A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 28: 8 "God Laughs"

Proverbs 28: 8     One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion gathers it for him who will pity the poor.

Proverbs 28: 8.  The resources for your holy endeavor will not come only from holy sources. 

Because God has a sense of humor.

The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt and the temple rededicated by the Jewish laymen Nehemiah and the priest Ezra, but the project was funded by a pagan king who still held Israel as a conquered tributary state (Nehemiah chapter 2).

The Hebrew slaves who should have walked into freedom penniless instead began their Exodus weighed down with supplies and jewels given them by their Egyptian masters (Exodus 12: 31-36).

The modern state of Israel itself was a gift given by the victors of World War II to an ethnic group that every country, including Britain and the United States, had and would discriminate against on its own shores.

Over and over, the Bible and secular history paints a picture of God smiling as He says, “Watch this.  Watch this.  These folks don’t worship me and they don’t like my people, but I’m gonna make them to pick up the tab for what my people want to do.  Oh, Jesus, this is gonna be hilarious!”

Be clear on what God wants you to do, and do it.  Move wisely.  Move prayerfully.  But don’t let the lack of funding inside your ministry stop you from moving.   Complete the small steps and share the joy you have in working faithfully on God’s plan.  Ask for what you need.  When you reach the end of your rope, if you haven’t reached the end of God’s plan, then God will provide the means for you to continue in His work.

[Be] confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1: 6)

You don’t have to borrow your church into the ground.  You don’t have to find unethical revenue streams.  You don’t have to pimp the gospel.  You don’t have to wink at sin because the sinner is writing a check.   All you have to do is work your tail off and ask.

God loves providing for His people.  He’ll provide through saints and He’ll provide through sinners.  

When He uses saints to provide, God smiles.

When He uses sinners to provide, God laughs.

Be persistent and consistent in righteousness and in labor and you can share in the Lord’s joy.

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matthew 25: 21)

----- Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116