This is the next entry in the series of quiet times from the Birmingham, England, church. This installment explores the theme of greed vs contentment.
1. GREED vs. CONTENTMENT I
Probably most of us think of money first when we think of greed. Or maybe food, if you grew up in a large family with hungry siblings! As I continue to ask God to help me work on my New Year’s Resolution to be more contented this year, checking my attitude toward the amount of money God has given me is not a bad place to start:
LUKE 3: 7-14
The Greek word for “content” in this verse is ARKEO (Strong’s G714), which means just what you’d expect: to be satisfied. It also means to be possessed of unfailing strength; to be strong; to suffice; to be enough; to defend, to ward off. *
- List some areas in your life where you know you need to be more contented. (for me, the biggest one is the amount of time I have to accomplish various tasks – like have my time with God in the morning or time with my husband or time exercise or otherwise take care of myself – and the issue of finances arises, too, there are months I’m very tempted to buy something when I don’t have the money for it.)
- What do you think about “being possessed of unfailing strength” when you think about being content in one of your target areas? For me, this is a much stronger “contententment” than I’d been aiming for! I think I think of “contentment” as being a bit less than fully satisfied –I think my standard is too low!
1 TIM 6:8; HEB 13:5
- Write down the convictions we should have from these passages.
- Is there anything I don’t have, the lack of which is making me feel discontented? Let’s name this before God and pray for His grace and powerful Spirit to change our hearts! (for me, it’s time! I wanted to go for a prayer run this morning and I can still do it but I will have to really rush it—I would really like God to add another hour to this morning! Lord, help me gratefully accept the boundaries set for me! )
This word, ARKEO, for content, appears 8 times in the NASB.* Here are the 8 verses:
Matthew 25:29, Luke 3:14, John 6:7, John 14:8, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 1 Tim 6:8, Heb 13:5, 3 John 1:10.
*NASB – New American Standard Bible
**Blue Letter Bible. “Dictionary and Word Search for arke? (Strong’s 714)”. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2011. 2 Feb 2011. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm??Strongs=G714&t=NASB >
2a. GREED vs. CONTENTMENT in the heart of a single woman
Valentine’s Day is looming. With all the romantic-comedy films being advertised on the sides of West Midlands buses everywhere I go in town, my single women friends are on my heart: beware of the music you listen to, the films you choose to see, the books you choose to read if they affect you the way they affect me! (I remember watching/reading those kinds of films/books before I was a disciple and before I was married. I customarily left the theatre full to the brim with the infatuation of romance, and suddenly the boyfriend I’d just broken up with or the male friend who was definitely not a candidate for the role of “Mr. Right” before the film, after 100 or so minutes of watching worldly romance unfold on the big screen, suddenly looked really good to me. Very scary: Jeremiah 17:10 in all its glory.
MATTHEW 6:22-24; MATTHEW 7:15-20
- Is there anything I’m putting before my eyes or tempted to put before my eyes which my conscience tells me is not good for me? (not sure? Am I in the light with it or in the dark with it? Do spiritual people in my life know the details? )
- We can’t serve both God and things of this material world. Marriage, though a God-ordained option, is of this material world (see 1 Corinth 7:32-35 and Matt 22:30). How am I doing spiritually: am I expending more emotional energy longing for earthly romance than I am in my longing to be more like Jesus?
- Watch out for the false prophets around us: in the media, even hiding in our well-meaning friends who may offer unspiritual “comfort” or advice: we need to check out the fruit of the messenger’s life before we let ourselves be influenced by the message! Those of us who want to be happily married someday need to find a happily married, time-tested spiritual Christian woman to mentor us in this area.
- Be sure to come into the light with anything bothering my conscience or causing me anxiety or stealing my joy – pray through it with God and talk to a spiritual sister about it today! (1 John 1:5-10)
2b. GREED vs. CONTENTMENT in the heart of a married woman
If I’m not contented to submit to the God-ordained authority of my husband in my life, am I being greedy? To put it another way, could I be robbing something from God? (See Week Four Quiet Times for some scriptures and word study ideas that sparked this question in my mind.)
PROVERBS 15:27; 28:25
- Do I stir up conflict with my husband or with my children? Do I prolong any conflicts in any way? (not sure? Ask your family!) Pray to understand the root of resentment that may cause this and bring it into the light.
- Jeremiah 6:13 and 8:10 says that we’re all capable of greed. It’s been helpful to me to consider before the Lord how my desire to want to take something which God has not given to me steals my joy and can create a wedge between my husband and myself. For example: I may want something done in the house or make a suggestion of something to do differently with our ministry; if my husband disagrees or is not ready to implement my suggestion even if he likes it, I can be greedy and want the control, the decision-maker position, not trusting God in His wisdom and not exercising Holy Spirit patience to submit to God in the situation contentedly. I want what I want and I want it now!
PSALM 16:5-6
- Pray through Psalm 16 aloud with God. The Word is true no matter how it feels at the moment!
3. GREED vs. CONTENTMENT II
For the next few Quiet Times, I’m adapting part of a wonderful study series my husband has done from the book of Proverbs (Thank you for this, Andy, it’s great stuff!).
When I am not contented with the way things are in my life at the moment, (and we’re not talking here about the healthy dissatisfaction we read about in the Week One QT’s, which can be the spark for needed growth and change), often I’m not at peace because I’m allowing myself to be deceived by some myths or lies planted in my heart and mind: “This shouldn’t be taking so long!” “I should be further along by now than I am!” “I don’t have enough money/time/brains/support to do what I’m supposed to be doing!” Contentment really comes down to trusting God. What we may not readily see is that when I allow myself to want more of something than God has actually allowed me to have, I’m starting out on a path of greed, wanting more and more, that will get worse if I don’t stop it and will eventually wear me out, stealing not only my joy but also my faith and trust in our Good God! Often greed and discontentment comes from seeing other people getting blessed around me – but we can easily forget that if their “wealth” is ill-gotten it will be momentary at best. Worry is a robber that steals away our energy and joy. We need to trust in God’s heart, that he is always in the business of providing a way for us to live life to the full.
PROVERBS 15:16-17; 19:23
- Ask myself: what do I honestly believe would make me happy? What do I believe insures happiness? Make a list, and thank God sincerely for the items on the list that God has already provided.
- Is there some great trial in my life that I feel needs to be removed in order for me to be happy? How could more love and more fear of God in my heart help me with this? Write down your answer and pray through it with God, thanking him for a deeper understanding of what Jesus must have experienced as he decided to trust God without wavering, through horrendous trials.
4. GREED vs. CONTENTMENT III
PROVERBS 23:1-3; 30:7-9
ROMANS 12:3; ROMANS 8:1
Contentment is connected to our level of self-awareness, self-acceptance and our trust in God’s grace. Can I assess my weaknesses clearly and calmly, confident that God loves me and delights in me even when I’m weak and worldly?
- Imagine a life of wealth, power, position. What are a couple of things that are attractive to me in this daydream? Do I need to exercise self-control in these areas now? Pray for God’s help to be contented in the life that he has given me, with all its limits and restrictions (my temptation would be the illusion of freedom, being able to do whatever I want to do whenever I want to do it, with unlimited resources at my disposal! I pray to remember that I actually trust God to meet my needs and the limits that exist in my life are placed there lovingly by God to help me live as a faithful disciple and make it to heaven!)
- Is there any area in which I need to have more of a sober estimate of myself? Ask a trusted spiritual friend this question and pray about it with the Lord. (I asked my husband: he said that I can sometimes make errors in judgment because I most always start out with good intentions and therefore naively expect a good outcome. I need to ask God to help me slow down and discipline myself to stop and consider and think through possible consequences, especially when I decide to do something on the spur of the moment.)
5. GREED vs. CONTENTMENT IV
PROVERBS 3:31-32; 12:12; 23:17-18; 24:1-2; 27:4; 27:20
It’s very difficult to be contented if we often compare ourselves to other people!
- Is there any nagging thought in your head that tells you, “you should be __________________” (and you feel like you’re not?) (one of my evil thoughts says, “ you should be better in Russian than you are!” ) Name this thought before God, renouncing it, and confess it to someone you trust.
