If Only...

I rarely go shopping. If you ask my children, they might even tell you that I don’t enjoy shopping. The truth is that I don’t shop because I do enjoy nice things. If I can stay out of places that are trying to stir up my appetite to purchase, then I don’t fall prey nearly as often to spending money better used on other things. By definition, the retail industry must continue to create variations of products and insist ours is outdated in order to perpetuate their existence. Their bottom line is the bottom line to all marketing efforts.We all live an incredibly blessed life by global standards, but most of us think, “If only we had just a little bit more.” As I was recently in Proverbs, I was reminded that God’s apparent “no” on this material provision can often bless us much more than the very things we desire. In Proverbs 16:19 we read:

It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowlyThan to divide the spoil with the proud.

My translation: It is better to be poor than to be proud. That sounds very Christian, doesn’t it? It’s so easy to know that’s the right Christian answer while still being discontent that we don’t have what others around us have. Our tendency is to compartmentalize this truth to our “Sunday” box and spend Monday through Friday pursuing the spoil.Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying. Some would say that all good Christians are poor. Others would say that you’re experiencing God’s favor if you’re wealthy. Scripture teaches neither. What it does teach is that material wealth provides a great temptation to become self-sufficient and, therefore, prideful. Pride is the absolute opposite of humility.As with so many things in Scripture, if we would simply see what strong warnings there are about pride and what blessings come from humility, we couldn’t push away this truth so easily. In the very same Proverb, we see that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Proverbs 16:18). In contrast, Solomon also writes, “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver” (Proverbs 16:16).We must long for understanding and humility above all things. Whether we are rolling in it or scraping by, if we can have understanding we will have humility. That humility is our safeguard, our blessing, and our anchor. All of us can see examples of the prideful in our culture. Rarely are they without many spoils. Rarely are they without wounds.If you find yourself constantly wanting more, I challenge you to thank God that He has seen fit to give you what you need. If you find yourself with much, I encourage you to hold it loosely and keep a firm focus on the fact that we are called to be managers rather than owners. To all of us, may the desires of our heart shift from human greed to humility. twitter | facebook