Saturday, August 5, 2017

You Can't Take It With You

7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. (1 Timothy 6:7)
            We know this for a fact. I have either preached or attended a total of 8 funerals during in the relatively short time that I’ve been here.  It is definitely a sobering thought.
            A wealthy landowner was trying to buy some additional land near his estate. A neighbor observed that his only motive was to prevent someone else from buying it. So the neighbor asked, “Sir, do you want to only all of the land in the world?” “No,” the wealthy man replied, “just the land that joins mine.”
            Many people believe that contentment and true happiness comes from having enough money to do whatever they like whenever they want to do it. Other think it comes from have a good, close-knit family or having a life with no problems. That is why they constantly think that having a little more money or changing their relationships or improving their circumstances will bring this contentment.
            It’s just not so. This true happiness comes only from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We must believe that He will supply all of our needs. Contentment is not found in things, circumstances, or other people. It is truly found in knowing that our heavenly Father loves us and cares for us.

            The writer of Hebrews understood the true source of contentment when he wrote, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). To express it in another way, discontentment comes when we think that having money or the latest electronic gadget or newest fashion will make us happy. Scripture affirms that true happiness is obtainable only through Jesus. Knowing that He provides us with what we need when we need it produces stress-free living at its best. Be strong and courageous in this and do not be afraid. You are valuable to God.