O
THE
vercoming
Be Content
SERIES
‘GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN’
1 TIMOTHY 6:6..
When you talk about contentment, some people think you are against progress. No!
Paul’s simply saying that contentment never comes from externals. Never! A Greek
sage once said, ‘To whom little is not enough, nothing is ever enough.’
Once every 12 minutes or so, TV advertisers try to convince you that contentment is
God, in a world of not possible without their particular brand of something. Suddenly, you feel ‘less
media infl uence, than’ if you don’t have it, so you go out and buy it, plunge into debt, put yourself
let my mind be still, under pressure and miss out on what’s really important. Next time you see one of
let me be careful of those commercials, just shout back at the TV, ‘Who are you kidding?’
what I gaze upon If you don’t want to become ‘old too soon and smart too late,’ listen to what God
which might be a has to say on the subject:
distraction to my walk 1) ‘We didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world and we certainly
with You. Help me be cannot carry anything with us when we die’ (1 Timothy 6:7 NLT).That verse explains
content with what I why you’ll never see a hearse pulling a hired trailer. It’s a one-way trip. Furthermore,
have Lord, and I pray when you die and someone asks, ‘How much did they leave?’ the answer will be -
that You protect me everything!
from the desire of 2) ‘And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith’ (1Timothy 6:10
earthly possessions NLT). If your pursuit of things leaves you no time for God, then you’re heading into
becoming an trouble. Re-examine your priorities and change them right away!
obsession, in 3) ‘If we have enough...let us be content’ (1Timothy 6:8 NLT). Here’s the bottom line:
Jesus’ Name. real contentment doesn’t come from possessions, it comes only from knowing you’re
walking in God’s will. Anything beyond that is a bonus!
Financial Amnesia!
‘BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DO NOT FORGET THE LORD ...’
Lord, I remember
DEUTERONOMY 6:12.
the fi rst days of my
decision to be a
In Egypt, God’s people lived as dependents, with no possibility of improving their
follower of Jesus. I
lot in life. To wean them from reliance on others, God took them into the wilderness
thank You for the day
to teach them reliance on Him. When they reached the Promised Land He warned
you rescued me from
them, ‘... when you build fi ne houses and settle down ... and all you have is
my sin. Today, Lord, I
multiplied ... be careful that you do not forget the Lord ...’
pray that You renew
(Deuteronomy 8:12 -13; 6:12 NIV).This is what’s called ‘fi nancial amnesia.’ We
in me a clean heart
remember God in times of crisis but forget Him as soon as they’re over.
and a righteous spirit.
We can’t count our blessings because we’re too busy counting our money. Now we
I pray that early
feel as if we don’t need Him as much, because everything’s going our way. We say,
excitement for the
‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me’
things of God would
(Deuteronomy 8:17 NIV). People don’t change much, do they? When we had
as real to me today
nothing, we praised the Lord with abandon. But once we get a little something and
as it was back then,
want to look dignifi ed, we keep His name locked behind our lips when questioned
and I would not be
about our success.
distracted from you
The danger of entering the Promised Land is - forgetting where we came from.
by the need or the
A little food in your stomach can make yesterday’s hunger seem like a long time
benefi t of fi nance, in
ago. A few clothes in your wardrobe and a new sofa in your living room can make
Jesus’ Name.
the old stuff you used to get by with seem like a distant memory. The word for you
today is, ‘Be careful that you do not forget the Lord.’
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