August 31 – A Little or a Lot?  

Proverbs 15: 16, 17    (NLT)

“ Better to have little, with fear for the Lord,
    than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.

A bowl of vegetables with someone you love
    is better than steak with someone you hate.”

These verses really bug me because I know they are true, but I often don’t act like I believe it.  I really believe that I need to put into practice what the Bible says – that is the wise thing to do.  But so often I let North American values influence my peace of mind. Here are some examples:

Have you ever worried about what you are going to serve for dinner to someone you have invited to your house?  Would Kraft Dinner or hot dogs be OK?  Have you ever overspent your food budget in order to impress your guests? Have you ever decided not to invite someone to your house because you know your place is not as nice as theirs? Have you ever fussed over what you were going to wear to some event because you knew everyone else would look so wonderful?  Do you ever worry about what to bring to a potluck because your friends are such creative cooks and you are not?

I’ll bet you have answered yes to most, if not all, of those questions because I have, and I don’t think I’m alone in worrying about all that stuff.  The silly thing is I have had wonderful times in homes that are just the most basic of places.  I have had great dinners with friends when we decided to get together at the last minute and ate whatever we could find in the cupboard – definitely wouldn’t have passed a healthy food test.  In fact, one of my most cherished memories is sharing a vegetable stew with a family in Kenya while we sat on a mat on the dirt floor of their hut.  At that moment, I was so honoured that they would invite me to their home and be my friends.  

So, why , why, why do I get so concerned about what I look like, what kind of home I have, and what food I can prepare?  I’m just so foolish when I really think about it.  Maybe these verses today will help me and you get a better perspective on stuff.

Our song for today is Reckless Love by Cory Asbury.