section 1
Now is the only time allotted to us romans 13:11 proverbs 27:1 hebrews 3:13 . So, what we have now is literally what we need now psalm 23:1 . What your heart needs today is literally what is supplied for today i kings 8:37-40, 58-60 , as even the troubles of today are what we need and no more matthew 6:34 . For grace does not come tomorrow, but only today- now ii corinthians 6:2 lamentations 3:22-23 . Your desires, worries, ambitions, etc. for tomorrow are not covered in grace now because He gives us the grace we need for this NOW psalm 34:9-10 . This is why the pursuit of even your basic needs is a pagan enterprise expressing no faith in God matthew 6:31-32 , while the pursuit of contentment in what is now, is the richness of life i timothy 6:6-10 .
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
notes:
"When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands toward this temple—then hear from Heaven, Your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since You know their hearts (for You alone know every human heart), so that they will fear You all the time they live in the land You gave our ancestors.
May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in obedience to Him and keep the commands, decrees and laws He gave our ancestors. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that He may uphold the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
notes:
For He says, "In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Fear the LORD, you His holy people, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
notes:
section 2
The world deceives us into thinking that more is better ephesians 4:19 proverbs 21:25-26 ; when actually the more one has been given the more one is responsible to God for luke 12:48 matthew 25:15 . It is a miserable trap to grab for more than one is responsible for john 3:27 i corinthians 7:24 jeremiah 45:5 just as it is to shirk your responsibility luke 12:47 matthew 25:25-27 esther 4:14 jeremiah 48:10 , as the more we set our desire on the selfish indulgences of this world, the further we are away from enjoying the contentment of God’s love ecclesiastes 5:10 i john 2:15-17 . The pursuit of adding possessions isaiah 5:8 , position psalm 84:10-11 , accomplishments ecclesiastes 2:3-11 , frivolous knowledge ecclesiastes 1:18 i corinthians 10:27-28 i timothy 6:20 i corinthians 8:1-3 , improper relationships i corinthians 15:33 proverbs 18:24 , etc. for one’s self only isolates us from each other proverbs 18:1 .
They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.
notes:
But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the LORD. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.
notes:
And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.
So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ "His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.
notes:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
notes:
I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom.
I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.
notes:
O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge,"
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.
notes:
section 3
It is better to have and not want than to have and want more ecclesiastes 6:7-9 ; while that logic is sound, we only come to that conclusion in heart and mind when we believe that anything in addition to God’s will is not better but more trouble proverbs 19:23 proverbs 10:22 , even additional time of life isaiah 57:1-2 . Hence, our goal should be to have, only for the now, what God allots to us psalm 16:5-6 , not longing for less or more proverbs 30:8-9 philippians 4:11-12 , but just what He knows I need matthew 6:11 . Yes, we openly share our desires with the Lord i peter 5:7 , but we pursue His will, not our own matthew 26:39 so to learn to be content as He has us hebrews 13:5 luke 3:14 knowing it is His goodness and love that fill in all our steps psalm 23:6 . It is as the Lord wills, and our response to that should be, "Amen! So be it!" ii corinthians 1:20 .
Everyone’s toil is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied. What advantage have the wise over fools? What do the poor gain by knowing how to conduct themselves before others? Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
notes:
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, "Who is the LORD?" or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.
notes:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
And going a little farther He fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
notes:
Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"
He replied, "Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."
Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
notes:
Scripture quotations taken from one or more of the following versions as noted:
ESV = The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
NIV = The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NLT = The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
NASB = NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright (C) 1960,1962,1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
NKJV = New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.