Morning Musing: Romans 8:35-39

“Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Insecurity is a terrible weight to bear. The feeling that we are not enough on our own can be a debilitating one. The person carrying that load begins to search for anything that will assure them otherwise. When they find something that seems to fit the bill, they’ll do just about anything to keep that feeling coming. The God who reveals Himself in the pages of the Scriptures is perfect in every way. He is unapproachable in holiness. He is unequaled in righteousness. It’s easy for us to convince ourselves we aren’t good enough for Him; that we will never merit His love. The Gospel says otherwise. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Proverbs 18:11

“The wealth of the rich is his fortified city; in his imagination it is like a high wall.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I have done a fair bit of premarital counseling over the years. As I have, one of the things I have addressed with my couples every single time is finances and their thoughts on money. This is because financial pressures lie at the heart of a number of marital disagreements. One of the exercises I always do helps each partner reveal what for them is the meaning of money. With only one exception in 15 years, the answer has always been the same: Money is security. We live in a culture in which the vast majority of people view money as a source of security. While that is completely understandable, Solomon had something to say about it here to which we had probably give some attention. Let’s do that this morning as we continue our journey exploring how to get better at being rich.

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Digging in Deeper: Amos 3:11-12

“Therefore, the Lord God says: An enemy will surround the land; he will destroy your strongholds and plunder your citadels. The Lord says: As the shepherd snatches two legs or a piece of an ear from the lion’s mouth, so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be rescued with only the corner of a bed or the cushion of a couch.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We long for security. So much of what we do is prefaced on the idea that it is going to make tomorrow better than today. Or at least, it is going to make tomorrow more likely to come than not. We save money, we invest, we diet, we build big houses, we fill our pantries, we recycle, and so on and so forth. Israel longed for security too, and they thought they had it. Unfortunately, they had “found” it in the wrong things and God had to help them see that. Let’s take a look at this and explore what lessons there might be for us in it.

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