7 “Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
4 “But I am the LORD your God, [who brought you] out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me. 5 I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat. 6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.’ 19 And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
“How often have we seen the Christian rendered obedient to the Lord’s will by the absence of bread and the presence of difficulty. When rich and increased in goods, many professors carry their heads much too loftily and speak exceeding boastfully. Like David, they flatter themselves: ‘My mountain stands firm; I shall never be moved.’” C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg
“Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks.” Phillips Brooks
“In these days of easy-going Christianity, is it not well to remind ourselves that it really does cost to be a man or woman whom God can use? One cannot obtain a Christlike character for nothing; one cannot do a Christlike work save at great price. ‘Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptized with the baptism wherewith I am baptized?’” Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor
“Losses in business are often sanctified to our soul’s enriching. If the chosen soul will not come to the Lord full-handed, it shall come empty. If God, in His grace, finds no other means of making us honor Him among men, He will cast us into the deep; if we fail to honor Him on the pinnacle of riches, He will bring us into the valley of poverty. Yet do not faint, heir of sorrow, when you are rebuked in this fashion; rather, recognize the loving hand that chastens and say, ‘I will arise and go to my Father.’” C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg
“Temptation comes in attractive packages. Satan makes bad things look good. He makes wicked things look appealing and makes deadly things look like they’ll be the best experience you’ve ever had. He’s a liar. And he’ll do whatever he needs to do to pull you down.” Greg Laurie
“Popularity and adulation can be far more dangerous for the Christian than persecution. Unfortunately, it is easy when all goes well to lose our sense of balance and our perspective. We must learn like Paul ‘how to abound’ and ‘how to be abased.’” Billy Graham
“God refines us in the fire. The flames in our life sanctify us and draw us to God in ways that nothing else can. We emerge with a stronger faith and an unrivalled dependence on him. But the process isn’t easy. The furnace contains treasures I can’t find elsewhere.” Vaneetha Risner
“You can learn a lot about a man by what he groans after. Some men groan after wealth—they worship money; some groan continually under the troubles of life—they are merely impatient. But the man who sighs after God, who is uneasy until he is made like Christ—that is the blessed man. May God help us to groan for the coming of the Lord and the resurrection that He will bring to us.” C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg
“If you would grow into the beauty of the Master, you must accept the conflicts, and fight the battles. You can live easy if you will, by declining every struggle — but you will then get little out of life which is truly noble and worthy. The best things all come after the battle — you must fight your way across the field to get them. Heaven is only for those who overcome. No one gets the crown — without the conflict!” J R Miller
“Never tire of doing what is right. Live a life acutely aware of the brevity of it. We are indeed but a mist. And we will have all eternity to be in bliss. Seek not to pander the flesh but to promote self-discipline, placing a priority of love on those in your spheres – especially those in your own household. We often miss so many God given opportunities when indulging our worldly wants. Denial of the flesh – choosing God’s will over my own - is never easy, often misunderstood but always worth it. His way is higher, better, more beneficial and pleasing to the soul though often unutterably difficult. In the end, it produces a life of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” BHY
“Gratitude, in spite of all circumstance turns our broken and beat up hearts back to the safe place of faith in the Giver. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.” Ann Voskamp
“The Lord taught me how to sigh in pain, how to weep in gladness, and how to trust during days of hope deferred. It was not an easy road to walk. It still isn’t easy, and it isn’t safe. Rather, it is a confounding country full of myths and mirages. Here, faith resembles denial, settledness looks like surrender, and hope is the scariest creature of all. If you are with me here in this land, you know all about discouragement. But look up, friend. The path before us is paved with secret riches. To embrace it is to embrace the terrifying tension of God’s inaugurated but unfinished Kingdom: the already and the not yet, the treasure in the field, costing us everything but giving us even more. It is the place where I thank God for my son, who is enough, and in the next breath, I beg God for more. The road ahead is dangerous but not barren. There is sustenance here, because Christ Himself is here, and He goes before us. He walked this path already, this Man of Sorrows, and endured all that we must endure and more. But He did it all for the joy set before Him. In the land of unanswered prayer, we follow His lead. He does not hover above us on the winds of false expectations. Rather, He stands next to us with His own humble scars, beckoning us forward.” Jason Hague