"Give me neither poverty nor riches—

Feed me with the food allotted to me;

Lest I be full and deny You,

And say, 'Who is the Lord?‘" Proverbs 30:8-9 NKJV

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There is nothing wrong in prosperity, but it has some very definite dangers. We have the faithful witness of Abraham, Joseph, and Daniel–all men of great wealth. But we also have the sad example of Solomon, who because of his pos-sessions became dissolute, effeminate, and weak. Realizing the inherent danger in prosperity he wrote our scripture.

Since the beginning of time, God has attempted to teach humanity that genuine happiness comes only from total dependence upon Him. He could have given the Israelites an abundance of "natural" food, enough so they could have stored it for months to come, but He chose to rain manna from heaven each night to teach them this lesson of total dependence.

Every night, with the exception of the sacred Sabbath even-ing, each family went to sleep with absolutely nothing on the shelf for the next morning's meal! Not one box of food or one drop of milk! Every parent, for forty long years, had to depend on God to furnish food for themselves and their children.

The lofty pinnacle, the full cup, can bring dependence upon self. This is the danger of prosperity.

Appeal: Our offering today is for the ministries and other needs of our Church.