Daily Devotional
Word of the Day
What Possesses You?
Pastor Scott
Saturday, August 21, 2004
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"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
(Luke 12:27)
We are looking at the subject of covetousness and being rich toward God. We are to be content with His sovereign provision. As we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all of the necessities of life will be added to us. Take no thought for what you're going to eat or drink or how you will be clothed. The fashion craze is nothing new; there is no new thing under the sun. Jesus Himself talked about raiment and about the pursuit of fine garb. He said, "Don't you realize that Solomon and all of his glory couldn't be compared with the flowers that God has dressed? Your heavenly Father knows what you have need of."
Isn't covetousness a contrast between need and want? What we're really looking at is contentment with God meeting our needs. We're looking at a true relationship that believes that God desires us to even have our wants as long as He is the source. Let's put that in proper perspective. He gives us all things richly to enjoy. Yet we realize that God knows what is in man; He made us. We don't need to live a monastic or ascetic type life where anything other than the bare necessities is sin. Nowhere in the Scriptures do you see Jesus or the Word of God condemning what we would call abundance or prosperity. It's always in the contrast of the source and the value placed upon these things. In other words, are they your possessions, or do they possess you? That is the spirit we have to deal with as it pertains to this spirit of covetousness.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase..." Every one of us would say "amen" to that, but have you really searched your heart about it? I hope so. We would like to believe it. We know it's doctrinally sound. We say, "Things won't make you happy, but I'd sure like to find out." This is the fallacy, the lie. It's not like you don't have anything.
You say, "Yeah, but I don't have everything."
That's the point isn't it? How much do you need?
"Well, I don't need everything. I just need more and better."
But when you have that, will that make you happy?
"Yes!"
Are you happy with what you have?
"No, but that will make me happy."
We don't deal with the reality of this spirit of covetousness--the need to possess more. Lust cannot be satisfied, but godliness with contentment is great gain. Are you rich toward God? Are you content? Are you happy with what God has given you? If God is the source, then you have exactly what you need, because He has given us spiritually all things that pertain to life and godliness. Because He is no respecter of persons, our needs are met. We sought the kingdom, and everything else has been added to us. To not be content is so dangerous; it is an indictment against God. We say, "God is not fair. He hasn't given me what I'm worth." You have devalued God and over-valued yourself. So we say that it's not stuff. I don't need stuff. I'm not really looking for more stuff. But it's vanity. If you love it, you will never be satisfied with it. He that loveth silver will never be satisfied with silver.