Your Daily Devotional for August 26, 2007

 

August 26,  2007

 

 

Keeping Contentment

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's."

 

Exodus 20:17

 

 

One of the most exciting pieces of news in the electronics industry last year was the release of the Play Station 3. But even though marketers were anticipating a number of sales, they were not prepared for the great demand that came about after the release. Nationwide, short supplies of the PS3 and strong demand led to long lines of buyers, some waiting for days outside stores. Once the doors opened that Friday, they pushed and shoved their way to the shelves in several cities to get to the limited supply. Two people were arrested in Fresno, California, after a crowd trampled people in a parking lot, and in Connecticut, a man was shot while waiting in line.

 

We must admit that we live in a very materialistic society. People thrive on gaining the latest gadget or toy. While it is not wrong to have nice things, our Lord desires that we as His children would be content with what He has given us.

 

We must be careful with the passion to possess. We are certainly pushed with this in today's society. Marketing researchers spend their lives developing slogans, music, and commercials to get us to buy things. But God tells us in Luke 12:15, "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." God desires that we keep Him first in our lives and be content.

 

We see in our verses today that God commands us to avoid discontentment. He desires that we would focus on Him and not the possessions we do or do not have. As we have seen over the past few days, we must thank God for all He has done for us! One way we can remain content is by being thankful for what we have. When we take time to realize all God has given us and thank Him for it, we will realize how greatly He has already blessed us! We must thank Him daily in order to remain content.

 

Not only should we thank Him daily, but we must also fix our hearts on Him. Many people in our society look to possessions to bring them joy and fulfillment, but when our hearts are fixed on God, He will fill our lives with joy! The things of this world do not bring true happiness but only temporary enjoyment. Psalm 57:7 says, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." God has always been concerned not only about outward behavior, but also with the heart. When our hearts are fixed on God, He will give us joy, and we will be content with what He has given us.

 

When we become discontent, we are really telling God that we deserve more than what He has given us. God has blessed us beyond what we ever deserve! He has given us salvation! We all deserve to spend eternity in Hell, yet He sent His only Son to die for us. When we put things in perspective, we will see that God has given us far more than we could ever ask! We must remember that, even though we may not have the latest gadget, we have God's Son, and He is all we need in life.

Have you found yourself desiring things others have that you don't? God has given each of us exactly what we need to fulfill His will for our lives. We must thank Him for what He has given us and fix our hearts on Him. Spend time with Christ now, and be content knowing that you are saved and on your way to Heaven!

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 26-28 • Acts 22

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