From The Rector The Place Of Humility In Lent ( 2)
Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha- Otor Delta State. www. ibrucentre. org
“Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.”
Philippians 4: 19: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Isaiah 45: 3: “I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.” Proverbs 3: 16:“Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour.”
Proverbs 23: 5:“When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.”
Proverbs 22: 1: “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favour is better than silver and gold.”
Ecclesiastes 5: 19: “Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.”
Proverbs 8: 18: “Riches and honour are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.”
Matthew 6: 19: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”
1Timothy 6: 17: “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”
Romans 11: 33: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”
Ephesians 3: 16: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”
Proverbs 10: 22:“It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.”
Luke 16: 9: “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
Ephesians 1: 18: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
LUKE 16: 9:“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
Ephesians 1: 18: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Revelation 5: 12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
Proverbs 22: 4: “The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches, honor and life.”
Isaiah 61: 6: “But you will be called the priests of the Lord; You will be spoken of as ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And in their riches you will boast.” Proverbs 13: 22: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”
Proverbs 11: 28: “He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.”
Proverbs 30: 8: “Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion.”
Proverbs 19: 14: “House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord.”
1Chronicles 29: 12: “Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.”
Jeremiah 9: 23:“Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches.”
Psalm 49: 16: “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased.”
Proverbs 13: 11: “Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But the one who gathers by labor increases it.”
Romans 2: 4: “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
Deuteronomy 8: 18: “But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
2 Chronicles 1: 12: “Wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.”
2 Corinthians 8: 9:“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Understanding What The Bible Teaches On Debt
Proverbs 22: 7: Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.
• Romans 13: 8: “Owe nothing to anyone— except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbour, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.
Understanding What The Bible Teaches On Financial Responsibility
• 1Timothy 5: 8: “But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.”
• Luke 16: 11: “And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?”
• Proverbs 13: 22: “Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.”
• Proverbs 21: 20: “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.”
Understanding What The Bible Teaches On Giving
• Luke 6: 38: “Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full— pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
• Proverbs 3: 9- 10: “Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”
• Malachi 3: 8- 10: “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! But you ask, ‘ What do you mean?’ When did we ever cheat you?’ You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my temple. If you do, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘ I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’”
• Deuteronomy 16: 17: “All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God.”
• Luke 21: 1- 4: “While Jesus was in the temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. ‘ I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said, ‘ this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”’
Understanding What The Bible Teaches On Greed
• 1Timothy 6: 10- 11: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.”
• Hebrews 13: 5: “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘ I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”’
• Luke 12: 15: “Then he said, ‘ beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”’
Understanding What The Bible Teaches On God’s Provision
• Philippians 4: 19: “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
• Proverbs 10: 22: “The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”
• 2 Corinthians 9: 8: And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
Ways To Deny Yourself
Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! But you ask, ‘ What do you mean?’ When did we ever cheat you?’ You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my temple. If you do, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘ I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
1. Desire to serve rather than being served ( Mark 10: 42
45).
2. Total obedience to God ( Heb. 11: 8).
3. Living by God’s rule rather than ours ( John 14: 23- 24).
4. Give up every form of grudges ( Col3: 13).
5. Sacrificing self and ego ( Phil2: 3- 4).
6. Respect to God’s standard of expressing one’s sexuality ( 1Cor. 6: 18- 20).
7. Total obedience to authority either of God or man ( 1Peter 2: 13- 15).
8. Seeing all we own as God’s ( 1Corinth 4: 7, 6: 19- 20).
9. Readiness to will our will to God’s will.
Conclusion
Jeremiah 17: 7- 8: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay