And the Word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
“But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.
“‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’” Zechariah 7:8-14
“Seek not proud riches, but such as thou mayest get justly, use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and leave contentedly.”
Francis Bacon in Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers, compiled by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert (New York: Wilbur B. Ketcham, 1895) 521.
We studied today’s Scripture on Opening Day at the Global Gathering for GTP among other texts. God’s people were in captivity in the days of Zechariah for their failure to follow His instructions. As a result: “This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.”
What about you? Will you follow God’s design with whatever riches He supplies? Will you contribute to flourishing or desolation around you?
When I saw the sand dunes outside Dubai yesterday afternoon (pictured above), I could not get those words out of my mind: “This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.” When we don’t follow God’s design it has an adverse effect. It brings death rather than life.
Then, in my reading I found this short quote. In the time we have on this earth, let us acquire justly, that is, not by taking advantage of others but through just work. Then, let us keep only what we need and share the rest with sobriety, cheerfulness, and contentment.
Or, the alternative is to do what the world says. Don’t listen to God. In so doing, don’t expect Him to listen to you.
We either live for God and others or against them. There’s no middle ground with God. And whatever we choose, He lets us have what we want. I want to be a person that brings flourishing rather than desolation and leaves contentedly.
How will you live and leave? Aim to get, use, distribute, and leave riches according to God’s design.