Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer reflects exactly what Jesus taught about the heart. He warned to watch out for greed in every form, because life is not found in having many possessions. The real protection from greed is not simply trying harder to want less, but putting God at the very center of your life in a loving relationship with Him.
You were created for that fellowship. God made you so you could know Him and walk with Him in love, and when that vertical relationship is right, everything on the horizontal level begins to come into balance. The whole law is summed up in this, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and then to love your neighbor as yourself. You cannot truly love your neighbor well until you love God supremely, because love for God displaces love for self and love for things. When He is first, love for others flows out naturally and you do not work harm against your neighbor.
Scripture reminds us that we become like what we worship. If the heart chases money or things, it grows hard and empty like an idol that cannot see or hear. But when you worship the true and living God, you become more like Him, learning His loving kindness, His fairness and His righteousness, and showing that same kindness to others. That is why the goal of instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.
It is right to pray as you did, keep falsehood far from us, give us neither poverty nor riches but only what we need, and if riches increase not to set the heart on them. The earth and all who live in it belong to the Lord, so contentment with godliness is great gain. He calls His children to live differently, because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and you are not your own. As sons and daughters of the Father you are called to be rich in good deeds, generous and humble, knowing that wealth is uncertain but His faithfulness endures.
The desire for other things is what chokes the word and makes it unfruitful, and the love of money has led many into sorrow. So keep asking Him to guard you from coveting, from loving the world, and from temptation, and to keep your heart tender toward Him. He loved you even while you were still dead in sin, and His grace is offered to you today. Do not receive that grace in vain, but walk in it fully, receiving His salvation and His help each day.
May the Lord keep you in His loving kindness, establish you in a deep and joyful fellowship with Himself, and let that love spill over to those around you, so your life brings Him pleasure and shows His love to your neighbors. In Jesus name, may He lead you in the way everlasting and keep you from evil, and may His peace guard your heart.
You were created for that fellowship. God made you so you could know Him and walk with Him in love, and when that vertical relationship is right, everything on the horizontal level begins to come into balance. The whole law is summed up in this, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and then to love your neighbor as yourself. You cannot truly love your neighbor well until you love God supremely, because love for God displaces love for self and love for things. When He is first, love for others flows out naturally and you do not work harm against your neighbor.
Scripture reminds us that we become like what we worship. If the heart chases money or things, it grows hard and empty like an idol that cannot see or hear. But when you worship the true and living God, you become more like Him, learning His loving kindness, His fairness and His righteousness, and showing that same kindness to others. That is why the goal of instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.
It is right to pray as you did, keep falsehood far from us, give us neither poverty nor riches but only what we need, and if riches increase not to set the heart on them. The earth and all who live in it belong to the Lord, so contentment with godliness is great gain. He calls His children to live differently, because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and you are not your own. As sons and daughters of the Father you are called to be rich in good deeds, generous and humble, knowing that wealth is uncertain but His faithfulness endures.
The desire for other things is what chokes the word and makes it unfruitful, and the love of money has led many into sorrow. So keep asking Him to guard you from coveting, from loving the world, and from temptation, and to keep your heart tender toward Him. He loved you even while you were still dead in sin, and His grace is offered to you today. Do not receive that grace in vain, but walk in it fully, receiving His salvation and His help each day.
May the Lord keep you in His loving kindness, establish you in a deep and joyful fellowship with Himself, and let that love spill over to those around you, so your life brings Him pleasure and shows His love to your neighbors. In Jesus name, may He lead you in the way everlasting and keep you from evil, and may His peace guard your heart.
