Coffee With The Lord

It’s so easy to look at the prosperity of wicked, God-ignoring, arrogant, self-willed (and they believe “self-made”) individuals and secretly wonder why they have prospered (or worse, envy their apparent success). Today in my Bible reading during “coffee with the Lord” I read a wonderful assurance that I intend to embrace by faith!

“The little bit that a godly man owns is better than the wealth of many evil men, for evil men will lose their power, but the LORD sustains the godly. Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion and are generous… The LORD grants success to the one whose behavior he finds commendable. Even if he trips up, he will not fall headlong, for the LORD holds his hand. I was once young, now I am old [David said]… I have never seen a godly man abandoned, or his children forced to search for food. All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, and his children are blessed.” (from Psalm 3716-17, 21-26

In a “snatch and grab world” where the attitude seems to be if you’re going to enjoy success you’ll achieve it on your own! I think I’ll trust the Lord, cooperate with His principles, do my part and expect Him to be faithful and bring blessing now, but more than simply now… “treasure in heaven!”

I’ve been blessed to have some wonderful fellow Christians in my life who had it right regarding money (NOT people like Scrooge McDuck)! One of them my hard-working dad, another my very frugal and industrious wife (a Proverbs 31 woman!), and some successful Christian business people. From them I’ve learned four extremely valuable principles regarding money… Here they are…

1. Work for it!
2. Invest it!
3. Manage it!
4. Honor God with it!

Now what prompted me to share that today was the reminder that Psalm 37:1-8 brought to mind about evil people who use all kinds of schemes to get rich, who cheat, who take advantage of others, and who will do anything – I mean ANYTHING to make a buck! … Here is what the Bible says about that…

“Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed! Do not envy evildoers! For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants. Trust in the LORD and do what is right! Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! Then you will take delight in the LORD, and he will answer your prayers. Commit your future to the LORD! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. He will vindicate you in broad daylight, and publicly defend your just cause. Wait patiently for the LORD! Wait confidently for him! Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, a man who carries out wicked schemes! Do not be angry and frustrated! Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!” (from the NET Bible)

Yup! I want to live that that passage encourages us to… “Fret free!” Working hard! Investing wisely! Managing what God has provided and honoring Him in EVERYTHING!

Some very powerful passages of Scripture are built around stark contrasts… I read one today during “coffee with the Lord” – Psalm 36. It features the ugliness of evil and the beauty of the Lord – the rotten lifestyle of the evil man and the majesty of God’s perfect character… Here is a taste of its contents…

“An evil man is rebellious to the core. He does not fear God, for he is too proud to recognize and give up his sin. The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful; he does not care about doing what is wise and right. He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed; he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; he does not reject what is evil.