Proverbs 30:8-9, "Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: [9] Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."

 The man who wrote this portion of Scripture is named Agur.  He didn't ask for much.  He asked the LORD to allow him to live without pride and deceitfulness. He didn't want to be poor or rich, and he asked God to give him the food essential for sustaining his life.  The reason he asked for these things was because he longed for a relationship with the LORD.  Note verse 9, "Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."  He wanted the circumstances in his life to be such that he wasn't tempted to stray from the LORD.  Wealth could have tempted him to forget his need of the LORD.  While poverty could have tempted him to live a life of stealing and cursing.

 Barnes in his notes on the Bible states:  “There are dangers when one experiences these two extremes of life: Wealth tempts to pride, unbelief, and a scorn like that of Pharaoh (Exodus 5:2); poverty to, dishonesty, and then to perjury, or to the hypocritical profession of religion which is practically identical with it."

 This leads me to a question.  What is it in life that is possibly keeping you from having a heart for God and living a life for Him?  We must examine our lives and find the obstacles to Christian growth.  There are many other dangers in life that can diminish our growth and keep us from having the heart and life we desire. 

 May we not allow anything to keep us from longing after God and His ways.  Psalm 42:1, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."  May we long for the LORD today and every day!

 Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

Meditations

1.  Can you remember the last time you told a lie?  If so, why were you deceitful?

2.  What is most important to you?  Why is it so important, and should it be so?

3.  Describe the two greatest extremes in your life.  What can you do to have more biblical balance in your life?