I was going through the scriptures today in the morning for my daily Bible study when God suddenly led me to Proverbs 10:22... “The blessing of the Lord maketh rich. And He adds no sorrow with it.” For a long time I waited to grasp the meaning. I had not seen this verse for a long time. What is God saying here? Why is He saying “And He adds no sorrow with it?” We know that our God is a good God. When He gives us His blessing, He empowers us to prosper with His blessing. We are rich in both health and in wealth in our daily lives. Even our children do well. Then why sorrow? Why does He have to emphasize that He adds no sorrow with His blessing? Friends, there are actually two economies operating simultaneously in the world today. The first is God’s way of doing things from the beginning in the chapter on Genesis. We know that the blessing He put on Adam did not last long. By his disobedience Adam lost what God gave him free of charge. The blessing had turned into a curse which many of us have to bear even today. But God was merciful. He had immediately gone and set up His plan for Man’s redemption. God destroyed everything on Earth through that mighty flood. But he spared Noah and his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth and allowed them to carry on with the mankind race. All of us are descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth. For a time it was peace again on Earth. “Be fruitful, multiply and replenish the Earth (Genesis 9:1) was working perfectly well. We were all blessed. But soon it was trouble again. Noah’s sons Ham and Japheth went about disobeying God and established what we know today as the Babylonian system of economy of Man trying to meet his needs without God. Noah’s other son Shem followed God, obeyed God. We also know that Abraham, the father of all nations was a direct descendant of Shem. That was how the two economies began on earth. The Babylonian system of economy created by Ham and Japheth is the modern world of commerce. It is here that the modern way of doing business where man eats man, the cheating and stealing style of doings has survived to this day. They solve … [Read more...]
“As you think, so shall you be”
I am a big fan of that mighty woman of God – Joyce Meyer. Her television ministry “Enjoying everyday life” is touching the lives of millions of viewers from every corner of the world. Her total mastery over the Word, her phenomenal memory and her love for Jesus has made Joyce one of the topmost evangelists in the world today. We all know how God wants us so much to change our thinking and begin to think in line with Him and His Word. And Joyce has a favourite expression for this she uses of often – ‘stinking thinking.’ Joyce laments that few people can escape this stinking thinking. She is so right because what we choose to think and settle in our minds everyday will determine what we will eventually be in our lives. God has so beautifully grabbed hold of this simple truth for us in His Word from the Book of Proverbs 23:7... “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” The crucial word in this Bible verse is obviously ‘thinks.’ Here God is aiming for our thought practice – what and how we think all the time. What exactly does the verse mean? When we paraphrase the quotation we get “As you think, so shall you be.” Take a look at all those people who are leading happy and satisfied lives. They have stayed focussed only on the encouraging and constructive things in their lives. They have used their free will on purpose for doing so; unlike those who lead miserable lives with their negative, gloomy and cynical attitudes. I agree we are living under a curse after the first man Adam sinned. But God Almighty restored everything by making His Son Jesus die. So we have within us the ability to create happy lives. So it is our thought life that is whipping the discrepancy. Here again the Bible comes to our help. It clearly tells us how to control what we think. Take a look at these 3 verses... “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and … [Read more...]
