Brian Tracy, Canadian American motivational speaker who addresses thousands of businessmen and women throughout the United States and earns between $20 - $30,000 per speaking engagement, said this, “Every decision to purchase a product or service is an attempt to satisfy a need or relieve a dissatisfaction of some kind.”
Humans are rarely satisfied. How do we get to that place of discontent? The answers are easily found. Drive along the highway. Go to a movie. Watch the news or read a magazine. Channel surf. Turn on the computer. A consistent and prevailing message is being sent: We don’t have everything we need: somehow, we’re incomplete. We must have this product to have a good time. These clothes will enhance our appearance. We need this tax-sheltered investment, this tool, this piece of technology. Howard Hughes, one of the wealthiest men of all time, was asked how much material wealth he would need to be satisfied. His answer? “Just a little bit more.” We are constantly bombarded with a “never enough” message, and if we’re not careful we can get the same idea: that we need “just a little bit more.”
The never enough message can cause us to compare ourselves to other people in unhealthy ways. They have more “stuff.” They look better or younger. They are healthier, stronger. They have a bigger house in a better neighborhood. They go to Disney World. They take cruises. They send their children to the best schools. They retire to a sunny, tropical community with lots of golf courses.
However, we are wise to contrast the above sentiments with what Jesus taught and modeled.
Read Mark 10:17 – 31 | Philippians 4:10 - 13
Not only did he tell us not to worry about our life; he said, not to worry about food, drink or clothes! He told us to ask the Father only for our daily bread – our food for today.
God promised us that if we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, these things (food, drink and clothes) would be given to us. A curious promise, for I know (and you do too) Christ-followers who struggle every day to provide the most basic necessities for themselves and their families. Did Jesus mean that we are to be content with what we have, whether we find ourselves in abundance or poverty? The apostle Paul believed he meant exactly that. He told the Philippians he had “learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). The secret of his contentment was his complete confidence that he could do everything through “him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12 – 13)
Jesus knew that we could be enticed into wanting “just a little bit more,” so he demonstrated the best way to live – in full dependence on God and in obedience to his will. Instead of striving after just a little bit more, Jesus wants us to know full contentment that comes from trusting God to provide what we truly need.
Reflection Questions
- If you were the rich, young ruler cited in our reading from Mark, what would Jesus have said to you?
- Identify one earthly treasure (material possession, money, other) that God may be asking you to give away.
- What is the lesson that God wants you to learn about contentment from the story of the rich, young ruler and from Paul's writing in Philippians?
Prayer
Complete this prayer, “Lord, you are the God of contentment. Teach me to make you my heart’s treasure so that I might find contentment in you through ____________________________. Amen.”
