He brings

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

HE BRINGS

Prov 22:4

4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.

NIV

How can anything be so compatible as humility and fear of the Lord? Just to consider the majesty of the Lord, the power of God, the almightiness of his being, would have to make us to consider our vileness, unworthiness, weakness bringing us to feel nothing but humble. How could we feel anything other than humility? What have we to be proud about? Our accomplishments? Our intelligence? Our skills? Our spirituality? Our position in life? All of those things are but as mere nothing compared to God. Now to fear God. This can be seen two different ways. The first is to be exceedingly afraid of him. To be terrified of him. But we know this is not how we should feel about God.

2 Tim 1:7

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

NIV

Other translations use the word fear instead if timidity. We also know that perfect love drives out fear.

1 John 4:16-18

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

NIV

It is inconsistent for a believer to love and be terrified of God. However we can certainly love and revere him simultaneously. This is the second use of the word fear. To revere, to hold in great esteem, to respect. Certainly this is how any true believer would consider when thinking about God. He has done all that is needed for our salvation. He has done it all. There is nothing left for us to do, but accept his gift. We cannot even claim it is our faith which brings eternal life to us. For God is the one who gives every man a measure of faith.

Rom 12:3-4

 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

NIV

Not only has be done everything for our salvation, he gives us the faith to believe. What else is there we have to offer? Nothing, except to exercise that faith and believe. The result of total faith, the end of truly believing God, giving him all the praise, all the glory, all the reverence he so richly desires for all we are, all we do and all we have, brings wealth, honor and life. But here is where it gets a little sticky. We have to know we bring nothing to this equation, but to believe. Nothing we have to offer will bring us wealth, honor and life. Oh sure, we might think it is our great knowledge or abilities that produce massive amounts of money so we can live life large. But is that the wealth or the riches intended here in this proverb? Is abundant money consistent with honor and life? We know God has told us we cannot serve both God and money, so then what other kind of wealth is there? Yet the Hebrew word does mean to accumulate, to grow. This would imply financial wealth. Yet what does honor and life have in common with abundant money? We know Jesus is the life, he is life itself. Without Jesus we have no life. This life cannot mean the physical life from which death is eminent. This life is eternal life, the honor is being called the children of God, having our names not blotted out of the book of life. God brings us honor, he brings us eternal life and he brings us the riches of heaven. Yes, we can also be blessed in this physical realm. Yes, he can bless us with worldly wealth, with worldly honor and give us a long life. That is true, but all that still would come from our humility and reverence of God. It still means we bring nothing, he brings everything.