It”™s a leech.
And it wants to suck your soul dry.
Proverbs 30:15 (NLT)
“The leech has two suckers that cry out, ”˜More! More!”™.”
The fact is, this leech may already be attached to your heart, sucking away your life, and you haven”™t even noticed, because it”™s so “normal”.
Grace-ignoring GREED!
Colossians 3:5b””“Don”™t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.” (NLT)
(Sir Fred Catherwood, Evangelicals Now, September, 1994.)
More often than not”¦we live our days “clinging to the idol of a perfect life”.
That phrase has haunted me this week. Scott shared that with us on Tuesday at our Elders Meeting and I haven”™t been able to shake it.
We live””I live””clinging to the idol of a perfect life.
Here”™s the catch”¦here”™s the real issue:
Is “a perfect life” real? Is this even a possibility? Will we ever find “a perfect life”?
Because”¦if such a life is truly attainable, then maybe we should actually reconsider the god we worship! Let”™s be honest””a “perfect life” would be pretty hard to beat, right?
But the problem is”¦that perfect life we hope for and pursue and run hard after”¦it will never be found.
Why?
Because, if we reach yesterday”™s definition of “perfect”, our discontented, greedy hearts will redefine “perfect” and we”™ll find ourselves still wanting “more”, wanting “better”, wanting “easier”, wanting “more stable” or “more ideal” or “more comfortable””¦and on and on and on.
So goes the endless search of this exhausting, grace-ignoring leech of the soul called GREED!
“Greed is the logical result of the belief that there is no life after death. We grab what we can while we can however we can and then hold on to it hard.”
Have you ever stopped to realize that?
I”™m denying heaven and eternity when I allow greed to rule my life!
And what gives us the hope of heaven and a peaceful eternity in the presence of God?
Grace!
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
We have been given everything we need for life and eternity in Jesus! “Every spiritual blessing”, Paul says””rest, acceptance, forgiveness, righteousness, power, and freedom”¦and so much more!
Contentment is not the fulfillment of everything that you want, but the realization of how much you already have.
So then”¦
I”™m denying the reality of God”™s grace, if I”™m anything less than content with my life as it is right now.
Grace Fulfills
Grace enables us to live the life we have with contentment.
1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19 (MSG)
6-8A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.
9-10But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.
17-19Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage””to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
Grace enables us to live the life we have
with contentment.
David Platt pointedly describes the kind of Jesus we often want”¦
A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn”™t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have”¦A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are”¦A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream.
Mark 10:21-22 (NLT)
21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven”™t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart.
He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.
Isn”™t the crux of the matter really this””do we trust Jesus to give us the very best life possible, even if He tells us to sell all we have and give it to the poor?
Jesus is assuring us that the satisfaction we would receive from such upside down investing would far surpass the satisfaction we have in keeping all our stuff, for our wealth would be heavenly and everlasting”¦not just good for the here and now!
And don”™t miss the vital connection here””it is GRACE that gives us the hope and promise of heaven and eternity and everlasting riches/reward.
Grace enables us to live the life we have
with contentment.
Luke 8:14 (NLT)
The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.
Whenever I”™m “clinging to the idol of a perfect life”, I”™m allowing “the cares and riches and pleasures of this life” push grace right out of my heart and mind!
Grace enables us to live the life we have
with contentment.
David Goetz
Too much of the good life ends up being toxic, deforming us spiritually.
And we find ourselves enslaved”¦clinging desperately to the idol of a perfect life.
Grace enables us to live the life we have
with contentment.
David Platt
The reward of the American dream is safety, security and success found in more comfort, better stuff, and greater prosperity. But the reward of Christ trumps all these things and beckons us to live for an eternal safety, security, and satisfaction that far outweigh everything the world has to offer us”¦The key is realizing””and believing””that this world is not your home”¦ (Radical, 172, 179).
The KEY is realizing that THERE IS NO PERFECT LIFE APART FROM GOD”™S GRACE IN JESUS!
What makes life “perfect” is grace””that takes the imperfect and less than desirable circumstances of our life and relationships and transforms them into something beautiful that God uses to change us and point others to Jesus!
We find contentment when we come to the place where God”™s grace redeems all that we would change about our present circumstances and we find ourselves no longer wanting to change anything.
Isn”™t that what contentment is? Being good with what we have and not feeling the need to change anything?
And isn”™t it true that anything less than being content with the life we have today is idolatry, because God Himself has brought us (at least, allowed us to come) to this moment in these circumstances?
Grace enables us to live the life we have
with contentment.
Conclusion
Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ringtailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple. They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. But he can’t get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him.
Grace enables us to live the life we have
with contentment.