Hebrews 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.”
'Tis the season to get caught up in pursuing satisfaction, contentment, fulfillment, and joy through acquisition of things. For those that know me, you know that this is an issue for me. I'm never satisfied with what I have there is always more, always better, always something new and interesting. Accumulation of material things makes for a cluttered house, it makes for a cluttered life as well leading to confusion, distraction, and perhaps obsession.
Just like the Israelites of the Old Testament who demanded an earthly king when God clearly wanted to no confusion about His sovereignty, God desires to be our all-in-all. Only God can fulfill. Only God lasts. Only through a healthy, growing, and vibrant relationship with God do we find contentment. My own experience is that as I grow closer to God, all those things that are imperfect, all those things that fail to satisfy, and all those things that get under my skin and irritate me fade into issues of less importance. I grow closer to my wife, family, and friends and lose my obsession over material things. The opposite is also true - as my walk grows stale, my obsession with the imperfect makes me grumpy.
As I journey through this my favorite time of the year, I would do well to remember that celebration of the season is to remember and cling to the real reason for the season. Failure to do so, will lead to a dissatisfying holiday season.
1 comment:
I pray that our joy is full and overflowing because we are closer to God than ever, not because we bought really cool neat stuff!
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