Focal passage: 1 Timothy 6:6-11; 17-19
Did you know that in 2015 there were more self-storage facilities in the United States than McDonald’s restaurants? Is it possible that Americans love stuff more than we love a Quarter Pounder with cheese?
We buy boxes to protect our stuff, rent buildings to store our stuff, watch television shows documenting people who have too much stuff and read books about how to joyfully tidy up our stuff.
Whether we’re hoarding to gain a sense of security or organizing to rid our lives of things that don’t spark joy, many of us are consumed by our possessions.
Even if we are afraid to admit it, we have come to believe the lie that we will find contentment in the amount or quality of the items we own.
It can be tempting to find joy in our belongings, but this will never provide lasting godly contentment. Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 6:7 that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” All the things that surround us will eventually rot away.
Our possessions are a temporal gift from God. When we crave the things God has given more than we crave the Giver Himself, the result is disastrous. “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation … and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9).
True and godly contentment is only found when we set our hope on God and store up riches in heaven. We must look up from our oversized plastic bins and set our eyes on the One who “richly provides us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Instead of focusing on the things we can accumulate, we must selflessly concentrate on living lives that are full of generosity.
Oh, that we would pray like Charles Spurgeon, “Lord, let me be rich toward thee. I had better send on to my treasury in heaven more of my substance than I have already sent.”