Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV)
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For he himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
“Be content”. If i could – I would change some things in my life. I would have 5% body fat. I would have no disease. I would have a vibrant social life. I would have a house full of family. I would have everything paid off and plenty of money to spare.
What do I have that I wouldn’t change? I have good friends. I have a good job, a good boss and coworkers. I have a roof over my head and clothes… heating for the winter and air conditioning for the summer. I have a vehicle that runs… and so much more.
Some of these are superficial, others have deeper roots. But in asking The Lord for some things I have heard the clear question… “What do you want more?” It is as if He was asking me… “do you want me more than these”? It’s not that any of those things in and of themselves are bad. Many are good. But do I want to follow the path He has for me? Am I willing to forego things that I really want … not just the things that would be nice, but the things my heart wants; in order to stay on the good path He has cleared for me? In the end, the thing I really want the most is to be in relationship with Him and to be faithful… to be obedient… to be “in tune” with Him and His plans for me.
I have to reign myself in sometimes. I ask The Lord for some of those things to be changed. Some things I have asked for for years. So far the answer is no. But I cannot complain if He doesn’t answer as I would like Him to. For I have what I want most – and that is Him. My focus is on the long term – not the short term.
I love that old hymn…
“This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.
Chorus:
O Lord, you know I have no friend like you,
If heaven’s not my home, then Lord what will I do
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore”
In the end, what matters most is what really matters… and what really matters is where I am with God. Everything else is fluff.
“This World Is Not My Home” by Albert E Brumley, 1980 (First verse and chorus shown)