Always wanting more and more is never enough. Nothing makes us want something more than your neighbor, family or friend getting something new. A car, house, phone laptop. Admit it soon as you see the latest greatest laptop or ipad you look down at yours and realize you are now a proud of owner of a Etch a Sketch. Some of us get so consume by our wants its like "Smeagol" now is living through us "my precious". But like with him many times once we get something we have wanted so long we wish to be free of it. I know its not just me with the "case of the wants" from a 7 course meal at Golden Corral when its about 2am (why is legal to show restaurant commercial after hours) to seeing others having things or going on vacations.
The Word clearly states our problem
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
I would like to think, believe that I just want to be content with
my walk with God. And if anything just give me Wisdom to live my days as
Solomon requested. But again that thought doesn't hold water when a want is
before me, not a need but a want. These wants are usually enjoyed for a period
of time like a child with a Christmas toy. I will soon be "needing another
want". And as for the state of contentment, that changes monthly if not
weekly when bills come our way or the billion dollar lottery is advertised and
you realize you have a better chance of finding Bigfoot in your backyard. But
hey maybe God is going to grace you this one time with this "jackpot"
And of course we promise
to use the majority of the winnings to make the world a better place. And use
the money wisely. Sure we may suck at it now and be in debt and spend more on
self than others but that will change when we have millions (See: sarcasm).
Just a note to self: God does indeed bless us and that is to be a blessing to
others.
So this issue comes more
alive to me during the holiday season when we turn Thanksgiving day into a
brawl for a new TV or toy. And for my wife and I we have a sons birthday to
celebrate just a week before Christmas. We have discuss how to go about this
and one suggestion was to buy for him only on his birthday and very little or
nothing on Christmas so he can be taught the real reason for Christmas and buy
for others who have little or nothing. The problem with that is between family
and friends he may get "everything and then some" for his birthday
and he wouldn't even realize he didn't get gifts for Christmas.
God this is a
struggle for most of us and it shouldn't be. You indeed have place before us an
offering of the most precious gift in the world. And yet whenever we find
ourselves wanting more its saying that Your gift does not satisfy. This time of
year may our hearts truly look to you and may others see in us the contentment
that this world could never offer but found only
Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches,but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. - Proverbs 30:7-9
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