Stingy – adj. ˈstin-jē : not generous, unwilling to give, miserly, close-fisted. The stingy man doesn’t understand where wealth comes from (God) and its proper use (to steward according to God’s economy). He lives the life of the closed-fisted hand, closed both to God and to others. He dams up the flow both upstream and downstream. It’s no surprise that misers are miserable.
This is part of the interpretation that Daniel gave Belshazzer after a hand appeared and wrote on the king’s wall. God holds our next breath and all our future days in His hands. Whom do we honor? To whom do we offer worship and give thanks?
Peter wrote that the gospel message that he and the other apostles preached was not man made myth, but eyewitness testimony. He knew that he would not live long in the flesh, so he was determined to make this clear before his passing. He saw the unveiled Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, he witnessed the empty tomb and the risen Savior, he joined him walking on the water. Peter knew the message he shared was true because he was there to see it. We can know that it is true by believing his testimony.
Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon, had a dream concerning his and all future human kingdoms. He knew it was important, so he asked his wise men to tell him both the dream and its meaning… or die. They could not. But God revealed both to Daniel, one of the Hebrew captives from the Babylonian conquest of Judah. After Daniel gave the interpretation, the king promoted him to his right hand in command and proclaimed the above truth about God. When we share God’s wisdom with the world, sometimes it gets us elevated and sometimes persecuted, but always noticed for His Name’s sake.
Be prepared to answer others with the gospel of Christ as the reason for your hope this season. When they ask why you are so joyful and thankful, reply that it’s because of Christ in you, the hope of glory. When our lives are in alignment with the gospel we believe, when our submission matches our confession, people become curious about the reason. And remember, it’s good news, so answer gently and with respect.
Or as in Numbers 32:23, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Attempting to conceal sin never works. Eventually, it is revealed and the longer we try and hide it, the more it negatively affects us. Keep short accounts. Be quick to confess and repent. Likewise, be quick to forgive others.
This beautiful verse describes our place in the Father’s heart as His people. Take special note that we are “his own possession.” In other words, He made us for Himself. We are His. And we belong to HIm in order to “proclaim the excellencies” of Christ, the One who brought us out of “darkness into marvelous light.” Augustine reflected on this saying, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee.”
What we invest in our 401Ks for retirement does not have guaranteed returns. But what we invest in the Kingdom is guaranteed by God. More than that, when we trust Jesus for salvation, we ourselves are “being guarded” by God’s power until His return. As C.T. Studd said, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. For those who know “Bible Drill,” it is near the center (excluding notes and concordance), which is helpful. It is an acrostic, with each stanza beginning with one of the 22 Hebrew letters in the alphabet (aleph, beth, gimel…). It uses many synonyms to describe God’s Word and is a celebration and praise of it. Above, you will notice it uses “statutes” and “word.” It seems appropriate that at the very center, the longest chapter in the Word, would be about, for, and in celebration of the Word.
The corollary to this might be stated “Exalt yourself and God will humble you.” Or as James said, “God opposes the proud, but give grace to the humble.” So, how do you “humble yourselves?” Here are 12 ways: 1) Confess your sin to God, 2) Acknowledge your sin to others, 3) Take wrong patiently, 4) Submit to authority, 5) Receive correction from others graciously, 6) Accept a lowly place, 7) Associate with people of lower state than you, 8 ) Choose to serve others, 9) Be quick to forgive, 10) Speak well of others, 11) Cultivate a grateful heart, and 12) Embrace the cross (These 12 ways to humble yourself are from http://billygraham.org/story/twelve-ways-to-humble-yourself/).