Reading your Bible for today December 27

December 27: Proverbs 11:27-31

KJV Key Verse: Proverbs 11:28
28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall : but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

Devotion:
There is a big difference between any inheritance we receive here on earth and the inheritance we can receive in heaven. The inheritance we receive here on earth can keep us happy for a short while (or maybe quite a while if we happen to have a rich family), but that is nothing in comparison to what we can receive. But there are so many ways in which we can lose any inheritance or lose any sort of gift that we were going to get here on earth.

If we are going to put our trust in those riches here on earth, then we are going to quickly find we fall very short of the requirements God has for us. We will find we fall short of many of the requirements true friends have for us too. Yes, we will have others who will be trusting in us because of those riches, but that is about as deep as it goes!

And then we could really mess things up by causing havoc or even disruption close to home. The more we mess things up close to home, the more we will have to live in the mess we create. The more we do that, the less likely others close to us will trust us with the things they would have otherwise. The more we mess things up in God's eyes, the less we can be used by God to help those we love. God can use us in whatever we do, but we can be so much more effective is we are doing things His way!

If our eyes are diverted by the glittering things here on earth, we are not going to be able to see past them. If our hearts are persuaded to turn to riches here instead of what we can attain, then our inheritance may be high, but will be very short lived. If our souls are not destined for heaven, they will never see any riches. But if our heart, mind and soul belong to God, we can look forward to everlasting riches that will surpass anything we can imagine here.

Points to Ponder:
What riches do you look forward to here on earth?

What do you look forward to in heaven?