I WANT...
I want a nicer
car. I want some nicer clothes. I want more money. I want a new CD. I want a
flat screen TV. We hear ourselves or others say statements like these just
about everyday don't we? We live in a very materialistic society. Sure, we need
materialistic things to physically survive, and it's alright to have nice
things, but we shouldn't be too concerned about the things that we have. Paul
told Timothy in 1 Timothy
"I've got
it made," is a phrase that we sometimes hear people say. The devil uses
earthly riches to fool us into thinking that we can get along just fine without
God. It is a sad day when a mortal begins to feel this way.
Jesus once told
a parable about a man who trusted in riches:
“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a
man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
And he spake a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man
brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I
do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, this will I
do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all
my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods
laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said
unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose
shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up
treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21)
The question
that we ask ourselves as we go through life should not be, "What do I
want?" But rather, "What can I give?" If we search after
monetary gain and physical possessions, then what will we have at the end of
life aside from disappointment and regret? If we have the attitude of,
"What have I done for Christ today?" instead of, "I want this
today," then we will seek righteous things and we will be rich toward God.
Be Rich in the things that matter...
----Jonathan Powell