Memorise: But godliness with contentment is a great gain. 1stTimothy
6:6
6 But godliness with contentment is
great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment
let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall
into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which
drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of
money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred
from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But
thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
The moment
a person makes up his mind to focus his passion and life on seeking after the
things of God, he becomes very content with life. There are lots of people who
are not enjoying their lives because they are being consumed with the mundane
things of this world. As a child of God, your focus and attention should centre
on the Word of God which will help you live life with a sense of fulfilment. It
is not the abundance of what you have that determines the joy that you get in
life. I have been privileged to get close to many wealthy and influential
people, and I have concluded that the best kind of life is a life of
simplicity. There are people, who focus on gaining worldly possessions, but
those who know the essence of life will focus on things of the spirit and they
will not allow the lust of this world to consume their hearts.
“I know
both how to be abased and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I
am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
need.” Philippians 4:12
Paul had
learnt how to content in poverty and in wealth. This should also be the life of
every child of God, because it is only in Christ that one understands the
purpose of all things. Paul learnt how to be poor without complaining about his
circumstances. He knew how to go about his life in situations of want knowing
that God was in charge of his life. It is no news that the greatest problem of
man is greed; it is also the major cause of underdevelopment in many nations,
as those that have been entrusted with the resources are continually greedily
trying to acquire more money.
As
believers, we must know how to possess money without money possessing us. We
should not follow the examples of those who have allowed money to become an
idol in their lives. Any time we are in need, we should call on God; it is only
Jesus Christ who gives strength to overcome the despair and discouragement of
such moments, and any time we are in wealth, we need Christ to help us exercise
full control over the wealth. There is nothing we go through that we don’t have
the power to endure because our strength is of the Lord. We must not become
obsessed with the gains of this world at the expense of our souls, especially
since it not possession that brings happiness. Christ is the source of
happiness; therefore, it is the foundation we have in Him that determines the
extent of our contentment in life. We must not allow the process of getting
rich deny us the ultimate satisfaction and joy in Christ Jesus. We should not
become spiritually bankrupt because we are on a quest to get rich. We should
not stray away from the faith because we want money. God is more than able to
supply all our needs as we put our trust in Him and follow His instructions for
our lives.
Prayer
Point: Father, please help me to find rest in You.
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:19-29
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