READ: Psalm 73:1-9

«And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;» - Daniel 5:22-23

There are people who make high-sounding statements. These high-sounding statements reveal a well of pride. When Belshazzar praised the gods of gold and silver, he revealed an arrogance that deserved the coming punishment. He declared that his sustenance came from the gold and the silver and the wood and the stone. He did not want or need the living God!

A young man said to me once, «Do you know how much I earn? I can never pay tithes.» He was so full of his achievements and his successes that he boasted that he would never pay tithes. He found out later, though, that it was God who had given him the strength to earn so much money. When he became terminally ill, he came to my office and declared his readiness to pay tithes. His earlier high-sounding statement about tithes was no longer valid.

One day, we approached a newly appointed government official. I needed to see him about something important. When he got the message that we needed to see him, he blurted out, «My O my! This post that I have been given! These pastors are worrying me every day because I have been given this position.»

Instead of feeling honoured that pastors wanted to see him, he was rather exasperated at the thought of having to entertain us. We quickly aborted our visit and he missed the blessing that he would have had from the servants of the Lord.