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Saturday, January 30, 2010

Just Enough

A prayer you won't hear on Christian TV: "Give me just enough Lord, exactly what I need and no more, for my own good. Teach me to always and only trust in you."

Proverbs 30:7-9 . . .

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.


Wisdom Project 30

BH

19 comments:

Jim Morrison said...

Verse 9 tells me that I should be content with the things God has given me, because if I had anymore than what God wants for me than I might be tempted to forget who my Lord is. It is so easy to get caught up in the things of the world and lose our focus on God. This verse is a reminder for me to stay focused on Him and remain content with where He has me.

Lisa Griffiths said...

I was really hit today by the whole idea of not wanting more than you need. I've been pursuing a full time job in sports ministry and my dad and I were talking the other day. One thing he said to me as we were trying to figure out if this is what God has for me is the idea that I need to realize that going into ministry I will not be making money, but I will be training young men and women for the Lord. Which is more important. Too easy, obviously the second. Praise God for Godly parents!

Unknown said...

Verse 5 assures me that the first 4 verses are there for a purpose, stating “every word of God is flawless (pure, tried, found pure).”
According to verses 1-4, the author Agur gives this reader the impression that he knows of God, but that he doesn’t know Him personally. I find this interesting and intriguing, as this is a revelation for me. Further inspection to gain a better understanding required…

I too was struck by the heavy use of numerical parallelism through the middle to latter portion of the chapter.

Mike T.

Cody F said...

Jan 30 – Prov 30
I found it interesting in verse 4-6 as it talks about God’s power and man’s inability to know God. But I loved how it emphasized God’s power in verse 5.

Mandi said...

Verse 5 was a hugh encouragement to me today "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. I need to take refuge in God. God is so powerful and the only thing keeping me from Him is myself.

Tim K. said...

I noticed that in verses 2 and 3 the author says that he is ignorant and not wise. He says the reason is his lack of knowledge of "The Holy One". He then encourages us that God's word is a shield to those who take refuge in him. I need to remember that it is the knowledge of God's word and the refuge we have in Him that makes us wise and not a degree, title or approval of others.

Danielle Cummings said...

Verse 8 really wakes me up to the realization of how much i actually have concerning possessions. I recently "adopted" a child from india in which my family and i support each month. To read that verse and think about the words, "but give me only my daily bread" really shows me how much i actually have. Most of the time, we dont NEED everything we own, and when i think about this girl in india it makes me think about how much she has, and what she needs. Im blessed to be able to own what i do, but more blessed to help someone who really needs what i own.

Renee said...

I need to learn to have the same kind of humility that the author of this chapter has. He knows that no matter what knowledge he gains, he still has more to learn. Also, he has a humble appreciation for God’s creation. I need to realize that I don’t know everything and I never will and that God will always go above and beyond my tiny little imaginings.

julee said...

Agur says that he is not wise, that he doesn't have the knowledge of the Holy One. I want to know God and I can as far as He has revealed Himself.. but there is so much more to know--what a treasure hunt reading the word should be!

Unknown said...

verses 8-9 grabbed my attention today when it said "feed me with the food that is NEEDFUL to me, 9. lest i be full ad deny you by saying, "Who is the Lord?" It made me think of where i have laid my satisfaction and comfort in. It also carried an idea in my head about what are the things in my life that are "needful to me", needed, and/or necessary. What things to i need to maybe… give or put away because i have gotten too "full"?

Unknown said...

Proverbs 30:8
"Remove far from me falsehood and lying;give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me."
- It is too easy to get caught up in always thinking how I "need" this and that for this reason, when if I look deep down at the real purpose, it is for selfish gain and I usually learn that I can deal without. It too easy to just say, this stopped working right and I need a new one! Instead of thinking about if whatever it was that is no longer working, if it is completely necessary and it possibly could be not working anymore so that I will spend more time focusing on things that matter, like time with God. These are just a few of my thoughts as I listened to this proverb for the day.

ShawnaAlleman said...

The prayer in vs 7-9 is something that i will be posting to my refrigerator to remind me everyday that is how i need to be in my daily life.

Carrie L. said...

this is a test not my comment

Carrie L. said...

I liked how Agur was humble and acknowledged that he lacked wisdom. "I have not learned wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of the Holy One". He then proceeded to ask about God in verse 4 and I liked how he ended by saying "What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! Full of faith, Agur then asks the Lord of two things, to keep lies from him and to give him only his daily bread. Instead of asking for riches or fame he only asks for his daily needs trusting through faith that the Lord will provide for him.
I am reminded to ask the Lord for my daily needs, to increase my faith and the knowledge of him.

Unknown said...

I also was really struck by verses 7-9 and the prayer for 'just enough'. These verses are a reminder that we only need so much, but that also we should only want so much. Here the author sincerely desires just enough and a humble neediness of the Lord.

Erin said...

These verses, especially verse 9, remind me how God always gives us all we need in life. There are times where I catch myself saying how I need this and that, but really those are just things I want. This verse shows me that sometimes the things we want in life are the things that bring away from God.

Unknown said...

The second part to verse 5 was very encouraging to me today. To know the truth that God is a shield to those who take refuge in him is just really at this time of my life very encouraging. Just to know that no matter what I can turn to God and he is there protecting me takes a lot off my shoulders and gives me strength to press onward.

Unknown said...

Verses 8 and 9 really apply to us all. Our culture feeds us the lie that we need to have more more more. These verses teach that having too much is actually a burden. having too much teaches us to be dependent on ourselves instead of God. I have been learning the valuable lesson of dependence these last few weeks. Anyway, Having too much turns our focus off of God. On the other hand the writer also speaks of the fact that being poor could lead to sinful actions.

Rachel said...

This chapter overall gives a profound sense of humility; I was left, particularly after reading verses 1-6, contemplating the very low state of man and the very exalted majesty of God. Within this chapter there is seen man's true, fallen condition and God's truly glorious position as the Holy One.