The Problem of Plenty!

The thirtieth chapter of the Book of Proverbs has the words of wisdom of Agur, the son of Jakeh. Many read one chapter of the Book of Proverbs each day, and reading that way, we will read the thirtieth chapter on the 30th of each month! Proverbs 30:7-9 says, "Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches —Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, and say, "Who is the Lord?" Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the Name of my God." When we started our married life together, making both ends meet used to be difficult, and I used to marvel at the wisdom of God in placing this nugget of wisdom to be read at the end of the month! These verses contain a wise and humble prayer from Agur. He earnestly asked God for two things. Agur first asked for personal integrity, and then the second request was to have neither great poverty nor great riches. He just wanted to be satisfied with God's provision in his life. He thought he might forget God when life gets too easy or turn away from God when life gets too complicated! What a beautiful thought! There is always a problem with plenty!

The rich man in the parable of Jesus in Luke 12:15-21 had a great deal of land, and his land was fruitful. He had enough food year after year, and this particular year, he had a greater harvest! The fruitfulness of the earth is a great blessing given by God. In three verses (17-19), he says, 'I' six times but does not attribute the abundant harvest to God or thank God! When we run into hard times, we always ask God, 'Why me?' or 'What have I done that so and so has not done?' But when blessings come, we do not ask God why God has blessed us that much! There is a reason, and that is our lesson for today. God wants His children to be a channel of blessing to the world around us. That is one way of communicating God's love and concern for all. That is why God gave so many laws to care for the needy, widows, the fatherless, and the oppressed! That rich man in the parable should have thanked God for the abundance and asked with whom he should share it!  Instead, he wanted to hoard it, eat, drink, and be merry! Jesus said that he was not rich towards God! When we share our blessings with others, we become rich toward God (Matthew 25:34-36).

My friend, in the days of plenty and peace, it becomes easy to attribute success to our hard work and wise choices! But remember, all good gifts are from the Father of lights (James 1:17). God expects us to be a channel of blessing to all around us so that we can glorify God through our lives!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for blessing me beyond what I deserve. Help me to be a channel of Your blessing to the people you have placed in my life. Amen

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