Toni Smothers
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:11-13
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Scripture Quote: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
If we have the Spirit of God within and the necessities to preserve life available to us, we have what God calls great gain or an abundant portion. It doesn't actually require much of this world's goods to satisfy those of us who feel we are citizens of another, better place and who know that now is not the time of our true rest. Our ultimate contentment will only be attained when we reach our final destination with the Lord. But, what we need and want aren't always congruent.
Christians, like any other group of people, have fallen victim to appetites that grow with nourishment. We step further away from simplicity each time a desire is seen as basically harmless. It's not the thing desired that is hurtful so much as the gusto with which we pursue that desire. Just like it isn't money alone that is evil, but the love for it and the lust with which it is sought that causes trouble. We are all to some degree entrapped by subtle, secular seductions because we live and function in today's society. But, it is always wise to be aware of our tendencies to wander and be deliberate in our desire to seek first, with great fervor, God's ways, leaving little else of ourselves to stray.
Today’s meditation: Stand fast in simplicity.
Memory Verse: But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)