CHAPTER 4:.

...WITH AN ATt.i.tUDE OF CONTENTMENT.

1 TIMOTHY 6:610 SAY IT IN A SENTENCE: SAY IT IN A SENTENCE:.

A consistent att.i.tude of contentment can bring lasting joy and lead you out of the wilderness of covetousness.

Stop for a moment and picture a place wh me. Lean your head back and close your eyes -after you read this part, of course-and imagine a place that is more peaceful than any you've ever known. Life is not perfect in this place, but it is peaceful. You are not in a hurry to do anything, and you are not submerged in the demands of others. There are houses near yours, but not on top of where you live, and there are no pressures to buy or do or experience anything. You don't hear horns, mess with traffic ha.s.sles, rush to appointments, or hate the phone when it rings. Just time, lots of time to do the things you need to do and time left over to do what you like. There is room to breathe, walk, and think. You live in a modest home, and your kids may wear hand-me-downs, but your family is happy and your needs are met. No wonder your life verses are Proverbs 30:89: "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my G.o.d."

SO, WHERE ARE YOU?.

Your life is not perfect but you are OK with that, since you are resting in the Lord and taking each day as it comes. If hardships arise, they won't sink your ship because you've left room for the inevitable. Sounds so good, doesn't it?

To say it in a word, the place I am describing is contentment. contentment. Contentment is the atmosphere in the Promised Land where G.o.d embraces and prospers all who choose the att.i.tudes that please Him. Contentment is a pattern of thinking that replaces wilderness att.i.tude number two. And every move you make in replacing the covetous thinking that plagues all of us, with true, biblical contentment is a step out of dry and dead, and into happy and whole. Let's see what G.o.d's Word has to say about contentment. Contentment is the atmosphere in the Promised Land where G.o.d embraces and prospers all who choose the att.i.tudes that please Him. Contentment is a pattern of thinking that replaces wilderness att.i.tude number two. And every move you make in replacing the covetous thinking that plagues all of us, with true, biblical contentment is a step out of dry and dead, and into happy and whole. Let's see what G.o.d's Word has to say about contentment.

THE BIBLICAL PATH TO CONTENTMENT.

Our starting point is 1 Timothy 6:610. I'm including these verses in the New American Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible, but you can also check them out in your own text: but you can also check them out in your own text: But G.o.dliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But G.o.dliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

DEFINING CONTENTMENT.

Contentment-kind of a nice word, isn't it? Take a deep breath and absorb the crisp, clean air atop Mount Contentment. But what does it mean, and how do we get there? Here 's a definition: Contentment is a satisfaction with G.o.d's sufficient provision. Contentment is a satisfaction with G.o.d's sufficient provision. Satisfied. You don't need anything else. You're satisfied with what G.o.d has entrusted to you. Talk about going against the grain of the culture! Contentment means Satisfied. You don't need anything else. You're satisfied with what G.o.d has entrusted to you. Talk about going against the grain of the culture! Contentment means to rest in what one already has and seek nothing more. to rest in what one already has and seek nothing more. To say without fear of the future or resentment of others, "I have enough." That's contentment. I really like this line: To say without fear of the future or resentment of others, "I have enough." That's contentment. I really like this line: Contentment is a settled sense of adequacy. Contentment is a settled sense of adequacy.

It's like: "Hey, dude, what do you need?"

"Ummm, nothing!"

"Wouldn't you like some more-"

"No."

"What do you have?"

"Enough. I have enough."

Contentment. It's like a breath of fresh air to a person suffocating. Like a cup of cold water to a man in a desert. Get it? Desert means thirst. Coveting means wilderness. Contentment? It means the Promised Land!

CONTENTMENT HAS A PARTNER.

Now notice that contentment has a partner. Do you see it in verse 6? Contentment has a partner, like salt and pepper, like Dallas and Fort Worth, like my wife and me-meant to be together. Contentment's partner is G.o.dliness. G.o.dliness. "G.o.dliness with contentment is great gain," as the "G.o.dliness with contentment is great gain," as the New King James Version New King James Version puts it. We must never be content with puts it. We must never be content with who who we are, only with what we have we are, only with what we have . . That is why these two words are such powerful partners. G.o.dliness deals with That is why these two words are such powerful partners. G.o.dliness deals with who who I am; contentment deals with I am; contentment deals with what what I have. G.o.dliness is being unsatisfied with my character formation in G.o.d, and contentment is being satisfied with what I possess in G.o.d. Together, they add up to great gain. I have. G.o.dliness is being unsatisfied with my character formation in G.o.d, and contentment is being satisfied with what I possess in G.o.d. Together, they add up to great gain.

Please notice that Paul is not condemning the desire for gain. Deep within each of us is a hunger for improvement. Did you know that? Down in the secret places of who you are, Almighty G.o.d has given you a desire to make your life better. Isn't that good news? My life can be better. It doesn't have to be the way it is right now, and it doesn't have to be perfect, but it can definitely improve a lot! That desire for your life to improve, that pa.s.sion to "gain," is not only not wrong, it is G.o.d-given!

But often that desire for gain causes many people to desire wrongly. We exercise desire in the wrong ways because our minds are depraved. Face it, we're bent! We're rarely satisfied with what we have. Abraham Lincoln was walking with his boys one day as they argued and cried and generally made a scene in public. A curious man approached Lincoln and asked, "What is wrong with your boys, to make them carry on like this?"

Lincoln replied, "Well, just what is wrong with the whole world. I have only three walnuts and both lads want two." The desire for gain is not wrong, but because of our sinful hearts, it often causes us to desire wrongly.

Yes, G.o.dliness plus contentment is great gain. That is an equation as absolute and unalterable as 2 + 2 = 4. It's a winning formula: G.o.dliness + contentment = great gain.

Yet in a world that increasingly rejects absolute truth, that formula is not only rejected, it is ridiculed.

I love sarcasm as a form of humor and enjoy many of the funny lines that come from Jack Handy, a sort of verbal "Far Side" type comedian. When he's poking fun at our society's rejection of absolute truth, he says, "Instead of giving answers on math tests, I think we should just give impressions. That way, if I have a different impression than you have . . . well, can't we all be brothers?" That really cracks me up because, of course, the idea is ludicrous. No one would ever agree to the idea of different emotional responses to math questions all being valid. But in the realm of G.o.d and life, our culture insists on just that kind of foolishness. Sad but true-people don't believe there is absolute truth anymore. But let me tell you something-there is. And there are equations that absolutely work because they come from the Creator and Designer of the universe.

Let me ask you this: How many gases are absolutely essential for human life? Just one: oxygen. If I pick up any object, and then drop it, what happens? Obviously, it falls. How many laws of physics make that a reality? Just one: gravity. You say, "No, I think it's falling because-"; or "It seems to me that-"; or "I feel-." Forget about that! There is only one one reason why an object falls: It's called the law of gravity. reason why an object falls: It's called the law of gravity.

How many roads lead to G.o.d? Just one. "But I'm going to try this other way." Don't do that. That's a very bad plan. A road isn't right because you choose it; it's right if it's G.o.d's road. There is only one way that leads to eternal life. Jesus said, "I am the way" (John 14:6). Just one. No more.

Now let me ask you this: How many books has G.o.d written to tell us about Himself? Just one. How many formulas lead to human happiness? There aren't five or six or eight or ten. There is just one. You're reading about it right now! If you want to be happy and fulfilled in this life, you'd better do the math on the only equation that leads to human happiness. G.o.dliness + contentment = great gain.

WRONG ANSWERS.

It's not all that surprising that people who don't believe in absolutes have a hard time believing in a G.o.d who gives absolute answers. What's a lot sadder than that is to see those of us who claim to believe that G.o.d wrote a Book called the Bible, and ought to know better, trying to mess with G.o.d's equation. Their lives are messed up because of a lot of "fuzzy spiritual math." Here are a few equations Christians are trying that definitely don't add up: G.o.dliness + prosperity = great gain. Not.

Buzz. You failed the test. But how many people are pursuing that? In fact, since the mid-1970s, the doctrine of "G.o.dliness plus prosperity" has been getting a lot of airtime in North America. Practically every Christian television station airs the messages by men who teach this false prosperity gospel. It's the idea that Jesus died not only so that we can be eternally forgiven, but also so that we can be healthy and wealthy.

If you think that only a few fringe followers embrace this false formula, you are fooling yourself. One well-known health-and-wealth preacher sold more books during the early 1990s than all of those sold by Charles Swindoll and James Dobson combined. 1 1 People are eating it up because they want it to be true. But it is not. It's a false equation. People are eating it up because they want it to be true. But it is not. It's a false equation.

Here's an opposite equation: G.o.dliness + poverty = great gain. Not.

Some people overreact. "Oh! I get the picture now. It has nothing to do with having money; it has to do with not not having money. I don't have any. I've renounced all of that. I've taken a vow of poverty. I'm as poor as a church mouse, and now I'll be happy for sure." Buzz. Wrong answer. You've failed the test. Remember what we pointed out in the last chapter? Those in poverty have no immunity to covetousness! G.o.dliness plus poverty is not the equation that leads to human happiness. having money. I don't have any. I've renounced all of that. I've taken a vow of poverty. I'm as poor as a church mouse, and now I'll be happy for sure." Buzz. Wrong answer. You've failed the test. Remember what we pointed out in the last chapter? Those in poverty have no immunity to covetousness! G.o.dliness plus poverty is not the equation that leads to human happiness.

G.o.dliness + power or influence = great gain. Not.

Some people say, "Well, I know it's not money-it's influence. It's P-O-W-E-R! I have to have control of everything and everybody all around me!" That kind of thinking is what has produced a generation of control freaks. Maybe you're trying to control your own home and your own income and your own yard and your own-. Everything has to be perfect! You demand everything be in order. "I'm going to be a G.o.dly person, and I'm going to control my own little kingdom here and make everything perfect. I'll be perfect; my world will be perfect. I'll have great gain."

First of all, you will never be able to control all that is around you; G.o.d will see to that. Second, even if you could, it would not make you happy. Sorry again . . . another wrong answer.

G.o.dliness + family harmony = great gain. Not.

Could it be? But, no. Buzz. (Sorry; I don't want the buzzer to become annoying.) While I have great respect for ministries like Focus on the Family and others that promote biblical principles of G.o.dly, family living-you will never have a perfect family. At least one of your kids will make sure of that, or you will mess it up in some way yourself.ase don't put all your happiness eggs in the perfect family basket. Yes! Let's obey G.o.d's Word. Yes! Let's do all we can to help our families mature in the things of G.o.d. But let's not set ourselves up for a lot of hurt and heartache in the future by thinking, "If I could just have the perfect Christian home, then that would be all I would ever need."

No. No. No. G.o.dliness plus family harmony does not equal great gain.

G.o.dliness + ministry success = great gain. Not.

Here's an emphatic buzz. buzz. Been there, done that. The above equation definitely does not lead to happiness. That's one the Lord had to teach me many years ago. I remember early on when Harvest Bible Chapel included maybe two hundred people. I thought, Been there, done that. The above equation definitely does not lead to happiness. That's one the Lord had to teach me many years ago. I remember early on when Harvest Bible Chapel included maybe two hundred people. I thought, Well, if we could just get to five hundred people Well, if we could just get to five hundred people , I would be satisfied with what I had accomplished. Then I thought a thousand or two thousand or three thousand. As the church has continued to grow and start other churches and with all that the Lord is doing, I have discovered for sure that no amount of ministry fruitfulness will satisfy my heart. , I would be satisfied with what I had accomplished. Then I thought a thousand or two thousand or three thousand. As the church has continued to grow and start other churches and with all that the Lord is doing, I have discovered for sure that no amount of ministry fruitfulness will satisfy my heart.

There's only one equation for great gain. It's an unalterable formula, and nothing else comes close to working: G.o.dliness + contentment=great gain.

G.o.dliness plus contentment is great gain. Notice the word great. great. It's It's great great gain. We're not playing for small stakes here. We're playing for all the marbles. The positive results of embracing this truth are ma.s.sive. Have you been trying one or more of these false equations, and then judging G.o.d harshly because it doesn't work? Please don't do that. G.o.d loves you and wants very much for you to be happy in this life. You just have to commit to the new math-G.o.d's math. G.o.dliness plus contentment is great gain. Say it out loud. Begin to embrace it with your whole heart. gain. We're not playing for small stakes here. We're playing for all the marbles. The positive results of embracing this truth are ma.s.sive. Have you been trying one or more of these false equations, and then judging G.o.d harshly because it doesn't work? Please don't do that. G.o.d loves you and wants very much for you to be happy in this life. You just have to commit to the new math-G.o.d's math. G.o.dliness plus contentment is great gain. Say it out loud. Begin to embrace it with your whole heart.

Good! Now let's get to the "how." 1 Timothy 6 includes three steps that break the pattern of covetous thinking and lead to contentment.

CONTENTMENT STEP ONE: LOOK TO ETERNITY.

Thoughts about eternity promote earthly contentment. Paul wrote, "For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either" "For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either" (verse 7). I love simple things like that; it's so clear. You brought nothing into the world. Right. And you're taking nothing out. When a person dies, his/her friends will often ask, "How much did he leave?" The answer is always the same, "Everything!" How clear is that? (verse 7). I love simple things like that; it's so clear. You brought nothing into the world. Right. And you're taking nothing out. When a person dies, his/her friends will often ask, "How much did he leave?" The answer is always the same, "Everything!" How clear is that?

There's something amazing about seeing a baby born. What a privilege! When each of my three kids was born, I was so happy. Nine months of waiting and waiting and waiting. Then it's time to go to the hospital. Kathy and I went through all of that pain of delivery (slightly harder for Kathy than for me). Finally, the baby came! But, funny thing about each of my kids-they arrived empty-handed! They came naked. They came with nothing! Now get that picture clearly in your head, because you're leaving with just as much in your hands. Nothing!

Think about a person who is going to leave a lot behind. I thought about Bill Gates. "Bill, you're leaving the world with nothing! You're not taking your reputation. You're not taking your software. You're not taking billions of dollars. You came in with nothing, and that's what you're leaving with. No special treatment and no limo ride to the throne room of G.o.d. Nothing!" In fact, Hebrews 4:13 says that we will be "naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (NKJV).

You may have heard of the seminary student who didn't have two dimes to rub together. I remember those days! This seminary student had to do his very first funeral. He was so nervous, and he didn't have any formal clothes. So he went down to the Goodwill store to buy a cheap suit, something dark and conservative, for his very first funeral. When he got to the store, he found rows of black suits: double-breasted, single-breasted, in every size. He asked the clerk, "Where did you get all of these black suits?"

She answered, "The funeral home down the street went out of business, so we got all these extra suits they use to bury people in."

Ugh! he thought, a little grossed out at the thought of wearing a suit made for dead people. But then he remembered how little money he had, and this seemed like his best option, so he bought one. he thought, a little grossed out at the thought of wearing a suit made for dead people. But then he remembered how little money he had, and this seemed like his best option, so he bought one.

As he stood before the whole congregation, in his brand-new suit, he began to talk about the brevity of life and the nearness of eternity. He put his hand in his pocket-and was shocked to find there were no pockets!

"Of course," he thought. "It's a suit made for some dead guy! What would he need pockets for?" No one needs pockets for eternity because we are not taking anything with us when we go.

CONTENTMENT STEP TWO: LET ENOUGH BE ENOUGH.

Paul puts it so simply in 1 Timothy 6:8, "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." There you have it: Bare bones. . . . Bottom line. . . . The absolute minimum. The things you have to have? Only two: food and covering. According to verse 8, There you have it: Bare bones. . . . Bottom line. . . . The absolute minimum. The things you have to have? Only two: food and covering. According to verse 8, All you need for contentment is room room and and board board.

Let's start with our board. Notice the simple word food. food. There's no caviar or champagne guarantee. There is no "Three square meals a day with dessert. More Jell-O, please." G.o.d never promised the people with Moses a good balance of the four food groups: just manna and water. That's what they had to have. Now there aren't many people who believe that they could be happy on a bare-bones diet like that. So let's let the Word of G.o.d renew our minds. We don't have to have a fancy diet and wonderful delicacies-the food we wolf down! We don't have to have a buffet. It's not part of the happiness equation. When we expect to be satisfied with the basics, G.o.d will often surprise us with treats. If we demand 31 flavors, we forfeit contentment, and our heart becomes like a wilderness. There's no caviar or champagne guarantee. There is no "Three square meals a day with dessert. More Jell-O, please." G.o.d never promised the people with Moses a good balance of the four food groups: just manna and water. That's what they had to have. Now there aren't many people who believe that they could be happy on a bare-bones diet like that. So let's let the Word of G.o.d renew our minds. We don't have to have a fancy diet and wonderful delicacies-the food we wolf down! We don't have to have a buffet. It's not part of the happiness equation. When we expect to be satisfied with the basics, G.o.d will often surprise us with treats. If we demand 31 flavors, we forfeit contentment, and our heart becomes like a wilderness.

Now let's consider our "room." The word in verse 8 is "covering." Just covering-that's all we need for great gain. Not multiple outfits with matching shoes. Not a three-thousand-square-foot home with central air and plans for a summer home. Just shelter to protect our heads, and clothes to help warm our bodies.

I'm not saying a larger home or a second home is wrong. I'm just saying you don't have to have it, and the pursuit of it often leads to misery! You just need food and covering. That's enough. There's a Roman proverb, "Money is like seawater; the more you drink, the thirstier you get." Well, contentment is breaking that cycle of thirst and being able to say, "I don't need anymore." "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content" "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content" (1 Timothy 6:8). Content. That's saying: "I have enough." (1 Timothy 6:8). Content. That's saying: "I have enough."

CONTENTMENT STEP THREE: LEARN BY EXAMPLE.

Beyond thinking about eternity and letting enough be enough, here's the third step for contentment: Learn by example. The craziest thing about the human race is that we think we have to learn everything on our own. How dumb is that? Why can't we learn from other people? We're not the first people to talk about contentment, right? And we're not the first ones to struggle with covetousness or experience its fallout and devastation.

Indeed, thousands and thousands of people ore us have already figured this lesson out. Most of them found out too late. (That's what this book is all about: Lord, Change My Att.i.tude [Before It's Too Late.] Lord, Change My Att.i.tude [Before It's Too Late.] )John D. Rockefeller said, "I have made millions, but they have brought me no happiness." Cornelius Vanderbilt said, "The care of millions is too great a load. There is no pleasure in it." John Jacob Astor, who acquired immense wealth in his lifetime, said, "I am the most miserable man on earth." Though he owned a luxurious estate, Henry Ford said at the end of his life, "I was happier as a boy working in a mechanic's shop, though we had nothing." Why not take these examples seriously and avoid their mistake? )John D. Rockefeller said, "I have made millions, but they have brought me no happiness." Cornelius Vanderbilt said, "The care of millions is too great a load. There is no pleasure in it." John Jacob Astor, who acquired immense wealth in his lifetime, said, "I am the most miserable man on earth." Though he owned a luxurious estate, Henry Ford said at the end of his life, "I was happier as a boy working in a mechanic's shop, though we had nothing." Why not take these examples seriously and avoid their mistake?

DANGER, DANGER, DANGER.

I wonder if any of those men ever read 1 Timothy 6:9: "But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare" "But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare" ? That word ? That word want want is from a Greek word that means, not a momentary emotional desire, but a "settled desire born of reason." Does this sound familiar? "I've thought it through, and this is what my life will be about-money. I'm going to make as much as I can. I'm going to get some things. I'm going to build something. I'm going to stand on top of it and say, 'Look what I did.'" That's a very bad plan. We've got G.o.d's Word on it, which warns, "Those who want to get rich" are easily ensnared. is from a Greek word that means, not a momentary emotional desire, but a "settled desire born of reason." Does this sound familiar? "I've thought it through, and this is what my life will be about-money. I'm going to make as much as I can. I'm going to get some things. I'm going to build something. I'm going to stand on top of it and say, 'Look what I did.'" That's a very bad plan. We've got G.o.d's Word on it, which warns, "Those who want to get rich" are easily ensnared.

Note the word temptation. temptation. Money allows you to go places and do things and experience pressures to sin that someone in poverty will never know. With money comes amplified temptation. "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare." The word Money allows you to go places and do things and experience pressures to sin that someone in poverty will never know. With money comes amplified temptation. "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare." The word snare snare there can also be translated there can also be translated trap. trap. Money traps people. How often I have heard people say: Money traps people. How often I have heard people say: "I want to serve G.o.d, but I would have to sell this big house of mine." Trapped!

"I want to spend more time with my family and pursue eternal priorities, but I'm working at this company where everyone at my level works sixty hours a week. If I don't keep working the way everybody else is working, I'm going to lose my career." Trapped!

"I don't want to spend so much money on clothing and on cars, but everybody on our street does the same thing." Trapped!

"I don't want my kids to feel foolish going to school in discount clothes or hand-me-downs." Trapped!

That's the thinking of those who want to get rich as their objective in life. They fall into temptation and a snare.

You say, "I don't want to miss church as much as we have, but we have this membership at the club and we have to be there. I hate to miss church, but we bought a boat. I don't want to waste the money, so since we bought the boat, we have to be on the boat." Are you having fun yet? "Well, I'm trying to . . ." It gets worse: "and many foolish and harmful desires . . ." A fool is a person who has no discernment. "I think that will make us happy. Maybe if we get that we'll be happy." Not all our desires are innocent. Some are very harmful. Some wants bring devastation to our lives long before we acquire the thing itself. They have already done their damage at the desire stage.

And then, the ultimate consequences:"...ruin and destruction." Living for my desires over a lifetime brings far more than damage; it brings devastation. The eternal results of a lifetime of living for my own desires is destruction. That's why Jesus said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of G.o.d" (Mar k 10:25). He explained: k 10:25). He explained: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). If you live for things and for self and for your own satisfaction, then you ought not to be surprised when you hear the Lord say at the very end, (Matthew 6:21). If you live for things and for self and for your own satisfaction, then you ought not to be surprised when you hear the Lord say at the very end, "I never knew you; depart from Me" "I never knew you; depart from Me" (Matthew 7:23). You might be able to fool others, but G.o.d knows the truth. (Matthew 7:23). You might be able to fool others, but G.o.d knows the truth.

First Timothy 6:10 brings Paul to his conclusion, "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil." "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil." How many times have you heard that misquoted? People always say, "Money is the root of evil." But that's not what it says. There isn't anything inherently evil or unrighteous about money. Money is just a currency, a commodity. Money is no more evil than chocolate chip cookies. The problem is the How many times have you heard that misquoted? People always say, "Money is the root of evil." But that's not what it says. There isn't anything inherently evil or unrighteous about money. Money is just a currency, a commodity. Money is no more evil than chocolate chip cookies. The problem is the love love of money. Loving it! Wanting it! Living for it! Believing that "Money will make me happy." of money. Loving it! Wanting it! Living for it! Believing that "Money will make me happy."

Notice also that loving money is not the the root of evil but root of evil but a a root of evil. All evil is not rooted in money. What Paul is saying is that loving money is just one of many roots that feed the tree of evil in this world. root of evil. All evil is not rooted in money. What Paul is saying is that loving money is just one of many roots that feed the tree of evil in this world.

TWO UGLY PICTURES.

Paul added two ugly pictures to conclude the warning in verse 10. First, "Some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith." "Some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith." Do you know anybody like that who used to seek and worship the Lord? They used to love Him with their whole hearts, but now they just love money. They adore the "almighty dollar." They have to have more, because they love it! Do you know anybody like that who has wandered away from the faith? Do you know anybody like that who used to seek and worship the Lord? They used to love Him with their whole hearts, but now they just love money. They adore the "almighty dollar." They have to have more, because they love it! Do you know anybody like that who has wandered away from the faith?

Here's the second, even sadder, picture. Those who have longed for it have "pierced themselves through with many sorrows" "pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (NKJV). Pierced themselves. How ugly is the picture of a person stabbing themselves? Imagine the dialogue: (NKJV). Pierced themselves. How ugly is the picture of a person stabbing themselves? Imagine the dialogue: "What are you doing?"

"I'm stabbing myself."

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Well, because I love money."

That's so stupid it would be funny, if it wasn't totally sad! Loving money is piercing yourself through with many sorrows.

No matter what it looks like on the outside, loving money does damage on the inside-soul damage. If it persists, it's taking you to a place where there is no contentment. But there's a better way: G.o.dliness plus contentment is great gain.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.

The phone rang recently. A new buddy of mine from Michigan was on the line. He knows I love to golf, and that's my favorite thing. He asked, "What are you doing December 4?" "I don't know."

"I've just made a donation, and I'm going to be playing in the Second Annual Payne Stewart Memorial Tournament in Orlando. Would you like to come and play with me?" I'm like, "Yeeahhh. That would be great. I'd love to do that."

"Well, excellent." Then he adds, like a sly afterthought, "The thing that's amazing is I've made the second highest donation. So I get to pick who I want to play with."

I asked, "Who will we be playing with?"

He says in an offhanded way, "It will be me and you, another guy named Frank, and Tiger Woods. So check your calendar."

"I'll check right now." I eagerly flipped open my calendar. "Stink!" I almost shouted. "I'm going to be in Israel."

I have to tell you, my att.i.tude took a little dip! For a couple of hours I was like, "Stupid Israel trip. I cannot believe it!" In fact, my att.i.tude got so bad that by the time I got home and was watching the nightly news about all the violence in Israel, I was thinking, "Maybe it'll get worse and I won't have to go!" That's bad! Now just to encourage ur heart about this buddy, no sooner had I thought that than the Lord rebuked me and said, "You've got a rotten att.i.tude."

I had to choose a different att.i.tude. And ever since then I've been, "That's right. I'm going to Israel. I'm going to go where Jesus walked. I'm going to see things that people long to see. It's going to be a spiritual highlight of my whole life! Stinking golf tournament. Forget that!" (As it turned out, the trip to Israel was canceled due to the Middle East conflict, and Tiger Woods backed out of the tournament. I realized that being content is best of all, no matter what.) That experience reinforced in my mind this truth: We have so many options in life. Contentment is choosing to be satisfied in what I do have and not expending my best energies pressing for more.

LET'S TALK SOLUTION You say, "You convinced me! I want that sense of contentment." Then make a note of these three choices that will help you make progress in replacing covetousness with contentment- genuine, biblical, lasting contentment.

1. Seek it. Seek it. Seek contentment as a lifestyle, as a choice. Make it your aim to come to the place where you really believe that more does not equal happier. Acknowledge that you would not be happier with more. You wouldn't be. As we saw in the warnings from G.o.d's Word, often you'd be more miserable. Seek contentment as a lifestyle, as a choice. Make it your aim to come to the place where you really believe that more does not equal happier. Acknowledge that you would not be happier with more. You wouldn't be. As we saw in the warnings from G.o.d's Word, often you'd be more miserable.

2. Say it Say it. Cultivate the capacity to say, "I have enough." Let the words "I have enough" ring from your home. Push yourself back from the table early and say, "I have had enough." After work, stand with the surprise bonus in your hand considering what you might buy, and resist by saying, "I have enough" or by even praying, "Lord, how can I use this for You?"

In fact, why not begin right now and say by faith out loud, "I have enough." I know we don't say that very often, and it's so contrary to the culture. But there is victory here. So even if you don't believe it yet-even if you haven't seen it yet-decide to trust G.o.d's provision and say, "I have enough." The trust of contentment is just like the trust we exercise at conversion: "I don't know if this will change my life, but my thing is not working. Lord, if You're real, come into my life and forgive my sins." That's a salvation breakthrough. Have a sanctification breakthrough and say by faith, "I have enough." Say it. "G.o.d, I have enough." Let those words ring from our cars and our churches and our times at the mall.

3. Settle it. Settle it. Psalm 62:10 says, Psalm 62:10 says, "If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them." "If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them." I would challenge you to choose a lifestyle. Don't let your income dictate your lifestyle. Choose a comfortable level of living that you need, and do not compromise that with more spending when more income arrives. If you don't choose a lifestyle, this culture will choose one for you, and it will be the lifestyle of living beyond your means. Be countercultural and radical! Let your lifestyle be biblically based. Eternally focused. Others-oriented. Let enough be enough. Learn from the example of others. If you do, you will save yourself a world of hurt and know the joy of a truly contented att.i.tude. I would challenge you to choose a lifestyle. Don't let your income dictate your lifestyle. Choose a comfortable level of living that you need, and do not compromise that with more spending when more income arrives. If you don't choose a lifestyle, this culture will choose one for you, and it will be the lifestyle of living beyond your means. Be countercultural and radical! Let your lifestyle be biblically based. Eternally focused. Others-oriented. Let enough be enough. Learn from the example of others. If you do, you will save yourself a world of hurt and know the joy of a truly contented att.i.tude.