Daily Treasure

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of  a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou  hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-21).

Often times pride isn’t easily detected. However, in the familiar story of our verses, we can plainly see it.  It was obvious the rich man was filled with pride. He felt he had a right to brag. Notice how many times he used the word, “I”.  It was as if God had nothing to do with his success. He boastfully shared how he was set for life and didn’t have a care in the world. God has a word for people like that.  It is “fool.”  All the rich man had worked for and stored meant nothing. He was going to lose his soul.

If you find yourself using the word “I”, make sure it is in the middle of the word H-I-M.

As we go through this week and look at the mentioned indicators of pride, we will see they stem from the inside out.  How about your heart?  Is it crowded with pride?  Isn’t it time pride moves out so Christ can move back in?

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Praise God for the safe arrival of Micah Heath Hubbard, born yesterday morning to Heath and Joni Hubbard, FWBIM missionaries to Japan.

“Then you confessed, We have sinned against the Lord!  We will go into the land and fight for it, as the Lord our God has told us.  So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to conquer the hill country”  (Deuteronomy 1:41 NLT).

There’s a common misconception in the Christian community.  An errant thought that drives many folks away, bursts the bubble of those who are filled with zeal.  It’s nothing new, as you can see, it goes back as far as Deuteronomy…

It’s the false thinking that anything God calls you to do will be easy.

Oh, you’ve believed it for yourself.  You took the class He was directing you to teach, thinking the lessons would just flow from your mouth, regardless of how much study time you put into it.  You started attending the church where the Spirit was so greatly moving, and assumed upon sitting in the pew that His Spirit would continue to visit regardless of what you did to prepare your heart for worship.  You stepped out to witness to another, knowing what to say, have the experience of your testimony–and still broke out in a sweat and thought you were going to throw up before she answered the door.

The Israelites didn’t just strap on their fighting clothes and, with a snap of their fingers, subdue the enemy. It took hard work, blood, sweat and tears to take possession of the Promised Land.

It’ll take some effort, some concerted effort, on your part as well to receive all God has intended for you.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Arizona Women Active for Christ and women from other nearby western states meeting together today in retreat.

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).

All this week we have focused on some fairly bleak pictures of the consequences of pride. Matthew Henry states, “The proud resist God: in their understanding they resist the truths of God; in their will they resist the laws of God; therefore no wonder that God resists the proud.  How wretched the state of those who make God their enemy!  God will give more grace to the humble, because they see their need of it, pray for it, are thankful for it and such shall have it.”

Now that our eyes are somewhat open, next week we will look at  “Pride Indicators.”  Once we see our pride problem for what it really is, it will be easier to resolve.

Mercy and grace are available unless we are too proud to ask for it.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Arizona District Women Active for Christ meeting for their annual retreat today and tomorrow.

“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty” (Proverbs 18:12a).

Thinking on this verse, I envision a U-turn sign at the edge of a cliff.  You detect pride in your life, yet, you ignore it until you are at the edge of that cliff.  What will you do?  Will you ignore the oncoming destruction or turn around?  Will you hold on to your pride until it completely destroys you?  These are questions only you can answer.  Will it be the end of pride, or, will it be your end?

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray concerning the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and for encouragement for believers in both nations who are facing trials and fallout from this situation.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption” (Galatians 6:7-8a).

The Living Bible offers this paraphrase:

“Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows! If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death…”

Never think you are a self-made person, or one day you will self-destruct.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for organizations such as FCA, Youth for Christ, Navigators and Cru, mobilizing student believers and seeking to share the gospel on high school, college and university campuses.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

As I read over various commentaries regarding our verse for today, I could imagine a person with a pride problem standing at the edge of a cliff—just one step away from a fall. When people feel they have no need for God and they can make it through this life alone, destruction looms near. That destruction could mean shame and disgrace in this life, or falling off the cliff with no safety net for eternity.  Neither picture is pretty, but it is real.

We see God’s Mighty Hand as one of love and mercy. However, He is a holy God and will not condone sin. Hebrews 10:31 reveals these words: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” The Word gives warnings, but it is up to us to wake up and realize we might have a problem with pride.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Continue to pray for Home Missions editor and longtime WNAC supporter Ida Lewis, as she heals from recent surgeries and associated complications.

“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished”  (Proverbs 16:5).

Let’s begin our look at the study “Why Can’t I See?” with these statements from the writer:  “Discovering pride in our lives seems hard enough, but if we do ultimately detect this grave sin, the next step proves harder still—dealing with pride in our hearts.”

God’s Mighty Hand is there to help us eliminate and conquer pride. However, we must have our eyes opened so we can clearly see how destructive pride can be.

Today’s verse should be an immediate eye-opener.  Matthew Henry makes this statement in regards to this passage: “Though sinners strengthen themselves and one another, they shall not escape God’s judgments.”  If you have a proud heart, I pray you come to some startling realizations before it’s too late.  God hates pride and it will not go unpunished.

Our writer warns, “Definite danger and serious consequences await those who do not heed God’s instruction to forsake pride and seek humility.” Stay with us as we look this week at “The Consequences of  Pride.”

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for IM field operations director Jeff Turnbough as he seeks to encourage the church in Panama. Ask God to give him safety in all his travels there and in his return trip to the U. S. later this week.