There are those who appear wealthy but have nothing, and those who seem poor yet possess great riches. A person's wealth can deceive them in matters of life, but those who are humble will not face threats. As we go through life, some people continuously act as if they have more than they do, while others pretend to have less. There is no need to intentionally pretend to be in need, but there is also no reason to flaunt wealth, as many will ask for help if they perceive you as having more. Many choose to act as if they have less to avoid the hassle of such requests. However, pretending to be poor can lead to being looked down upon, which is also not ideal. Therefore, we do not put forth a prayer request for either wealth or poverty. We simply ask to live with just what we need. As you all know, this aligns with the last prayer in Proverbs 30, where it says, I have asked two things of you; deny them not to me before I die.

Please grant me not to be far from vanity and lies. Do not make me poor or rich; only feed me with the necessary bread. I fear that if I am full, I may forget God and ask, Who is the Lord? Or if I am poor, I may steal and bring shame to the name of my God. When one is full, they tend to forget God, and that is why it is not good. When the belly is full, thoughts of God start to fade away. Why do people become unhappy when they have a lot of money? For most, it leads them away from God because they have too many thoughts about money and neglect God. When one becomes too immersed in hobbies, they also tend to forget about God. Doesn't that become an idol? Therefore, in places where it is easy to live and the environment is good, there is often a lack of faith. For example, in New York, there are many things to do, so where is the time to go to church? If you live in Seattle or San Francisco, it's nice...

There are many things happening around us, and sometimes when we go to church, it feels like the environment has become too good. Strangely, instead of praising God for the good environment, people start to indulge in their own lives. The problem lies in this self-indulgence. However, when the situation is difficult and conditions are tough, people begin to seek God. If you look at the early morning services, there are various types of people. Some come in desperation, saying, God, please save me! I'm caught in a trap! On the other hand, there are those who sit in the same spot every day, regardless of whether they have something going on or not. They come and say, God, I’m here. I just came because I love you. I hope that you all come to church with that same spirit. But for those who come because they have problems, once their issues are resolved, they tend to disappear. Oh, I’m free now, they say, and then they appear again, often with another issue.

I'm worried about something, and I'm asking for some advice. Oh, my head hurts. I could consult my father, but why do you come to me? I'm saying that when you report to the Lord every day, both big and small problems disappear. When you meet God daily, strangely, big issues don't seem big, and small issues don't seem small. Also, a person's wealth can be a ransom for their life, and the poor may face threats. There is always a duality to poverty and wealth. There are good aspects of poverty and many bad aspects as well, and the same goes for wealth. It's no wonder that some pray, Lord, do not make me rich or poor. They fear that being wealthy might lead them to forget God, and being poor might cause them to dishonor Him. What an honest prayer that is! As we know well, Colossians 3:5.

Therefore, put to death the parts of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Everything we covet becomes an idol, and many idols exist within us. Once we start to covet, that desire becomes an idol. We are called to put to death our bodies, to kill our desires. The discipline of the body has limited benefit, but the discipline of our spirit yields eternal benefits. Dying to the desires of our flesh every day—this is self-denial, isn't it? Aren't we bundles of desires? If we leave our desires unchecked, we fall into endless greed. That is indeed the path of idolatry. Even if we don't bow down to stones or attach strange talismans, the greed within us already plays that role.

There is a saying that when I think about it, greed naturally swells like a snowball. This is why we are made to think of our neighbors. God gave us community so that we can stop pondering only ourselves and instead reflect on our neighbors beside us. Thus, family is a community, and the church is a community. God's communal body is always about keeping our neighbors close, allowing them to protect us. When a child is born, do you raise the child, or does the child raise you? It is the child that makes us adults. In raising those children, we ourselves become adults, right? That child who was born is love itself. What has the child done for us? Their very existence has taught us that love is inherent, and every step of that child's growth is a process of gratitude. This is the greatest gift that God has given us, and isn't that what we are talking about? So...

As we become neighbors, the scope of that neighbor's love gradually expands. Eventually, they come to love those who are different from them, and then they even love people at the ends of the earth. This is how God manages this world.

조금 살만하면 하나님 안 찾습니다... 그래서 하나님은 OOO를 주셨습니다! | 조정민목사 | 잠언 13장

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