Proverbs 23:23

"Get the truth and never sell it;
also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment."

 

What could be clearer direction than these words? Get truth. Prize it so much that you'd never sell it for anything, because nothing else is worth it. Also, prize wisdom highly that has been gleaned from the Holy Spirit showing you how to apply God's Word to your life. Then there's discipline—the ability to sacrifice short-term gain for long-term reward—and finally good judgment (common sense). Prize these and prosper!

Psalm 37:16–19

"It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.
For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
but the LORD takes care of the godly.

Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent,
and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
They will not be disgraced in hard times;
even in famine they will have more than enough."

 

Here are strong words of assurance that God will take care of those who trust him. "They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough." During these tough times, trust in the God who made these promises. You will survive; even more, you will have "more than enough." Note that this is in the context of "It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich." The godly are content with "little," so it may not take much to have "more than enough."

Psalm 93:1–5

"The LORD is king! He is robed in majesty.
Indeed, the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm
and cannot be shaken.

Your throne, O LORD, has stood from time immemorial.
You yourself are from the everlasting past.
The floods have risen up, O LORD.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the LORD above is mightier than these!
Your royal laws cannot be changed.
Your reign, O LORD, is holy forever and ever."

 

God's majesty and might, his holiness, are extolled here. Take a moment to picture an ocean during a storm. How powerfully the waves crash against the shore! How helpless a ship would be in the midst of such a great storm! God is much more powerful than these things. He is also immovable, fixed forever in holiness. Meditate on God's majesty and might today. Are there difficult things in your life, things that only God can handle? Remind yourself of his might, and believe that his power is available to you to overcome whatever difficulties you face.

1 Kings 8:65–66

"Then Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters in the presence of the LORD our God. A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. The celebration went on for fourteen days in all—seven days for the dedication of the altar and seven days for the Festival of Shelters. After the festival was over, Solomon sent the people home. They blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad because the LORD had been good to his servant David and to his people Israel."

 

This was a high point in Israel's history. The people worshiped God, obeyed him, and then partied! Full of joy, they reveled in God's goodness. Could this be a picture of what true worship is? Communal worship and celebration of God's goodness, marked by joy—how close does your church experience come to this vision?