But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)
Sometimes it seems
like some of the best illustrations come from children’s books. For
example, the other night I was suddenly awakened by a crashing noise
coming from the living room. I quickly arose and went out to see what
happened. It was completely dark, didn’t sense anyone else in the
room, and as I peered around the corner to look into the room I
remembered the Winnie the Pooh scene where Pooh, “being a bear of
very little brain,” went outside to see what the disturbance was.
In Pooh’s case, he got bounced upon by Tigger but in my case there
wasn’t a burglar but only a picture that had fallen from the wall.
But it got me to
thinking and I laid in bed for awhile unable to sleep as I thought
about it. How many times do we humans, being “humans of very little
brain,” open the door to look at something that seems interesting
or attractive or even scary? How many times do we go places we
shouldn’t and check out what something is like when we know darn
well that we shouldn’t?
Think about it for
a minute. How many times has the average man gazed upon forbidden
images and fantasized about women that aren’t his to have, only to
find that he opened the door to discontentment, sexual
dissatisfaction, and even impotence? And how many times has the
average woman read the romance novel or watched the soap opera and
then found her man to be lacking in the romance department? She
opened the door to marital dissatisfaction and relationship envy
without a second thought to where it might lead.
And what about
those of us who like to compare and compete? You know what I mean, as
most of us have fallen into this trap one time or another. We look at
Facebook or listen to some gossip and then compare our lives to those
of someone else. We tell ourselves, “if only I had his job” or
“if only I had her house” then I would be happy. If only I had a
newer car, more money, better neighborhood, better opportunities,
better family background, better education, better this that or the
other thing, then I would be happy. And then sometimes it gets even
more personal. If I was better looking, if I wasn’t so dumb, if I
wasn’t so lazy, if I wasn’t so unlucky, if I was married to
someone else…..the list goes on. We open the door to
dissatisfaction by comparing ourselves to some idealistic idea of
other people’s lives.
Think about it. How
many times have you opened the door to jealousy and covetousness
instead of closing the door by being thankful for what you have? How
many times have you opened the door to stress and anxiety instead
of closing the door by casting your cares upon the Lord and trusting
in Him? How many times have you opened the door to addiction by
looking for comfort or escape in a bottle or a drug instead of
turning to the God who created you and loves you with an undying
love? How many times have you opened the door to loneliness instead
of forgiving others and working hard to have healthy relationships?
I could go on, but
you get the idea. Most all of us have opened the door to many things
that wind up being harmful to us. So don’t beat yourself up over
it. Instead, resolve to not even open the door to those things that
bring you harm. And if you think it is too late, that you opened
those doors long ago, then ask the Lord to help you close the doors
and keep them closed.
Change the way you
think, the way you live, the things you choose to do. If television
or social media cause your thinking to go in a negative way, avoid
them. If logging on to your computer tempts you to look at porn, use
software that won’t allow porn sites. If going to certain locations
or hanging out with certain people stumbles you, don’t go there.
For me, when I was a young pastor who didn’t have much money,
something as seemingly innocent as going to Best Buy was a stumbling
block. If I went and looked at all the new tvs and laptop computers,
my stuff seemed archaic and I felt poor and inadequate. But if I
didn’t go there in the first place, I could be content with what I
had. By not going there I kept the door closed to a whole line of
negative thinking about myself and what I didn’t have and what I
couldn’t afford.
So then, close
those doors that lead to dissatisfaction, spiritual sickness, and
even death. Open those doors that lead to peace, joy, and eternal
life. Choose to love God instead of the things of this world. Set
yourself to serve God and not the sinful pleasures that lead to
addiction and emptiness. Put the needs of others ahead of your own
instead of continually chasing after your own lusts. Take time to
talk to God in prayer and passionately pursue a relationship with
Him. Read or listen to His Word and allow Him to shape your life and
guide your steps and guard your lips. Let your mind be renewed by the
Word and your life transformed by His Spirit. Let His life flow into
you and out to others.
As you close the
door to those things that quench the Spirit and open the doors to
things that bring life, you will be changed. You will discover that
godly living with Christ-centered contentment does indeed bring great
gain. You will no longer be a “human of very little brain” that
opens the door to gaze longingly at worldly pleasures but will
instead be a Spirit-filled saint of the Most High God who lives in
the abundant life that Jesus offers – a life of unending love,
unspeakable joy, and indescribable peace.
Let’s Pray
Together: Lord, I confess that I have opened the door many
times to things that have done me harm. Forgive me, and help me to
keep those doors closed in the future. Help me to stay away from
lust, covetousness, jealousy, rage, hatred, addictions, and all the
other stuff that pulls me down. Help me to change my thinking and be
transformed through the renewing of my mind, by spending time with
You and reading Your Word. Lead me as I think about some practical
steps I need to take, such as….(keep praying as you feel led).
Action Point:
Identify those points in your
life where you tend to open the door and go after things that will
ultimately bring you harm even if they seem attractive or interesting
at the time. Plan out the changes you are going to make in order to
keep the door closed to things that are harmful. Set aside some time
each day to spend time with God and invest in your relationship with
Him.
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