If I Were a Rich ... Person (James 1:9-11)

Today’s scripture: James 1:9-11

I love musicals, especially the old classics like “Fiddler on the Roof.” It’s a wonderful musical with a great story. The main character, Tevye, is a poor milk man, and at one point, he asks God why He couldn’t have given him riches (singing the iconic “If I were a rich man …”). Tevye thinks that having money, being rich, would take care of all his problems.

And the same is true for many of us today. If I were rich, I’d have a perfect life, we think.

So we work too hard, trying to earn just one more dollar or get just one more promotion. We fudge on our taxes. We gamble.

We seem to forget one thing: Riches do not necessarily equal happiness. Think of the rich and famous who have spiraled out of control due to drug or alcohol use. Think of the lottery winners who are bankrupt in just months. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that wealth is futile: “behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (2:11).

Instead of focusing on wealth, perhaps we would be wise to focus on contentment, on being satisfied with whatever God gives us. Or as the apostle Paul wrote:

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” (Phil. 4:11-12) 

Mighty Dollar? Or Almighty God? (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

Today’s scripture: 1 Timothy 6:9-10

First, let me say that I don’t think the Bible is against the rich. If God has blessed someone with wealth, and that person is generous to those in need and holds his riches loosely, I believe God is pleased.

However, our “more is better” society can truly “snare” people. In order to amass greater wealth, we’ve turned into workaholics, sometimes neglecting our marriages or our children. We live and breathe by the stock market. Our financial statements dictate whether we’re happy or miserable.

We begin to read the Wall Street Journal more often than we do our Bible.

I have to admit, I’ve fallen into the “snare” myself at times. In 2001, my husband and I got caught up with the “McMansion” hype, and sold our perfectly adequate 1200 square foot home for a totally unnecessary 3071 square foot home. Now I will say it served us well when we brought my mother-in-law in to heal after a couple of falls and a couple of surgeries. And we were able to see God bless others as they’ve been able to stay here.

But we soon realized that bigger isn’t really better. Bigger just means more “stuff” … and a lot of it. When we decided to take the plunge, downsize, and move 2100 miles from California to Tennessee, we either sold or donated over 50 percent of our “stuff.” We now live in a lovely little home surrounded by trees. Yes, we still have “stuff”; after all, we need to sit on something. However, we’re making more conscious decisions when it comes to buying anything new.

So ask yourself. Have you gotten caught up in the “more is better” mentality? Have you become consumed with having “stuff”? A bigger house? A nicer car? A fatter portfolio?

Confess to the Lord your preoccupation with the “mighty dollar,” and ask Him what you can do to make Him the priority of your life.

It's All Just Stuff (1 Timothy 6:7-8)

Today’s scripture: 1 Timothy 6:7-8

This is so very true … When we leave this world, we leave everything behind. When my husband and I were getting my mother-in-law’s house ready for sale after her death, we found some treasures, but mostly, we found a lot of clutter. Much of it was thrown into a dumpster.

That may sound heartless, but really, think about your own home? Is there anything of lasting value? Now there may be a few items of sentimental value for those you leave behind, but for you … will any of it matter?

Not at all.

What we have on earth is temporary. We might find temporary pleasure in our “stuff,” but none of it matters in eternity.

So, we must hold all our earthly possessions loosely. We can be thankful for anything God blesses us with, but we can also be content with next to nothing at all.

That’s true contentment. If you can sincerely be thankful for having your basic needs met—which God promises to do—then the rest is icing.

In fact, try this: Walk through your home and start “purging” it of those unnecessary things. Start decluttering and simplifying your home … and your life. Learn to live more simply. Then not only will you learn to be content with less, you’ll also leave less for your heirs to sort through!

This is a challenge for you—and for me, as well.

Contentment ... (1 Timothy 6:6)

Today’s scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6

Oh … contentment. Such a difficult concept for many of us, especially we who live in the United States. Our society is saturated with “bigger is better” and “supersize me” (although I understand if you saw the movie with the latter’s name, you’d never think the former, at least when it comes to food!).

We have a perfectly serviceable car, and then our neighbor gets a brand-new, bright, and shiny auto. And we want one too.

Our home is lovely and more than adequate … but then we visit a friend’s new house. It’s bigger. It has the latest and greatest countertops and hardwood floors. And suddenly, our little home just doesn’t seem … enough.

And sadly, the spouse we’ve been married to for ten years one day does something that irritates us—again—and that new coworker, who treats us with respect, looks suddenly much more interesting.

Contentment—being satisfied with what we have—can be really hard to grasp.

I struggled with it for years. Even after I recommitted my life to the Lord over 22 years ago, I still couldn’t seem to be truly content. And I’d often make myself miserable.

Then, finally, several years ago, I surrendered everything to God. I was really struggling with my health, and it shadowed everything else in my life. And so nothing seemed to bring me any joy. And when I finally said, “Take it all, Lord. Take my job, my home, my relationships, my stuff. It’s all Yours anyway.”

Now, I do sometimes wish for something else … but I find, I actually wish for less, not more. I want to simplify, declutter, value what’s really important. And even when things aren’t exactly what I’d hoped for, I can honestly say I’m usually content.

And in being so, I find joy, even in the difficult times. I still live with daily pain, and some days it’s really hard to find that contentment. But when I surrender again, God gives me peace … and contentment.

As For the Lord (Colossians 3:22-24)

Today's scripture: Colossians 3:22-24

Few of us are able to do our "dream jobs." It seems like most of us fall into whatever we do for a living, and sometimes, that's hard. I'm very blessed that now I'm able teach writing and literature, which I love to do, but for many years, I worked various jobs and much of the time, I did so just to make a living.

I have been blessed with great bosses and co-workers, but far too often, the jobs themselves were ... just jobs.

And far too often, I'd whine and complain, if only to myself. Why do I have to do this? Or why can't I do that?

I found Colossians 3:23-24 years ago, and it put everything into perspective. No matter what I was doing for an occupation, if I focused on doing it "heartily, as for the Lord," I found myself more content. If I remembered that it is the "Lord whom [I] serve, "I could find the joy in doing whatever He'd called me to do for that season.

You may not be doing what you dream of doing. You may be "just" doing a job. But no matter what, you can still find joy and contentment in where you are now. You can still work "heartily" as you remember whom you serve.

The Lord. Not men.

A Recommendation (Philippians 4:10-13)

Today’s scripture: Philippians 4:10-13

Paul understood “contentment” better than anyone. He knew he could be content at all times, no matter the circumstances, because Christ would give him strength.

It’s taken me a long time to learn contentment. Oh, I still get anxious or frustrated at times. I often dream of that Victorian cottage on the banks of a quiet river … although my quaint, cozy Tennessee home surrounded by woods is pretty close! I sometimes wish I didn’t have health issues.

But, most of the time, I’m content with the life God has planned for me. And I anticipate—without fear or worry—my future because I know my Lord God, my Abba, will give me exactly what I need. My Savior will give me strength to accomplish what I’m supposed to do. The Holy Spirit will guide, encourage, and convict me.

I highly recommend contentment. It makes living this very hectic, stressful, uncertain life a little bit easier. Seriously.

Make the Lord Your Trust (Psalm 40:4)

Today's scripture: Psalm 40:4

Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has had idols. Some idols have been of wood or gold or bronze. Others have been of flesh.

We still have our idols today. We hoard our stuff. We pay homage to our credit cards. We revere celebrities or sports icons. We respect the successful in business. We spend more time worshipping at the altar of television or the Internet than we do at the foot of God's throne.

We don't trust God; we trust our things or other people.

Then we wonder why we're so discontent.

One of my favorite talks I give is called "Joy Stealers" It's about those things that are lurking about every corner that want to steal our God-given joy. One of those "thieves" is discontent. No matter how much we have, we find ourselves wanting just a little bit more. We envy those with a bigger house, a better car, or a more prestigious career. I told those moms that there are a couple of ways to "arrest" discontentment.

The first is to spend time with those less fortunate than we are. For example, it's difficult to be discontent with our more-than-adequate houses when we volunteer at a homeless shelter.

The second is to trust God. If we believe His word and trust that He has a plan for our lives (see Jeremiah 29:11)—and we surrender our lives to that plan—then we can rest in the knowledge that whatever we have, whatever we do, is part of that plan.

We really are blessed when we "make the Lord [our] trust." He is faithful and will never let us down. Never.

Turn Away from Anger (Ephesians 4:31)

Today's scripture: Ephesians 4:31

Bitterness and wrath and anger … These are destructive. They can tear apart families. They can annihilate friendships. They can kill the soul.

So often, they start “justifiably.”

Someone hurts us or someone we love. We think have the “right” to be angry, and perhaps we do. We should be angry at injustice or blatant sin.

However, we have to be very, very careful to not let righteous anger grow to a bitterness that flames out of control.

I speak from experience. I was “justifiably” angry at the men who abused me. Between the ages of nine and sixteen, I was abused by three men … and I was angry. However, instead of dealing with the pain, instead of offering forgiveness—whether they asked for it or not—I allowed the anger to grow from a tiny flame to a forest fire in my heart and soul. It burned away peace and joy and contentment.

That bitterness and wrath and anger pulled me away from faith. From my Father.

There’s a saying: “Anger is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

If your heart is full of anger—righteous or not—I encourage you to do two things: First, forgive whomever has hurt you. It won’t be easy, but you can do it if you do the second: Give all your bitterness and wrath and anger to the Lord. Ask Him to help you forgive. Ask Him to fill your heart with love instead of anger. Peace instead of bitterness. Joy instead of wrath.

Make the Lord Your Trust (Psalm 40:4)

Today's scripture: Psalm 40:4

Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has had idols. Some idols have been of wood or gold or bronze. Others have been of flesh.

We still have our idols today. We hoard our stuff. We pay homage to our credit cards. We revere celebrities or sports icons. We respect the successful in business. We spend more time worshipping at the altar of television or the Internet than we do at the foot of God's throne.

We don't trust God; we trust our things or other people.

Then we wonder why we're so discontent.

Last week, I spoke at a "MomsNext" group about "Joy Stealers," those thing that are lurking about every corner that want to steal our God-given joy. One of those "thieves" is discontent. No matter how much we have, we find ourselves wanting just a little bit more. We envy those with a bigger house, a better car, or a more prestigious career. I told those moms that there are a couple of ways to "arrest" discontentment.

The first is to spend time with those less fortunate than we are. For example, it's difficult to be discontent with our more-than-adequate houses when we volunteer at a homeless shelter.

The second is to trust God. If we believe His word and trust that He has a plan for our lives (see Jeremiah 29:11, AMP)—and we surrender our lives to that plan—then we can rest in the knowledge that whatever we have, whatever we do, is part of that plan.

We really are blessed when we "make the Lord [our] trust." He is faithful and will never let us down. Never.

Don't Compare (2 Cor. 10:12-13)

Today’s scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:12-13

Comparing ourselves to others is never a wise thing to do. God created us differently—and that’s a very good thing, as far as I’m concerned. When we begin to compare ourselves to others, we can become prideful, thinking we’re somehow better than they are, or we can disparage ourselves, thinking we’re somehow less.

But sometimes when we “commend ourselves,” we’re equally at risk. Paul wrote about to those who “measure themselves by themselves” and their pride. One commentary expounds:  

They were pleased, and did pride themselves, in their own attainments, and never considered those who far exceeded them in gifts and graces, in power and authority; and this made them haughty and insolent. Note: If we would compare ourselves with others who excel us, this would be a good method to keep us humble; we should be pleased and thankful for what we have of gifts or graces, but never pride ourselves therein, as if there were none to be compared with us or that did excel us. The apostle would not be of the number of such vain men: let us resolve that we will not make ourselves of that number.
(The Matthew Henry Complete Commentary of the Whole Bible)

The bottom line is that we really cannot and should not boast in ourselves because we are nothing of ourselves. What we have and who we are is only by God’s grace. And since He’s created each of us according to His own purpose, comparing ourselves to others and being prideful in ourselves is not only sinful, but it’s also as if we’re telling God He’s done something wrong … And He does nothing wrong.

It comes down to trusting God that He’s right—always. However He’s created us. And whatever He’s called us to do.

The Futility of Riches (James 1:9-11)

But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
(James 1:9-11, NASB)

Just a few days ago, I saw a stage production of Fiddler on the Roof. If you’ve never seen it ... get a copy of the DVD and watch it! It’s a great musical with a great story.

The main character, Tevye, is a poor milk man, and at one point, he asks God why He couldn’t have given him riches (singing the iconic “If I were a rich man …”). Tevye thinks that having money, being rich, would take care of all his problems.

And the same is true for many of us today. If I were rich, I’d have a perfect life, we think.

So we work too hard, trying to earn just one more dollar or get just one more promotion. We fudge on our taxes. We gamble.

We seem to forget one thing: Riches do not necessarily equal happiness. Think of the rich and famous who have spiraled out of control due to drug or alcohol use. Think of the lottery winners who are bankrupt in just months. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that wealth is futile: “behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (2:11b).

Instead of focusing on wealth, perhaps we would be wise to focus on contentment, on being satisfied with whatever God gives us. Or as the apostle Paul wrote:

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (Phil. 4:11-12)

Learning Contentment (Phil. 4:10-13)

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:10-13, NKJV)

Paul understood “contentment” better than anyone. He knew he could be content at all times, no matter the circumstances, because Christ would give him strength.

It’s taken me a long time to learn contentment. Oh, I still get anxious or frustrated at times. I often dream of that Victorian cottage on the banks of a quiet river (maybe someday?). I sometimes wish I didn’t have health issues.

But, most of the time, I’m content with the life God has planned for me. And I anticipate—without fear or worry—my future because I know my Lord God, my Abba, will give me exactly what I need. My Savior will give me strength to accomplish what I’m supposed to do. The Holy Spirit will guide, encourage, and convict me.

I highly recommend contentment. It makes living this very hectic, stressful, uncertain life a little bit easier. Seriously.

Love Does Not Brag (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NASB)

Love does not brag.

True love is never about me. True love is my looking out for others, caring for others, supporting others.

If I truly love someone, I shouldn’t be thinking about myself and what I can do. And if my thoughts aren’t on me, then I won‘t be bragging on my accomplishments. In fact, I really won’t care about what I do that’s “newsworthy.” I’ll be content to stay in the background. And when I do have the opportunity to be in the limelight, I won’t go around telling everyone.

This can be tough. Sometimes, we get excited about a God-given chance to shine. Not long ago, I had the privilege to play Marmee in a musical version of Little Women—one of my favorite books from childhood. I was excited—I wanted everyone to know. In retrospect, I walked a very, very fine line between bragging and just wanting people to come out to see a talented cast of storytellers.

Next week, I start rehearsals for The Story of Ruth, and this time, I’m privileged to be in the chorus. The question is, will I “publicize” it in the same way? Will I brag on the principal actors and be just as excited to have people come see the show when I’m not a lead?

Absolutely! Because, when I love others, I want to boast about them.

What about you? Are you boasting in your own accomplishments? Are you telling everyone how wonderful you are? Or are you content to stand back and let others shine? And tell everyone how wonderful they are?

Love Is Not Jealous (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NASB)

Love is not jealous.

I have to be honest here … I sometimes struggle with this one. I see someone doing something I think I should be doing, and I’m envious. I read Facebook status updates about children or travels or amazing opportunities, and that nasty green-eyed monster raises its ugly head.

I don’t want to feel this way. I want to truly rejoice in the talents and achievements of others. I want to be genuinely happy when others have things I never will.

I really do.

Why do we feel jealous or envious? I think it has to do with contentment—or lack thereof. When I’m discontent with my own life, I’m much more likely to be envious of what others have. Conversely, when I’m content and satisfied with what I have and what I can do, I don’t even think about what others do.

It also has to do with trusting God. If I believe He’s blessed each of us according to His plan, I don’t have to be jealous because I know what I have, what I can do, what I’ve achieved is what He desires for me.

And as I write these words, I recognize yet again how very blessed I am. I have a wonderful husband, a great family, supportive friends, several vocations I enjoy. I live in a lovely home. I’m adored by my four-legged “kids.” I serve at my church, at Corona Life Services, and at LifeHouse.

I have no right—none whatsoever—to be jealous or envious. None. Because when I am, I’m telling God He hasn’t given me enough—when He’s given me abundantly more than I deserve.