God?  Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, greed, and pride all lead down a path of ever wanting and never finding.  These are all temporary satisfactions that have no end and will never satisfy the heart, soul and mind.  Satisfaction the world offers is tied to that which cannot satisfy the heart and soul.  Searching for satisfaction outside of God is like chasing the wind – (never caught – only a temporary sensory feeling – always changing direction). Those who desire and seek God choose to be humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him.  Their eyes are on Him and eternity promised.  Holiness, purity, genuine love, kindness, faith, hope, generosity, obedience, service, and humbleness replace complacency, neglect, lust, greed, and worldly satisfaction.  Their hope is in the Lord.  Their trust is in the Lord.  Their strength is in Him.  Their peace is in Him. Their want is to honor Him.  Their desire is to serve, follow and obey Him. Their wisdom and food for life this side of eternity is found in His word and promises.

Tell the next generation

“He who has ears, let him hear.”

“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

“But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.”

Psalms 78:1   Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!   I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,   things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.   We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.   He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,  that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,   so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;   and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Proverbs 8:4  “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.  O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.  Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right,

Isaiah 51:4    “Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.

Isaiah 55:3     Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Deuteronomy 11:19    You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

It is up to us to proclaim the grace, mercy, love, hope, might and power of God.  It is a light to those who like us were in darkness.  When are we to speak of God?  When we are sitting in our homes, when we are walking, when we lie down and when we rise up.  The pace of our lives seems to be able to distract us from this.  We need to be mindful of that which distracts us and hold fast to Him and His word.  Practice putting His word into your mind. Read His word and then meditate on it through out the day.  Speak about it and discuss it.  Praise God through your life being lived out in honor and service to Him.  Set all your hopes in and on Him.

Refuge / Rock / Shelter

“ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

“He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”

“For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.”

Psalms 61:1  Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;  from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,  for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Psalms 5:1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.  Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

Psalms 55:1  Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!  Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

Deuteronomy 4:29    But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Psalms 139:9  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,  even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Psalms 18:46   The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation

Psalms 62:2   He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

What keeps us from calling on God and seeing Him as a place of refuge and our fortress?  Could it be we don’t see a need for Him in our life?  I wonder if our need for God is a direct correlation to amount of time we spend in His word.   Scripture clearly tells us to seek Him, desire Him, obey Him, believe Him, trust Him, rely on Him, love Him, hope in Him, sing to Him, have peace in Him, praise Him, pray to Him, and listen to Him.   When we spend time in His word the more we hear His quiet voice leading us down paths that bring honor and glory to Him.  How can we call on someone we hardly know?  How can we hold on to His promises if we don’t know what they are?  How will we know sin in our life if we can’t compare our actions with what is expected in His word?  We become passive, complacent, lukewarm, and have an appearance of being close to God but in reality our substance is shallow words without action.  Action from the heart that leads us to repentance, action from the heart the leads us to give, action from the heart that allows us to forgive, action from the heart that leads us to praise, action from the heart that leads us to confess, action from the heart that allows us to be wronged, action from the heart that runs to God.  We would do well to spend time in His word, listen for His whispers of guidance, follow and obey Him.

Prayer to Praise

“Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.”

“For he has delivered me from every trouble”

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Psalms 54:1   O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.  O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.

Psalms 26:1  Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Psalms 43:1  Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!  For you are the God in whom I take refuge;

Psalms 55:1-2   Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!  Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

Psalms 28:7    The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalms 140:7    O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.

Exodus 15:2    The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Isaiah 40:31   but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Zechariah 10:12    I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD.

Ephesians 6:10   Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

We all come up against trials and troubles throughout this life.  We can take note of David and how he brought these trials before God, almost like a complaint, but he always ends in praise proclaiming God’s love, mercy, might, strength and his faith in it.  Acknowledging our trials and troubles to God, our heavenly Father, should be natural.  Likewise we should have continual praise for Him and proclaiming our faith in His power, might, sovereignty, strength, love, mercy, and grace.  Try this for a week.  Read His word for 5 minutes each day and highlight His promises.  These promises are your building blocks for praise because not only do we see what He has done but what He is doing and will do.  Take your problems to Him and lay them in His hands.  Trust in His promises to never leave you or forsake you, to have steadfast love for you, to be your strength, your rock, your power, your refuge, your joy, your peace, and your hope.  In Him you will find rest and reason for hope.

Forfeit his soul

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

Psalms 49:1   Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit. For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts.  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.

1 Timothy 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain,  for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

We often have thoughts about people and their success on the wealth they have don’t we?  We even have some thoughts about wanting the same or at least part of the same things they have.  We get envious and soon are not content.  This Psalm does make clear the impotence of wealth, the trust in it and the final reward for this trust – eternity in Hell.  We leave all behind in this life – nothing is ours – we only have use of it for this side of eternity.  If only we have clear understanding of this.  Would our giving be greater?  Would we be more content with what we have and stop seeking more and more of what this world has to offer? Seeking after more and more replaces thoughts of humbly serving, honoring, and obeying God.  Our heart and mind get consumed with everything that is temporal at the cost of that which is eternal.  This should not be so.  Check your giving, generosity, contentment, and how much time is used getting verses giving.  We all can do so much better in our focus for honor and glory to God.