Mar 5 - A Joyful Thought

Mar 5

A Joyful Thought

Ro 5:8 …while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Since ancient times, men have been plagued with the idea of earning favor with the gods.  I can only imagine the utter fear and astonishment of ancient people when they saw a meteorite blaze across the sky or suffered the terror of an eclipse of the sun or moon. An eclipse helped Christopher Columbus scare natives when they planned to harm him and his crew. He told them he would make the sun go dark. He knew an eclipse was due that day. When the sun went dark they begged him to restore it. Those natives must have been astonished.

    The Egyptians had their gods. The Greeks and Romans were so anxious to please their multiplied gods they even had an “Unknown God”  in case they had overlooked something. Acts 17:23

But salvation by faith was known from the first. Abraham believed God and it was counted toward him as faith. But the way of faith was rejected by many.

Ro 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Unfortunately that still continues today. The Christian message has been proclaimed for nearly 2000 years, yet the simplicity of salvation is outside the understanding of many, who choose to be blind.  They still cling to the notions that drove men thousands of years ago to sacrifice people to appease their gods. Man wants to be in control. He wants to earn favor with God. That is why churches today have different answers to the question “When Adam fell, how far did he fall?”

    J D Pentecost asks that question on pg 17 of his book Things which become sound Doctrine.   Liberal churches answer that question by saying Adam fell up. When he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he was made more complete and gained something he did not have before. In that sense they teach he fell upward.  Many churches teach that when Adam fell he grabbed the edge of the cliff by his fingertips. Yes he fell off the cliff but if he works hard enough he can pull himself back up and be saved. One large church teaches that when Adam fell he landed on a cliff, the church.  If he stays on that cliff he will be OK. That church can save him. But the Bible says he fell all the way to his spiritual death.

Eph 2:1 ¶ And you hath he quickened,

who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Men have struggled for centuries to find some way to earn merit with their god. They offer sacrifices, perform rituals, create priests that imagine they can forgive sins, give money, work hard for the church, pray long, deprive themselves and try to make bargains with God. But all to no avail. There is no service but a hypocrite can do it, even to giving of their goods to feed the poor and their body to be burned.

And it has all been for nothing. Man has never created a means by which they can please God. But God has created a most miraculous way.

Our thought for today is a joyous one.

Ro 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us,

in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

There is simply no way man can do enough good to merit God’s attention. We cannot work our way into heaven. We cannot appease an angry God by being nice or doing good things. A flea cannot save himself from a lions scratching by trying to prepare a large enough meal to satisfy his irritated lion. Multiply that idea several million times and you will start to approach the relationship between the unsaved man and God.

But praise God we do not need to. We can simply accept what God has done for us.  

Let us be mindful of these two things today. First, that we are sinners.  Spiritually as dead as a doornail. Without the “spark of the Devine” as some teach.

Secondly, that in the midst of our sin, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Why would he do that at all, especially for sinners? John 3:16 give us the answer “For God so loved….  What kind of love is that?

The song writer has captured it as well as anyone can. In the third verse of The Love of God we find these words.

“Could we with ink the oceans fill, and were the skies of parchment made,

were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade;

to write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry

Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky."

May you have a blessed day as you meditate on this Joyful Thought. ...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!

 

Mar 4 Stop Worrying!

Mar 4

Stop Worrying 

1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

If you do not do what I say then you will be killed! Oh dear!  Now what? If the head of a modern country made an executive order that everyone must worship Allah or face a firing squad what would the Christians in that country do? 

     That reminds me of a story (true or not??) of cold war Russia. A large group of Christians were meeting when two Russian soldiers charged into the meeting with loaded machine guns and announced they were there to arrest everyone who was a dedicated Christian. They said those who were just visiting and were not Christians could leave. People headed for the door, leaving only a small group of Christians. The soldiers locked the doors and then said “We too are Christians but cannot risk worshipping with those who are not dedicated to Christ.”

     Now back to the executive order and the firing squad. That actually happened. Well the details were different but the situation was the same. Three men of the tribe of Judah, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, refused to bow down and worship a huge 90 foot tall golden idol. Nebuchadnezzar talked to them and when they still refused he was furious and had them cast into a fiery furnace.

      We know them by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  The answer they gave the king is the object of our devotion today. The King’s decree did not frighten them. They were not worried, nor filled with care.

Da 3:16 …O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

We are not careful!  We are not full of care. And they weren’t worried. They told the king, our God is able to deliver us out of your hands. Even if He doesn’t we will not bow down. These guys trusted God so much even the threat of death did not worry them enough to make them change their minds. They simply did not care. They were not filled with care.  

 Then there is the other extreme. Being careful for everything. We find that example in a woman who is preparing a meal. She is struggling with which plates to use, should she put the salad dressing on the side or just pour it on the salad. She can’t remember if John likes corn. Is Sally allergic to chicken. She wishes her table napkins didn’t have that pink stripe that doesn’t match her dishes. And why won’t this gravy thicken? So much to do and the guests are waiting.

Lu 10:41 …Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Jesus entered into a village and Martha invited Him to her house. Martha’s sister Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to him, but Martha was frantic out in the kitchen. She finally complained to Jesus “Jesus, tell Mary she should come and help me!”  Scripture does not record the expression on Jesus’s face but I think it was a mild little smile. The same one most husbands have had when they try to get their wives to stop obsessing on trivial stuff. And yes I know men who obsess over trivial things too. The point is she was so filled with care about the meal she was missing an opportunity to enjoy her guest.  Yes someone had to prepare a meal or snacks or whatever they had. But it could be done with less worry and care. She should have been listening to Jesus instead of trying to decide if she should get out the fancy glasses or use the plain ones from the cupboard.

          Paul offers his advice on the subject.

Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Paul said don’t worry, be happy! Please do not think I am suggesting you spend time praying about what dishes to use. But you should give to God all those things that worry you. Give them to God with a prayer and thanksgiving. Do not let your mind be filled with the cares of life. Give Him all those little things that occupy your mind and prevent you from enjoying your relationship with God.

 Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

 

Yes, I do realize there are many things that can cause a person to worry. What about the bills, the kids, the house, the car, taxes, health issues, etc, etc. But does your worrying about them make them any less of a burden? No, so give them to God. Pray about them and let go. God is still in the business of caring for you.

          Perhaps you already have learned how to do this. If so share this devotional with someone who really needs it. For today let us meditate on God’s goodness to us and his instructions regarding care.

1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

 

Mar 3 Vote For God

Mar 3

Vote For God

Jos 24:15, choose you this day whom ye will serve

Hanging on the wall of many Christian homes is a little plaque announcing “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” It is a pleasant thought. It is an admirable thing to strive for. But I have to wonder if it is even possible in today’s electronic media driven culture.

     Why did Joshua even say such a thing? He wanted the people he had led into the promised land to know how he had voted. He had voted for God.

     The battle for the promised land had been won a long time ago. (Jos 23:1) Joshua was now getting to the end of his life. He wanted to leave the nation with the best possible advice he could. So when he waxed old he called for all of Israel.

He reminded them of the faithfulness of God and reminded them of all the times that God had fought for them. Then in Chapter 24 he reminds them that Abraham’s father served idols. (24:2) Then follows several verses where the mighty acts of God are recalled from Abraham down into Egypt, into the wilderness and finally the conquest of the Promised Land. In all these things God had led them, provided for them and blessed them.

       In verse 13 Joshua reminds them that they have it pretty good now.  The people were settled down to enjoy the houses they had not built and the vineyards they had not planted.  The land was at peace although not every nation had been defeated. Joshua was concerned that all the work they had done would be lost if the people turned to idols. He knew God would not tolerate it and would punish the people.

         So he puts it to them as a vote. Choose now. Here are the candidates. Abraham’s father worshipped gods. Maybe you want to stay with your ancestral traditions. Do what your family has always done. Or you could remember Egypt with all its delights and choose one of their gods. The world has a lot to offer and it is a thing that satisfies the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

One other candidate is not mentioned here but is the elephant in the room. Joshua had mentioned it in 23:7 There were still idol worshipping nations among them. The individual tribes were supposed to subdue these nations. Joshua reminded them to not mingle with them, or permit marriages, or worship their gods. (23:7, 12-13) Otherwise those nations that remained among them would become snares, traps, scourges and thorns in their eyes. (Ouch!)

 

So there are the candidates. 1. You may vote for what your ancestors, your family, has always practiced. Or 2, You can vote for what the world has to offer and worship their idols (odd that we have a popular TV program called American Idol!) Or 3, You could join in with what your neighbors and local society did, and worship their idols.

In verse 15 Joshua said ”

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell...

Then he tells them that he has voted for God and he and his house will serve the LORD.

Today we live in a different culture, a different time and face different challenges. The lines are blurred.  The choices are more difficult. If your family has always been part of a particular faith it is not easy to walk away from that.

Then again the world does have a lot to offer. We have trouble keeping the world out of church let alone our homes.

Finally the society around us has established norms of behavior. Getting drunk at a wedding reception isn’t seen as a bad thing. Add to that dozens of other “norms” that are required for you to be seen as a “regular guy”.  And remember it is not polite to discuss religion or politics.

Or……you could vote with Joshua. It is a costly vote. It is also a vote against your traditions, the world and social pressures which are contrary to serving God. You may not split your vote – God 80%, world 15%, friends and neighbors 5%

If you vote to serve God 100% your kin folk may not understand, the world will pass laws against your practicing your faith, and your neighbors won’t invite you to the block New Years party. You might lose  friends, even some who attend church.  Joshua was speaking for himself and his house. Getting everyone who resides in your house to serve the LORD may be nearly impossible.

Joshua’s plea for them to choose whom they would serve is really no choice at all. Every choice, except for God, may be a good short term solution with bad long term consequences.

Probably everyone who reads this blog has already decided that they will serve God and not idols. But the question for today is not who you choose. That is a given. The devotional thought today is could you hang that common sign in your house. “But as for me and my house we will serve the LORD”? Or would you need to make some changes first.  No, not changes to the sign;  “But as for me and my house we will serve the LORD 82% of the time” I meant changes to you and your house.

I fear I have been in more houses where that sign was hanging then I have been in houses that served the Lord in the way Joshua described. So, there is the thought for today. Could you hang that sign in your house….and mean it? 

I need to go now. I have to think about that question for my house!

 

Mar 2 Are we there yet?

Mar 2

Are We There Yet?

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD…

“Are we there yet?”  “Pretty soon. Just a little longer”

That question has been asked by almost every child who has traveled. The reasons children ask that question are instructive to us today. First, time is relative. Einstein is reported to have explained relativity by saying “An hour with a lovely lady seems to fly by in an instant, but sitting on a hot stove for two seconds seems like an eternity.”  If you recall a whole year in 2^nd grade was a long time. The older you are the faster time seems to fly by. Two hours in the back seat of a car seems like forever to a child.

     A second reason is a child does not understand geography, or distance, and why it takes so long. A child wants things right now! A child has not learned how to wait. That is why they ask the same question every 5 or 10 minutes. “Are we there yet”

      Our verse today promises wonderful things.

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.        

In this verse we find renewed strength, wings like an Eagle, ability to run without weariness, and be able to walk without falling. Wow, I want that. Sign me up! How do I get those qualities?  The answer is in the first part of the verse. 

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD...

It requires you to learn to wait on the LORD. In our instant world, waiting is unheard of. We complain because the computer takes 5 seconds, the microwave needs 30 seconds, and there is one person ahead of us in the check-out lane. Some people even wear a telephone on their ear! Do we also approach God the same way?  The old joke still applies- I want patience and I want it right now.

I am not sure why our modern world has become a right now world of instant everything. Everyone is in a hurry. We want all those things promised in Isaiah and we want them now because we need them now.

Our verse follows verse 30 where we see the strength of young men failing. 

Isa 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

and the young men shall utterly fall: 

The strength of youth alone is insufficient, but God can supply strength. Verse 31 starts with a contrast, “But”, they that wait upon the LORD will gain renewed strength, wings like an Eagle, ability to run without weariness, and be able to walk without falling.   

In studying for this devotional I was reminded anew of how often the Bible requires waiting.

Ps 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art

the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 

Ps 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. 

Ps 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God;

 for my expectation is from him. 

Pr 20:22 ¶ Say not thou, I will recompense evil;

 but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. 

Ho 12:6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy

and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

In addition to these verses on waiting we find “patience” 34 times in the New Testament. With so many repetitions of the same idea it is important we learn patience on the path to Christian maturity.

The Bible is filled with examples of people who did not wait for God’s best. The trouble in the Middle East between Israel and Arabs might not have happened if Abraham had waited for Isaac to be born. Instead Abraham ran ahead of God and Ishmael was born. Moses missed out on the promised land because his anger exceeded his patience. How about us? What are we missing because we have not learned to wait on the LORD.

Sometimes waiting on the LORD means we stand still like they did at the Red Sea. “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD,…”. Other times it means we need to follow patiently what we do not understand. Marching around Jericho for a week must have required patience, because it seemed like an odd way to wage war. Still other circumstances require us to do what we can and leave the rest in God’s hands. One of my favorite examples is the question “what do you do if you find yourself in the middle of the ocean in a rowboat?”  The answer is you pray to God and row to shore.

Let our prayer be that we not lag behind what God wants us to do or run ahead of Him. We need courage to not lag behind. We also need patience to not run ahead and solve problems in our own strength. Learning to not run ahead or lag behind is a lifelong process that must be repeated daily. It takes time. It requires we grow by feeding on the Word. Then we can mature by putting the Word into practice in our daily lives.  If we do not do both, read the Bible and do what it requires we will not grow and mature. Perhaps that is the reason we find too many Christians today complaining “When will we get there?”  

Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work,

 that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.    

Mar 1 Three Deaths.

Mar 1

Three Deaths

Ga 6:14 … the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Recently while doing a study in Galatians I was reading an old (1960) book on Galatians by M. R. DeHaan. He was the founder of the Radio Bible Class that issues “Our Daily Bread”.  His outline of our verse today was wonderful and is the basis for our thinking today.

First we need to read the entire verse.

Ga 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 

Our verse starts with the word “but”, which suggests a contrast with what has gone one before.  Back in verse 12 we find the first part of the contrast.

Ga 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh,

they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they

should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

The false teachers who were confusing many of the saints in the churches of Galatia were not promoting Jewish laws for the benefit of the members. They were trying to get enough Jewish practices into the local churches so they could avoid persecution.  They did not want to be a part of a church that taught Christ alone could save. Their Jewish friends would have been harshly critical. But if some Jewish practices were added to the Christian church the false teachers would not have to make a choice. They could have church and the world they lived in. They did not want a church that majored on the Cross of Christ.  Their Jewish friends would have been offended at their “blasphemy” and their Greek friends would have ridiculed them for such foolish thinking.

1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

In verse 13 Paul reminds the Galatians that the false teachers are asking them to do something which the false teachers cannot do.

Ga 6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised

keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised,

that they may glory in your flesh.

The primary reason for their false teachings is to glory in how many they can convert to their way of thinking.

       “Did you hear that Hippo Smithopolis got circumcised? Yep, he is the 57^th one I have talked into doing that.”

That is why the word but starts verse 14.  The false teachers wanted to be friends with both the church and the world but Paul had a different way of thinking.

DeHaan’s outline of verse 14 presents it well. There he finds three crucifixions.

1.    The crucifixion of Christ  -  the basis

2.    The crucifixion of the world  -  the result

     3.    The crucifixion of self  -  the victory.

Because of what Christ did on Calvary Christians should be

Dead to the law

Dead to the world

Dead to self.

But, alas, many who name the name of Christ (Christians) are dead to the law and alive unto the world and self.  Brethren, these things out not to be!  In Corinthians Paul says he must “die daily”. That is what is required. Death to the world and self is not a once for all event, but a daily practice.  The verse in Galatians 2:20 is a favorite of many “I am crucified with Christ…”  Here a few chapters later Paul expands on what being Crucified with Christ means. Dead to the law (works) dead to the world (not conformed) and dead to self (Holy Spirit led)  

Somewhere I heard a great definition of the crucified man.  He is only looking in one direction. He won’t be returning to what he was doing. And lastly he won’t be doing what he had planned to do.

May God bless you today as you meditate on this portion of scripture. 

Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty,

and continueth therein,

he being not a forgetful hearer,

but a doer of the work,

this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Feb 28 Bears in the Bible

Feb 28

Bears in the Bible?

Ga 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens

Ga 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

During my study of the book of Galations I noticed there were two bears in chapter six.

The first one said to bear one another’s burdens, and then a few verses later it says to bear your own burdens.  Huh? At first it sounded like a contradiction. Whenever I read something in the Bible that does not make sense to me or seems like it is a contradiction I know immediately that the Bible is right and my understanding is inadequate. Such is the case with verses two and five in this chapter.

Before I discuss these two verses please understand I do not know any Greek or Hebrew. I don’t prefer talking about Greek or Hebrew. First because I do not want people to think they have to know Greek or Hebrew to understand the Bible. Secondly I do not want to create the impression I possess a deeper understanding of the scriptures because I refer to original languages. But now anyone with a computer and a $7 Bible program can have access to both Hebrew and Greek with their definitions. That is how I looked up the Greek for this study.

In addition to knowing the meaning of the words in a verse the context needs to be established as well. In chapter five Paul is telling the brethren at the church in Galatia that they do not need to keep the law. They should guard against anyone who came in and tried to tell them they did have to follow Old Testament Jewish laws. They were free. They had Christian liberty.

In chapter six he reminds them that while liberty frees them from the Old Testament laws, it does not free them from basic Christian duties; Love God, Love others. (Matt 22:37-40) That is what he is addressing in our verse today.

The Greek word translated as burden is a word that means weight and by implication a heavy weight. Do we see a brother who is overtaken by some sin? Instead of condemning and judging them, we are to find some way to help the wayward brother.  Do we see a brother struggling under a financial burden?  Then we should find some way to help bear that burden. Bearing one another’s burdens is not just donating money. It is loving them enough to provide understanding and help. Giving money to someone who has a problem with alcohol or gambling is not love, it is enabling!  Bearing their burden would mean finding some way to help them stop the self-destructive behavior.  

But verse 5 says we should bear our own burdens!  Here the Greek word translated as burden is not the same as in verse two. Two different Greek words were translated with the same English word. Here the word means “invoice” as a bill for services rendered.  How does that definition help?  The answer is that a person does not send an invoice for work someone else has done. They send an invoice for work that they have done.  Bear your own burden means there is work that you are responsible for completing. No one can do it for you, it is work that you must do on your own.  No one can love others for you. You have to love others yourself. You must love God on your own, no one can do that for you. It can all be summed up with the “law of Christ” which is love God and love others.     

Paul was writing to the brethren in Galatia that were troubled by those who wanted them to add the Jewish practice to their Christian freedom.  Now we see these two seemingly contradictory verses fit together. Paul does a little word play for the brethren who were concerned about keeping the law.  If they wanted a law to keep they should keep the “law of Christ.” 

Mt 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?Mt 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

There is the answer to our two verses.  Verse two, “bear ye one another’s burdens”  - love thy neighbor.  And in Ga 6:5 “For every man shall bear his own burden.”  Love God.  Paul was telling the Galatians who had some scoundrels telling them they had to keep the Jewish laws that they were free from the law. All the Galations needed was to Love God and love others. It was all they needed to do.

Come to think of it, I think that lesson still applies to us today.   

 

NOTE  The Bible computer program I mentioned is Power Bible. I have several copies that I will mail to anyone sends me $5.  Just Email me (davidwiseley@gmail.com) for details or order direct from powerbible.com I bought several copies for a discounted price. I have no financial interests in this program.

 

Feb 27 - Be Content

Feb 27

Be Content

Heb 13:5 …be content with such things as ye have…

I heard a fun story that has a valuable lesson. A wealthy man retired and moved to the Amish country in Pennsylvania. His buildings were filled with tractors and all the modern farm equipment he would need. To show he wanted to be friends he invited all his Amish neighbors to his home for a wonderful meal. Afterwards he took them through his barns and then told them. “Neighbors if you ever need to use some of my equipment I will be happy to share it with any of you.”  An old Amish farmer spoke up and said “ We thank thee gentle neighbor for your generosity. And if thou ever is in need of something you do not have, if you will come to one of us we will show you how to get along without it!”

Get along without it? Who does that now days?  Why would you want to try to get along without something? 

I am sure I have told the story before but it bears repeating. Richard Wurmbrand was in a communist prison for 14 years. He was cold, hungry, brainwashed, beaten, and more for his crime of preaching Jesus Christ in Romania when it was behind what was known as the Iron Curtain. I heard him speak in Lansing, MI many years ago. He related the story of how they were forbidden to preach, but they preached anyway knowing the punishment was beatings.  He said the Christians he was imprisoned with loved to preach and the guards loved to beat them so everyone was happy. 

Now I doubt that they were content with their situation. But the lack of nearly everything we would consider essential did not stop them from their Christian witness. Actually I think the more “stuff’ we acquire may hinder our focus on Christ and what God wants for our lives. We find that to be true with the rich young ruler.

Mt 19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.  

Now it gets a little tougher when we read what was required of the young man.  The idea of selling all you have acquired and giving the money away does not set well on our modern way of thinking. But what Christ requested of the young man was not for everyone to do. Christ knew the man was covetous and valued things.  The problem was not that he had too much but that he was too much attached to what he had.  Riches were not the culprit! His head and heart were the problem.

In the world today advertisers hire experts to brainwash us with jingles, flashy ads, and attention grabbing commercials.  We are inundated with advertising.  Advertisers use only a couple means to motivate you to buy their stuff. If you buy it you will be happy. If you don’t buy it something awful may happen to you. Take this pill and end your problems. If you don’t buy our insurance you will be sorry.  It never stops. If things bought happiness why do we have to replace them every time a newer version, or more fashionable color arrives in the store?  Will your pancakes really dribble all over the counter unless you buy the latest kitchen gadget miracle pan that is coated with diamond dust?

So is it wrong to buy things? Is it wrong to be wealthy, or have nice things to enjoy? No, of course not. There is nothing wrong with having things. It becomes wrong when things have you!

Coveting is wrong. The Bible is clear about that and Bible believing Christians would agree that it is wrong.  But what is coveting? My Merriam-Webster defines it as craving things; An inordinate desire for wealth or other’s possessions. Coveting is wrong and Christians would not admit to having a spirit of covetousness.  Why all the talk of covetousness when the topic of this devotional is being content? 

Heb 13:5 …be content with such things as ye have…

The verse fragment I started with is from a verse that also mentions coveting. Conversation here could be read as "conduct"

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness;

and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said,

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 Remember it is not how much you have but how much things have you?  How do we know if we are coveting?  Perhaps our level of contentment with what we have is an indicator of how much we covet. The more content, the less coveting. And vice versa.? It is just a thought you may want to ponder.  I only mentioned it because the scriptures require it!