We live in a time of abundance. It’s everywhere we look. From restaurants and fast-food
franchises to feed us when we don’t want to cook to the 5 billion people (65% of the world's population) who own mobile devices. We can buy groceries online and have them delivered to our doors. We shop online for everything from toilet paper to sporting goods. There has never been a time in history that people have had so much, but, have been so dissatisfied with their lives.
Discontentment is nothing new. In Luke 12: 15-21, Jesus told a parable of the Rich Fool.
“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’”
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Why is it that we often fall into the trap of finding our satisfaction in people and things?
This is not new, from the very beginning when Adam and Eve first ate of the tree, they did so because they wanted “more” and had been deceived into thinking that "more" would be better. Instead, for them, life took a drastic turn and they found that having “more” meant something different than they ever imagined.
In 2002 Chris Tomlin & Louie Giglio wrote the song “Enough”. Each time I hear it, I am reminded that God is enough!
All of You is more than enough for, all of me
For every thirst and every need you satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough
You are my supply, my breath of life, and still more awesome than I know
You are my reward, worth living for, and still more awesome than I know
You're my sacrifice of greatest price, and still more awesome than I know
You're my coming King, you are everything, and still more awesome than I know
And all of You is more than enough for, all of me
For every thirst and every need you satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough
The apostle Paul addresses the concept of "enough" in his letter to the church at Philippi. In chapter 4:11-14, he writes,
“I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” (the Message)
Paul was not the poster child of a happy successful life. He was beaten, stoned, whipped, thrown into jail, and when writing to the church at Philippi, most believe he was under house arrest in Rome and chained to a Roman Guard. But Paul had found the secret to contentment. It was his relationship with Jesus Christ.
Shortly after Jon and I were married, I realized something about myself. Whenever things would go sideways or I had a bad day, I would go shopping. I had been doing this for several years and whether it was a purse, pair of shoes, or a cute dress, shopping always boosted my mood and helped me to get over whatever I was struggling with. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. The term “retail therapy” was first introduced in 1986 by the Chicago Tribune where the writer observed, “We’ve become a nation measuring out our lives in shopping bags and nursing our psychic ills through retail therapy”.
"We've become a nation
measuring out our lives in
shopping bags and
nursing our psychic
ills through retail therapy"
Not wanting to leave men out of the equation, I know that you have similar reflex actions when you are stressed. Some go exercise, or fishing, or on a drive, and some even go shopping – does Bass Pro Shop, Home Depot, or Lowe’s sound familiar?
I never intentionally had the thought that shopping would make me feel better, it was just a reflex action. But when you strip away all of the layers, that reflex action is based on our sin nature. The same tricks that Satan used on Adam and Eve, he still uses on us today: The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. The desire for “more”.
Take a few moments to think about it. What are your reflex actions? Do you think eating or drinking, or even buying something helps you feel better? Yes, they do! You know that and I know that. But I also know that these are merely temporary fixes. They are ploys to keep us from going to the source. The One who created us, who knew us before we were in our mother’s womb. The One who sent his Son to die for us - while we were still sinners. The One who loves us with an everlasting love. The One who will never leave us or forsake us. The One who has proven time and time again that He can calm the storm and silence the winds.
Today’s challenge: Let the One who knows you best be your source of contentment. He is enough. Quit striving for more in the hopes that it will bring you satisfaction. It never will. Take time to sit in the presence of God and let Him fill you to overflowing and give you the abundant life that has nothing to do with your possessions.
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