Grasping for More
Ever wish for the perfect life? Of course you do. We all do. It's been that way from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had the perfect life, actually, but still they reached for more. You and I would, too, and that's where we get ourselves into trouble.
One of our Sunday School teachers asks the question, "How much money do you need to make?" The answer is, "Just a little bit more than I make, now." How very true.
David, of the Bible, had many wives and concubines when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Obviously, he had never learned to be content with one wife, though this has always been God's plan, and so he was open to the temptation of just one more, even if said wife belonged to someone else.
Samson was not content with the selection of women that Israel had to offer, but Delilah led to his capture by the Phillistines, the loss of his eyes, and eventually, his demise. No wonder God said, "Thou shalt not covet."
Can getting more ever cause us to be content? Most definitely not. It is a heart issue. But, we sure are deceived often enough into believing that lie, aren't we? And, it's not just limited to "things", either, is it? What about those of us who are interested in acclamation, for instance? Oh, we're all right to have our names listed in the bulletins, until someone else is praised from the pulpit. Then everything changes.
Here's another one. Remember the request by James and John to sit on either side of Jesus in Heaven? Suddenly, it wasn't enough that Jesus was building mansions for everyone; they wanted special seats.
How can we escape the lies that the enemy uses to taunt us, in regard to the issue of discontentment? How about an eternal perspective? In James 1:9-11, we read, "Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits." If this doesn't put it all into perspective, nothing will.
One of our Sunday School teachers asks the question, "How much money do you need to make?" The answer is, "Just a little bit more than I make, now." How very true.
David, of the Bible, had many wives and concubines when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Obviously, he had never learned to be content with one wife, though this has always been God's plan, and so he was open to the temptation of just one more, even if said wife belonged to someone else.
Samson was not content with the selection of women that Israel had to offer, but Delilah led to his capture by the Phillistines, the loss of his eyes, and eventually, his demise. No wonder God said, "Thou shalt not covet."
Can getting more ever cause us to be content? Most definitely not. It is a heart issue. But, we sure are deceived often enough into believing that lie, aren't we? And, it's not just limited to "things", either, is it? What about those of us who are interested in acclamation, for instance? Oh, we're all right to have our names listed in the bulletins, until someone else is praised from the pulpit. Then everything changes.
Here's another one. Remember the request by James and John to sit on either side of Jesus in Heaven? Suddenly, it wasn't enough that Jesus was building mansions for everyone; they wanted special seats.
How can we escape the lies that the enemy uses to taunt us, in regard to the issue of discontentment? How about an eternal perspective? In James 1:9-11, we read, "Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits." If this doesn't put it all into perspective, nothing will.
Some very perceptive words of wisdom!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sandy. When I started this post, I didn't know which way it was going. It took a different route than planned, but that is not that unusual.
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