DATE POSTED: Monday, August 26, 2024, and I was blessed to be at San Marcos River Resort, Fentress, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Voice (VOICE) IS FOUND IN Proverbs 30:7-9

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: Two things I ask, O God. Sometime before I die, grant these humble requests:
Eliminate any hint of worthless and deceitful words from my lips.
Do not make me poor or rich, but give me each day what I need;
For if I have too much, I might forget You are the One who provides, saying, “Who is the Eternal One?” Or if I do not have enough, I might become hungry and turn to stealing and thus dishonor the good name of my God.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: To protect one’s integrity, they might exaggerate on the truth in order to protect their standing, or position on something. This might be something they said, did, or are being accused of. As a child, I remember my dad being leery of his takeaways from a certain individual, for that person was known to exaggerate about things or add their own twists to a story to make it more dramatic. As I read this plea from Agur, my eyes were opened to the sad state of affairs that many of us still find ourselves in today, for we still ‘stretch the truth’ in order to emphasize our point or make us look better in certain circumstances. But remember the example I opened with? My dad took anything said by his friend with a ‘grain of salt’, for he knew that there could be some truth in his story, but he also knew that much of it was probably constructed with ulterior motives. If we are truly meant to share our God stories with others, and if we are meant to evangelize the unbelievers, and if we are meant to be true representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ, shouldn’t we be clear, truthful and always unquestionable in the honesty of our speech to others at all times? If our words are tainted by untruth, what will we tell them about Jesus, since He is obviously not having an impact on our own behavior? The second request is similarly very interesting and challenging. ‘Teach me Lord to be content with what I have’, might be the proper label for this. For if I have too much, I might get cocky and think that I must have done something right in life and I am being rewarded for how good I truly am! Oh my, shouldn’t we wake up and realize that without Jesus Christ, we are nothing at all? While this is a frequent comment by Christians, I believe it is worth clarifying that no matter what the unbeliever achieves in life, or how much money they pile into their bank accounts, they will find themselves: very alone; with no one greater to call on or be challenged by; and no hope or expectation of a future life in heaven with the Creator of this universe. This sounds like a very lonely, disappointing and uneventful climax to a life on earth where one may have thought they were ‘on top of the world’ because of their personal achievements and success. But the second part of this request is that God would help Agur not be too poor, for he then might be tempted to steal or seek dishonest means in order to survive. Friends, I believe that an honest recap or evaluation of this entire request of Agur is that God would remove any distraction that might cause him to stray from his walk with God. Way too often we ask God to give, give, give, for we want to get as good as, or as rich as, or as favorable as, the richer person. I believe that this writer has shown us that we must recognize one thing only – our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If He blesses us with riches, then we use that for His glory and for expanding the Kingdom of God here on earth. If He blesses us with just enough to get by, then let’s be quick to bend the knee each and every day as we beg for one more morsal of food or finances to see us through another day. In ALL THINGS let us learn to be thankful to God for ALL His mercies and blessings. May the unsaved, and the world in general, always see and experience God in every form of association with us, every day.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord, You are good to us and Your mercies are remarkable, and beyond anything we could ever imagine or ask for. Please Lord, help us to be satisfied in what You have done for us, and what You continue to do for us each and every day. You paid the ultimate price for simple people like us who want to achieve eternal life in heaven with You and the Father. Help us Lord to simply recognize our limitations and inadequacies and teach us to live in the light of eternity, while recognizing Your power and Your handiwork in everything we might accomplish here on earth. Without You, we can do nothing. Please walk with us every day and direct our path to live worthy of the King who gave himself up for our sin. Give us a strong desire to be honest in all we say and do, and to always recognize our all-sufficient Lord and Savior! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!