Read It In Context

"The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself." ~ Proverbs 11:25 NKJV

It's important we don't take scriptures out of context - either out of the context of the scriptures around it or the context of the entire Bible.

Generosity is one key to God's blessings over our life. But it's just one key. It's also important to be obedient, to be diligent, to be temperate, and to be a good steward. That's why it's important for us to read the whole Bible and not just pieces. 

One could read today's scripture and think that the being generous is to key to becoming rich. But you can give all of your money away and violate the principle of being a good steward. Just like you could focus on saving and miss the generosity principle found in today's scripture. 

The Bible is designed to put up guardrails on our life. One scripture might reveal one principle that God wants you to follow. But there's a wealth of other wisdom found in the Bible that will ultimately give you a full picture of what God wants for your life.

Let's read the whole Bible in context today fam.

God bless,

J.W.

 

Contentment in Temperance

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13 is undoubtedly one of the most quoted scriptures in the Bible. But it also might be the most misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Most people read Philippians 4:13 wrong. Taken out of context, Philippians 4:13 might give you the impression that God will empower you to do ALL things.

That's simply a wrong interpretation of the scripture.

We are human. We have limits. We CANNOT do everything. Trying to do everything is a sin, inasmuch as we are attempting to play God's role. God would not allow us to do everything. He wants us to be dependent upon Him. Only He is omnipotent. The notion that we can do everything is simply a lie.

Read in context, Philippians 4:13 actually refers to contentment. Paul is saying "I can be content in all things through Christ who gives me the strength to do so." Whether things are going right, or there's complete chaos in our life, Philippians 4:13 encourages us that we can have contentment no matter what the circumstances are.

Two points we should learn from this:

1. We should always read scripture in proper context.
2. Instead of praying that God allows you to do everything, Paul tells us to strive for temperance (Galatians 5:22-24, 2 Peter 1:5-6, Titus 2:12, Philippians 4:5). You were not called to do EVERY thing. Only the things God has called you to do.

Strive for temperance today!

God bless,
J.W.