DAILY DEVOTIONAL – February 12, 2020
“A Penny or a Million?”
Prayer: Almighty God, You are the Creator of time and space. You see all things and all places, and all of our purposes are in your hands. Lord, help us to trust You in patience, waiting on You and trusting that Your will and Your time is perfect. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Scripture: Romans 8:18;22-25
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Devotional – “A Penny or A Million?”
Alan Yu is young a business and finance guru. Alan runs a blog that discusses topics of finance, and Alan also has a passion for helping people view finances differently in order to better manage their money and get the most out of it. On his business blog, Alan asks an interesting question. “If you were given a choice to receive one million dollars in one month, or, receive a penny doubled every day for 30 days, which one would you choose?”
I must admit, my knee-jerk reaction was to say, “I’ll take the million thank you!” In the split second I thought about the question, it didn’t seem to make sense that a penny doubled every day would be more than a million. What about you. Honestly. If put on the spot, would you have answered by taking a million dollars now, or waiting for the value of a penny double over 30 days?
Well, here is how it breaks down. If you were to take a penny on the 1st day of a 30 day month:
Day 1: $.01
Day 2: $.02
Day 3: $.04
Day 4: $.08
Day 5: $.16
Day 6: $.32
Day 7: $.64
Day 8: $1.28
Day 9: $2.56
Day 10: $5.12
Day 11: $10.24
Day 12: $20.48
Day 13: $40.96
Day 14: $81.92
Day 15: $163.84
Day 16: $327.68
Day 17: $655.36
Day 18: $1,310.72
Day 19: $2,621.44
Day 20: $5,242.88
Day 21: $10,485.76
Day 22: $20,971.52
Day 23: $41,943.04
Day 24: $83,886.08
Day 25: $167,772.16
Day 26: $335,544.32
Day 27: $671,088.64
Day 28: $1,342,177.28
Day 29: $2,684,354.56
Day 30: $5,368,709.12
The profits and gains of this life can sure seem like greater rewards than the ones we have to wait on from God, but faithfulness to God in small things will one day prove to be of far greater value than anything this fleeting world has to offer us.
Now, hear me clearly, I am by no means a financial expert and I am certainly not giving you advise on how to save your money…but, I do know a thing or two about having to learn to be patient. It is not one of my gifts. Many times in my life I have forfeited what I later learned could have been a huge blessing because I didn’t want a penny now…I wanted a million now. I can look back in life and see where God was calling me and wanting me to wait on Him, because He had so much better in store for me, but in my impatience and sinfulness, I chose what was right in front of me and what I could see in the moment.
Am I alone here? Or am I preaching to the choir a bit? I assume each of you can relate at least in some small way to what I am sharing with you.
Often times what makes us impatient is pain, discomfort or the fear of the unknown. We want the hurting to stop now, we want the tension resolved and a solution yesterday. A million dollars may seem like the perfect solution to a financial problem, but having patience and making the most out of even just the smallest blessings God has given us each day will prove eternally more valuable than any immediate gratification. Not only will God always prove to be faithful and more generous than we could ever hope to provide for ourselves with the empty riches of this life, but the times of waiting and patience in the midst of suffering or uncertainty are themselves a gift from God. It is in those times that we tend to draw closest to the Lord, listen most intently and allow the Holy Spirit to refocus us on what is most valuable and what is of eternal and everlasting worth.
This is what Paul is talking about and trying to encourage us with when he says in our passage for today in Romans 8, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
I have spoken and met with several very wealthy people. Though their circumstances were all unique and different, when you got right down to it, they all asked to speak with me about the same problem. Despite running hard and fast and achieving what most people only dream about, they were still left unsatisfied, lonely and wanting. For those who finally came to lay it all down at Christ’s feet and surrendered themselves and all they had to Him, they finally found the wealth they were seeking and the fulfillment from life they longed for. God didn’t take away their wealth, nor did He increase it, but He gave them far more than they could have imagined.
Our relationship with God Himself is the treasure we truly seek. Knowing the love of Jesus Christ our Lord and having the assurance of His salvation by grace through faith is worth exponentially more than any sum of money – and you don’t have to wait 30 days to collect your eternal inheritance. Christ has paid our debt of sin and opened the treasures of heaven to us through His death and resurrection. We only need to receive Him in faith and trust Him with all that we are and all that we have. God is faithful, abundant in mercy and more than worth the wait.
God bless you my friends, and remember that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
