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I've had a pretty average week - my daughter is dealing with some severe mental health concerns and had a car accident this week, my other daughter has covid and my dishwasher broke. Despite all this, God is still good. No one was hurt in the accident and the tow truck driver was really nice. And there's so much more to be thankful for - God's peace despite my circumstances, support from family and friends, good health care, encouragement from God's Word, the fact that I can talk to God in prayer, etc.
 Proverbs 10:4 says, A lazy person will end up poor. But a hard worker will become rich. This verse is pretty self explanatory - if you work hard, you will be rewarded. We shouldn't judge people because we think they're being lazy, but we should be self-aware and honestly assess whether we are being lazy. There are at least 19 verses in Proverbs about laziness so it is an important topic. When we're lazy we're out of God's blessing because we're focusing on ourselves and not on serving others. Proverbs tells us that if you work hard you will become rich. I believe this means rich financially, but not in the multi-millionaire kind of way. I think it means becoming rich in your soul and spirit as well. When you help and serve others, you release happy chemicals in your brain which makes you happier. Serving is a spiritual discipline that brings you closer to God too.
The Bible has a lot to say about money. Proverbs 10:2-3 tells us that money that is gained in the wrong way does not benefit us at all.
Easy come, easy go Money that comes easily disappears quickly. But money that is gathered little by little will slowly grow (Proverbs 13:11). Many people who win lotto have spent or lost it all within a few years. It doesn't bring them any happiness, in fact, it usually brings family conflict. You can't serve God and money No one can be a slave to two masters. He will hate one master and love the other. Or he will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. So you cannot serve God and money at the same time (Matthew 6:24). What is the most important thing to you in the world? Is it God? Money? Success (which usually brings money)? You serve the thing that is most important to you and it can't be God and money. Give your money to the poor Give the money to the poor. If you do this, you will have a treasure in heaven (Matthew 19:21). God said this to a rich, young man. Unfortunately he chose money over God. The love of money causes evil The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have left the true faith because they want to get more and more money. But they have caused themselves much sorrow (1 Timothy 6:10) Money doesn't cause evil, but when you love it instead of, or more than God, it causes evil. Money that is earned honestly is a good thing as long as you don't love it too much. Money that is gained easily or dishonestly, through gambling, bribes, scams or theft will bring God's judgement and no lasting satisfaction. Proverbs 9:10 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. This verse used to confuse me. I used to wonder why I should be afraid of God and how that would help me to be wise. The Hebrew word for fear means to be afraid or terrified, but it also means to respect. You can't be wise unless you fear God - unless you understand that he created the universe and you, and has a plan for both. Hebrews 10:30 says, The Lord will judge his people. Jude 1:24 says, God is strong and can help you not to fall. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and give you great joy. God will judge the world one day, but because he sent Jesus, those who believe in him will be judged not guilty. That inspires awe and respect. This knowledge helps you to understand life in a whole new way.
Do you fear God? Do you think about how powerful and awesome he is? Do you also think about how kind and compassionate he is? When you are stressed out or in crisis, it's easy to neglect your physical health. Often you end up sleep deprived, dehydrated, lethargic, full of sugar or malnourished. It's really important to get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, eat good food and move your body. These things help you to cope with your difficult situation. The night before he was betrayed, Jesus ate dinner with his disciples, even though he knew what was going to happen. What is one thing that you can do to look after your physical health?
 Proverbs 6:6-11 says,
You lazy people can learn by watching an anthill. Ants don't have leaders, but they store up food during harvest season. How long will you lie there doing nothing at all? When are you going to get up and stop sleeping? Sleep a little. Doze a little. Fold your hands and twiddle your thumbs. Suddenly, everything is gone, as though it had been taken by an armed robber (Contemporary English Version). The Bible says that we can learn a thing or two from ants. Here are the things that I have learned from ants:
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