When Enough is Enough?

Click Here to Listen to or Read the One Year Bible Readings for the Day

O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. 8 First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

I love what the writer of Proverbs says today. He says, "Never give me too much or too little!" That is not a prayer a lot of us pray. We live in a culture where enough is never enough. The writer realizes that if he gets richer it may lead to a focus on himself. He may forget the Lord. He realizes that having more than enough might lead to wanting more and possibly lead him to idolatry. 

We see this all around us today. The rich get richer and never seem to be satisfied until they realize that money can't buy happiness. Some go to their death never figuring this out. That is sad. But on the other hand realistically we all do need enough to survive. We all want enough to provide for ourselves and our families. While money is not our god, we do need it to supply so that we can be about what God's plan in our lives. 

This is not to say if you are poor, you are not blessed by God. Some of the poorest people can be some of the happiest people because they have learned to rely on the Lord for everything they have. Yet, as the people of God, we are called to feed the poor among us. No one should go without the basic necessities, especially young families with children. When we have enough, we usually have a little more to give to those in need, even if it is a sacrifice. Sacrificial giving leads to gratitude and frees us from the grip of materialism. 

At Christmas time, who can you reach out to who is need? I had the blessing this past week, as single mom at our church, who we have assisted financiallythis past year came into our office and asked how she could serve the church this Christmas. She wanted to give back in a way she could afford, which was with her time.  She wanted to show her gratitude to the church.  

And finally, let us remember that the God of the heavens and tbe earth was born in a humble manger, because there was no room for him at the inn. It was "just enough" for our Savior to come into the world to be Our Savior!