Something Better than Money

There are many of us who I’m sure could use a little extra money. Money has value. It can make things happen, help us acquire what we need, and settle our debts. As valuable as money may be, there are some things that are simply better. There are certain things we need to prioritize above making another dollar. These are things that money can’t buy. Listen to the wisdom from Proverbs 15:16-17 (ESV),

16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.

Gain and use your money wisely, but never chase it at the expense of our relationship with God and love for others. Remember having a reverence for God is better than great riches. Jesus said it like this in Mark 8:36,

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

You can have the best that money can buy, but those things find more value when you have someone to share them with. Big houses, fast cars, and fancy food aren’t nearly as precious as love. If you have a loving family and people that truly care about you, you are blessed. You can’t buy that at Walmart or on Amazon. It doesn’t have a price tag.

Take some time today to recalibrate what really makes a person blessed. It’s the presence of the Lord and love. If you have those, no matter how much money is in your bank account, you are rich. Don’t trade them for money, and don’t lose sight of them in the pursuit of money. Money is a wonderful blessing but always remember there is something better than money.

Roll Your Work Your Work to the Lord

There is a sure-fire way to make sure that work we do in this life will last and have a good foundation. It all has to do with our goal and aim. People live for all sorts of things like themselves, money, power, or popularity. However, the Bible teaches us that if we put God first and commit our work to Him, we can do something that really lasts. Consider Proverbs 16:3 (ESV),

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

What are you working on in life? What kind of plans are you making?  What is your aim? Have you included the Lord? We are called to entrust whatever we are doing to the Lord. We are to make the Lord our aim and destination. Glorifying Him is our purpose and loving Him is our duty. He should be the foundation for all our work, hopes, and dreams especially if we want it to last.

Interestingly, the verb “commit” from our verse can often be translated “to roll”. You could say roll your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. Picture this. You have a wonderful Radio Flyer wagon. In it you put all things you are working on. Maybe you’re working on improving finances, mending a relationship, or starting something new. The main goal is not just to get them into the wagon and work on them. The main goal is to roll that wagon filled with everything you are working on towards God.

Committing or rolling your work to the Lord is making Him our goal. For example, I don’t work to make money. Instead, as I work and make money my goal is to glorify God. I put my finances in the wagon and roll it towards God. What direction is your wagon rolling? Make sure you are heading in God’s direction. If you can do that, your plans will be established to the glory of God.

Heed Wisdom's Call

God has shown us what is right and good. He has told us how we can navigate this life in a way that we can do well. He has laid before us wisdom and it calls to us that we might heed its instruction. Proverbs 1:32-33 (ESV) tells us,

32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; 33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Whenever we fail to heed the wisdom and truth of God, we are playing a dangerous game. This happens sometimes because simply reject what God has told us. As the scripture says, like the simple, we turn away. We simply tell God no and go about our life as we please. Other times, we understand what God has said, but we keep putting it off. We never do anything about it. We tell ourselves I will do that next week, when I have more time, or when other things are taken care of first. We, like the fool, become complacent and fail to heed wisdom’s call. The end results of such rejection and complacency are death and destruction.

However, the benefits of heeding God’s wisdom are security, ease, and freedom from fear. Wisdom protects you. You live with a sense of confidence and calm assurance knowing God will take care of you because you are trusting Him. Many have missed the peace, joy, and contentment God has for them because they have neglected wisdom. What about you? Is there a bit of wisdom you have rejected? Are you being complacent and putting off something God has told you to do? No more messing around. Don’t live like the simpleton or the fool. It’s time to heed wisdom’s call.

Be a Person of Purpose

Do you live your life like you have a purpose, or do you just go through the motions? Do you even feel like you have any purpose? Isaiah 14:26-27 tells us that the Lord is a God of purpose, and that when He plans something it will come to pass. God has designed us all for specific purpose in life. John 10:10 states "A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in abundance." Jesus knew His purpose.

We all need to know and understand we have a purpose in this life or it can lead to feelings of uselessness, worthlessness, and frustration. God wants us to enjoy the life He has given us. He has also called us to produce good fruit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit within us.

We need to know our purpose, and we need to do it "on purpose." We should purposely decide to live our lives in a way that would please God. Such as, loving on purpose. We do not love because we feel like it: we love because we choose to do it. It is a conscience decision we make about how we relate to other people. Giving is also a decision we make on purpose. We do not give only because we feel like it. We give because we know that is what God wants us to do. We give on purpose and for a purpose.

The same is true of being kind and being merciful. We do not do those things because we necessarily always feel like doing them, but because we are called by God to do them. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness are all fruits of the Holy Spirit living in us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. We need to purposely decide to release those fruits to others so that they may be blessed, and God be glorified.

Our flesh is not always going to agree with us to do these things, but we must choose to love on purpose, give on purpose, and stay at peace on purpose. Everything we do for others, and in life needs to be done on purpose. God can help us all become a person of purpose if we just ask Him.