"Better is little
with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith."
Proverbs 15:16
Admit it, we Americans have trouble with the first three words in this
verse - "Better is little", amen? Right there where you are sitting,
I challenge you to say those three words to yourself and see if your heart
believes it... We've got so much "stuff" that we have to regularly purchase items
to put our stuff in and on and over and under! We've even got ourselves
"stuffed" with food stuff, and the quantities we help ourselves to aren't
"little" either! (Neither are our sizes!) "BETTER is little" the Bible
says.... Do we really believe that?! Even our shopping habits have changed
as we are now able to purchase whole cases of food at a time at discount
prices - we sure don't live like little is better! Our cupboards, closets,
garages and dresser drawers are packed full of things, but our hearts
are empty! Empty of what? The fear of the Lord...
Psalm 37:16, " A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches
of many wicked."
Ladies, we have surrounded ourselves with so many luxuries in this life
that the fear of the Lord has been crowded out! There's no room left
for it anywhere! What happens then? Trouble enters the scene and fills
every crack and crevice of our lives... I often wonder what goes on behind
the doors of those big, elaborate homes that are being built one on top
of the other these days. Is there any fear of the Lord dwelling within
them?? Is there any real joy experienced by the owners of so many earthly
possessions? This is what we should strive to personally obtain above all
else, amen? This is to be the priority in life, not the things this world
has to offer.
Proverbs 19:23, "The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath
it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil."
Now, don't get me wrong, it's okay to have nice homes and nice things
in our homes, but are you and I as diligent at acquiring the fear of the
Lord in our lives?? Are you willing to work overtime to get it like you
would for worldly things?? You see ladies, often times we aren't content
until we own every item that has caught our greedy little eye, yet we
don't even consider seeking after the fear of the Lord. In fact, it doesn't
even catch our eye like the things of this world do! Think about it....
Have you ever been as discontent about the condition of your heart as
you might be your home and what you don't have there? You can focus on
enjoying what you have - no matter how little - when the fear of the Lord
reigns in your heart! What good is a golden slipper on a gouty foot....
With the wealth of the wicked come the cares, troubles, and temptations
that believers with the fear of the Lord never taste of, for their eyes
see the eternal riches that belong to them already, and they are content...
Proverbs 22:4, "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour,
and life."
Verse 17 of Proverbs 15 continues along with this same line of thought:
"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred
therewith."
Okay ladies, how many of us would really be satisfied with just a dinner
of herbs? How would your husband and children feel if that's all you
prepared for them? Why, if we were served such a menial meal as that we
would be irate! We would rather sit down to a huge steak dinner and ignore
our mates than we would eat herbs and be full of love for one another! Let
me ask you this question - How important is the health of the relationships
in your home, in your life in general? Do you marinate them in kindness,
or broil them in bitterness? Are you as good at planning to have a healthy
marriage as you are at planning a healthy, hearty meal?? What about your
relationships with your children? Do you keep those as tenderized and
fulfilling as you do that steak feast you are planning on eating this
Saturday night?? There's nothing so distasteful and disappointing as
a thin, chewy steak, amen? It's totally flavorless and not very satisfying
at all. But is it as disappointing to us when our relationships with
our loved ones begin to dwindle, or get a little tough, even a bit hard
to swallow? If we have enough time and foresight to efficiently prepare
a hearty spread, and the ability to choose and make sure a piece of meat
turns out right and tastes delicious, why not use that same amount of
time and foresight to make sure our relationships turn out just as satisfying
and taste just as good too?? What a truly fulfilling dinner you would
have at your home then! That's the kind of genuine, diligent concern the
fear of the Lord in our lives brings about - it tends to life rather than
neglects it... I'll admit, when friction arises, it's easier to just give
in to your children and fulfill their every wish, but what they really
need is a mother with the fear of the Lord in her life! Only a commitment
to God brings stability and peace to our homes....
Isaiah 33:6, "And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times,
and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure."
Ladies, we can have a fully modernized kitchen, the best pots and pans
to prepare food in, the best and most expensive appliances to cook with,
the best dining room furniture, the best china to eat off of, and even
look good in the midst of it all wearing a Tommy Hilfiger designer apron,
yet be complete failures at serving up a happy home! We'll spend hours
flipping through popular cook books and cooking magazines for the best
recipes, our mouths watering in anticipation of consuming the food ( oh,
and a thought or two given to our receiving several compliments!), but
we don't seem to spend very much time diligently searching through the
Word of God for the recipe for a happy home! Better the simple diet with
love, than the elaborate, fancy, expensive food eaten in an atmosphere
of hatred, amen? Yes, better is little with the fear of the Lord...
It's an inexhaustible treasure!
I hope someday you can say it - and believe it!
Proverbs 16:8, "Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues
without right."
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
