Being Content In A Material World Series

Being Content in a Material World

By Lynn Floyd

Introduction: Proverbs 30:7-8 (New Living Translation) says, “Two things I ask of You, do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion. That I not be fully and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.”

This is probably the kind of my prayer many of us are not comfortable praying in our lives. I think sometimes we don’t think we can do it. This is a prayer asking God to give him what he needed and not just what he wanted. That is what the writer here is saying “give me my portion”. The New International Version says “give me my daily bread.” When is that last time your prayers have been simply for daily bread? Have your prayers been ore of “give me more” or “give me what I need?”

Transition: I have only been a pastor for over 2 and a half years now. I have found it interesting in my teaching and preaching that people would much rather hear about their need for prayer and Bible reading more than they would about money and possessions. Why do you think our possessions arouse such strong reactions from us? Why do many get uptight when you begin to talk about money? For the most part Americans define their net worth by their money and status. “My name is Lynn Floyd and I live in the Wood River Subdivision and I work at Riverwood Church.” We must always remember that our identity comes from Christ and not in what we own

It’s important that we talk about our possessions and stuff. Jesus talked more about money and handling our possessions than almost any other theme in the Bible. Money and possessions have the potential to own and handle us if we don’t get a handle on them first.

Our living in a materialistic society does not help us in this fight. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements. In one evening of television we can take in as much as 250 messages that tell us we are missing something. (Discipleship Journal, issue 112 July/Aug 1999) I even saw a commercial just this week from the “Men’s Warehouse” in which the owner said, “Every man needs to own at least one suit.” He made it sound like it was a commandment. What our culture has been successful at doing over the years is making a God out of being satisfied. Tricia McCarry Rhodes said, “We may be starving our souls while stuffing ourselves with the treasures of this world (Discipleship Journal, issue 112 July/Aug 1999). We have deified dissatisfaction. “You deserve a bigger house.” “You deserve a 4 door car.” “You need a DVD player because no one rents VHS movies anymore.” These messages pound us every day! Many do not even realize that this is happening to them. That’s why it is important to look at what the Bible says about being content in a material world.

Transition: Let’s look at 1 Timothy 6:8-10, 17-19.

There were those who were using godliness as a means to financial gain. Paul is saying in these verses that godliness with contentment is great gain. This was addressed to people who weren’t rich but may be tempted to want to be rich. Verses 17 through 19 were written to those who were already rich. Paul is not speaking against the desire to earn money in order to meet our needs and the needs of others. He is warning against the desire to have more and more money and the ego boost that material luxuries can provide. Paul is saying money is not necessarily the issue. It is the love of money—the obsession of it that is the problem.

Transition: In this text Paul gives us some reasons why we shouldn’t pursue riches.

The first reason why we shouldn’t pursue riches is because we are not taking it with us when we die. John Piper said, “There are no Uhauls behind hearses.” Every single one of us will be stripped of our things when we stand before God one day. We will not have our credit cards, our cars, or bank accounts.

The second reason Paul gives us here that we shouldn’t pursue riches is because we can and should be content with the simple necessities of life. This is something that swims against the flow of our culture today. “We need more and we need it bigger and better” is what we hear continually. We need to know today that it is POSSIBLE to be content. It’s possible because when you have God near and for you, you don’t need extra money or extra things to give you peace and security. Hebrews 13:5-6 says, “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.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? It is also possible for us to be content with the simple necessities of life because the most satisfying things in life cannot be bought. Relationships cannot be bought. Genuine community cannot be bought. A picture perfect sunset cannot be bought. The love of a family cannot be bought. We need to hear this today!