Need or Greed: The Secret of Contentment

The secret of true contentment is something that has eluded many men and women over the centuries. William Causby, in his first visit to Listooder, takes a look at what the Bible has to say on the matter. Reading from Matthew chapter 6, he conducts a simple verse-by-verse Bible study entitled Need or Greed. Here is a brief summary: Verse 19 - Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: Treasures stored on the earth will corrupt. Consider the latest gadgets, which so many of us set our hearts upon: they will eventually break down, become outdated, get lost or even stolen, as will every other material possession. Everything in this world decays, and it is only the heavenly things that will last. Verse 21 - For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Whatever we consider to be of value in our lives, that is what we will fill our thoughts with, and focus our attention on. To value the material things of earth above the heavenly things of God, results in a desire for greed, rather than a desire for God. Verse 24 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. It is impossible for a human to serve and love riches (mammon), yet still love God. That's not to say that an owner of money, cannot be a lover of God, but according to Scripture a lover of money cannot be a lover of God. In fact, the Bible tells us that 'the love of money is the root of all evil'. Verse 25 - Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? A Christian should not worry. It is completely unnecessary. According to God's Word, the things which we need will always be provided exactly when we need them; and anything we don't need, clearly isn't worth worrying about anyway. Verse 27 - Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? When has worrying about anything ever changed the outcome? According to the Bible - never. Verse 28 - And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Think about nature around us. The flowers don't work, the flowers don't worry, and yet they are taken care of every day. They are provided with the most beautiful covering, the perfect combination of food and water and the strength to stand. God provides it all to every single one of them. Can He, and will He not do so much more for us, His own children? Verse 30 - Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? If we worry about the things that are needful, we show a lack of faith that God will provide, and if we worry about things that are not needful, we show a lack of trust in God's decision making. O ye of little faith. Verse 32 - (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. At the time, the Gentiles were those who did not know God. The unbeliever worries. He does not know of a God who has promised to provide every need that we have. But we do, and so we should not worry like the unbeliever. Verse 33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. This is the answer to the great question of contentment. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. It is only when we fully place our attention, our motivation and our desires upon Christ, and His work of salvation in our hearts, that He will add to our lives every need that we have. But greater than that, He has promised to bestow upon us many gifts which are above and beyond anything that we have need of, or deserve.