The Haves and the Have-Nots

Do you ever get caught up thinking about all the things you need?
I sure do.
I need this, I need that.
I wish I had this. I wish I had that.
I’ll NEVER get this. I’ll NEVER get that.
How come THEY have this or that????

It can be a downward spiral can’t it?!

God knew that our sinful nature would struggle with this. Jealousy, envy, greed and covetousness.

A desire for what we don’t have can quickly turn to greed when we are no longer content with what we do have.

Heb 13:4-5
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."
NIV

Interesting that God goes from the thought of keeping ourselves free from the love of money and being to content; to “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

Hmmm… could there be a key to contentment here?

This says to me “I’m here, what more could you need?” I AM enough.
Think about it, we’ll get back to that.

Let’s look at Col 3:5,
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
NIV

Idolatry. Idols.
We would not fashion together our necklaces and rings to make a creature that we would worship, but if we are not content and we love things, that’s idolatry.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying things- I sure do!

But loving them more than we love the Lord or people is sinful.

Jesus said:
Luke 12:15
"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
NIV
It doesn’t? I thought that “He who dies with the most toys wins.” NOT.

Paul wasn’t light on the subject either:
Eph 5:3
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
NIV

Not even a hint of greed?! Not a hint of wanting or coveting what someone else has.
Oh Lord, I’m in sad shape!

What about envy? I looked up the meaning and I found it so interesting.

ENVY
That discontented feeling that arises in the selfish heart in view of the superiority of another, nearly tantamount to jealousy.
(from The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

Arises from a feeling of superiority. As in, I think that I might be better than someone else so how come they have THIS?

Pride plays an important role here, it’s like the match that lights the flame.

Envy can go beyond “things.”
It can affect relationships. We could envy or covet our neighbors’ husband, or children.

We could envy or covet their emotional or physical health. The list goes on.

2 Cor 10:12
For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves.
But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
NKJV

This truly is the beginning of it all.
We start comparing ourselves with others. We compare what we have to what they have.

I told you that we would get back to Heb 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."
NIV

He is the ultimate fulfillment of all we need.
He is the great I AM.

God knows that He is enough for us, do we?

1 Tim 6:6-7
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
NIV

We all need things. We all pray for things and situations to change. There’s nothing wrong with that. That does not mean that we are discontent or envious or greedy.

The line is crossed in our hearts.
The line is crossed when we desire “something” more than we desire God.

He wants us to pray, He wants us to ask, He wants us to believe!
The question we have to ask ourselves is; if you don’t get what you are longing for, will it change our love for God?

Do we love Him more than the answered prayer?

Well, I don’t know about you, but this one has hit me right between the eyes. I have some repenting and re-evaluating to do in my heart.

This may have been a heavy word, but we are big girls now, we can take it.
We want to grow right? This is how we do it, look at what God says- then look in the mirror and with His help, change accordingly.

He never asks us to change without offering to help us do it!
Isn’t He wonderful?!
I love Him so much.

(Thank you all for your sweet words about my son coming home!!)