June 11, 2019
Proverbs 30:7-9
“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.
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.
New International Version (NIV)
                Remember the Prayer of Jabez?  Twenty years ago Bruce Wilkinson wrote a little book based upon Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.  Jabez asked God to expand his territory and keep him from fulfilling his name “painful.”  Christians across America took Jabez’s little prayer as their marching orders.  It played right into our vision of God as a means to our end.  It is a distortion of the story and the book to say that God’s primary goal for my life is that I become successful in some material and numerical way. 

                How do we avoid distractions like this wind of doctrine that blew some Christians off course?  We take every story in scripture and place it in God’s larger narrative of redemption.  Jabez’s prayer, though fascinating does not become our plan for life just because it is in scripture.  God’s plan for our life is much more about Jesus than about Jabez.  Jesus endured pain.  So will we.

                As a counter to the Jabez prayer, I have always preferred the Prayer of Agur in our verses for today.  Nobody has written a book about it as far as I know.  Still, we should listen to the wisdom because it sounds a good bit more like Jesus’ life and teaching.  “Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need.”  Doesn’t the second part sound like another prayer:  “Give us this day our daily bread”?  What is the danger in making wealth our objective in life?  If we have too much, we might forget about God.  Many do.  “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,” said Jesus, "than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom" (Mark 10:25).    Why not pray for poverty then?  If I have nothing, I may obsess about what I don’t have and take from others. 

                The goal of the Christian life is contentment with God alone.  “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.  For God has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.””  (Hebrews 13:5-6).  “Godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it.”  (1 Timothy 6:6-7). 
Pray with me: 
Father, give us neither poverty nor wealth; feed us with the food we need.   Give us this day our daily bread.  Even more, please give us contentment to go with it.  Your presence is the one thing which satisfies our souls.   Let us become more aware of your presence.  Let us experience the glory of your goodness.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  
This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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