E-Mail Devotional for the week of
October 14th, 2012 – More is not necessarily better!
Mark 10:25,27 – It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God….All things are possible with God!.
We live in the most affluent culture the world has ever seen. We have only 6 percent of the world's population, but use almost half of the natural resources. If having more were actually better then we should be the happiest people ever. But we aren't! Not even close. In fact, we live in one of the most dissatisfied cultures in the history of the world.
It is not that having a lot of things is bad or harmful in itself. It is our insatiable desire for more and more. As long as we believe that more is better, we will never be satisfied with what we have. For as soon as we get something, or achieve something, most of us immediately go on the to the next thing, and set our sights on something else. We don't even allow ourselves the joy of appreciation for all the blessings in our life.
Now, we can't solve this ingrained thinking that more is better, in one short devotional. It will take time to overcome this insidious tendency for more and more. But you can make a start by simply acknowledging that more is not always better! Once you can vocalize and rationalize that the problem is always wanting more, desiring more; then you can begin to make changes and adjustments.
Recognize that your happiness is not contingent upon more things in your life! Develop an appreciation for all the blessings that you already enjoy! Take a look at your life freshly, as if for the first time. As you a new awareness of what makes your life meaningful, you will recognize that possessions are not the first thing on your list. What would you be worth if you didn't have any possessions? A lot…you would be worth a lot because God loves you. Your worth is not tied to your possessions.
Dear God, help me to remember that my life is not tied up in getting more and more things. Help me to cling to the relationships of love and friendship that surrounds me. Amen.
Pastor Groe
