Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.

                                                                                                           Proverbs 30:8b-9 

Today: Read Proverbs 30

Can I let you in on a secret to life? Don’t live for money. Yes, we should all be productive members of society and for the believer we should be operating out of our God-given gifting and calling. And sure, it’s all right for us to be paid for what we do and to make money. But there is a difference in making money and living for it. However, there is a superior way to live and it can be described in one word: contentment.

The reality is that making money doesn’t guarantee happiness or gratification. On the other hand, contentment is the very essence of happiness and gratification. In other words, when we operate in contentment, we are more likely to be satisfied with life.

First, lets consider Jesus’ words regarding the wealthy:

And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 

                                                                                                Matthew 19:23-26 

Jesus says that it is difficult for the rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. I believe today’s passage is echoing that reality. For those who acquire a lot of wealth, there is the possibility that they can get engulfed in that prosperity and forget who and what are most important in this life. Money is not the problem but mankind’s love for money is the issue. The wise man is the one who works and earns but can say, “feed me with my portion, that I not be full and deny God.” Jesus illustrated the reality of the wealthy man who works his whole life and stores up many riches only to find out that he will face death unprepared. Consider the following:

Then he (the rich man) said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’

                                                                                                     Luke 12:18-19 

You can see in what he had placed his hope. He had acquired such wealth that he was ready to relax and take it easy. Now look at God’s response:

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

                                                                                                   Luke 12:20-21

The problem wasn’t that he had material wealth rather that he was spiritually poor. I wonder how many people are falling into the same trap today? Jesus summed up this concept when He said, “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25) We need to work and be productive but we should guard against living for money and comfort. Christians of all economic ranks should be living for Christ and things that are of eternal value. When we live in contentment, we guard ourselves from falling into the trap of always desiring more.

Contrast striving for wealth with Jesus’ words on living in the peace of knowing that God will provide: 

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

                                                                                                Matthew 6:31-33

First, we are not to worry. When we worry about material things we are, in reality, exposing our lack of faith. And why are we not to worry? As believers, we understand that God knows what we need even before we ask. As a loving, heavenly Father, God provides everything needed for the one who places their complete faith and trust in Him. This doesn’t mean that we sit around and wait for money to fall from heaven, but it does mean that we do not chase after material wealth like those without Christ. Our priorities are different. We seek, as first priority, the will of God, His kingdom, and His righteousness and this is done by faith. As we seek Christ first, everything that is needed in this life is provided.

I am confident that someone reading this can testify not only to God providing for their needs but also richly supplying additional blessings as well. I certainly can say that watching God provide is much more satisfying than joining the throngs of people striving to “grab all they can.” God takes care of His own. If you are seeking peace, security, and joy, then trust in God to be your Provider and live a life of contentment.