1 Timothy 6:17-19
If there were one great message I could deliver to those who struggle with not having an abundance of this world's goods, it would be this simple yet profound premise for happiness: Great wealth is not related to money! It is an attitude of satisfaction coupled with inner peace, plus a day-by-day, moment-by-moment walk with God. Sounds so right, so good, doesn't it? In our world of more, more, more...push, push, push...grab, grab, grab, this counsel is long overdue. In a word, the secret is contentment.
Contentment is something we must learn. It isn't a trait we're born with. But the question is how?
First, it really helps us to quit striving for more if we read the eternal dimension into today's situation. We entered life empty-handed; we leave it the same way.
Second, it also helps us model contentment if we'll boil life down to its essentials and try to simplify our lifestyle: something to eat, something to wear, and a roof over our heads. Everything beyond that we'd do well to consider as extra.
It's foolish to trust in riches for security and they bring no lasting satisfaction. It is God alone who supplies us "with all things to enjoy" which leads to contentment.
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Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.