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.” Hebrews 13:5
I know the title to this article may be a bit curious, but it does illustrate a major biblical principle that challenges us all. I will get to that principle momentarily, but first I must share the story that gave rise to this title. Shortly after we bought our house, we made friends with some neighbors who live a few doors down from us. They have three children about the same age as our children. Their oldest son played soccer on the same team as our oldest son. Our children play together at our homes, etc. We enjoy visiting with them when given the opportunity.
One evening at soccer practice, their father told me a story from when he had recently picked them up from school. He decided to surprise them with a special treat on the way home, so he took them to McDonalds and got them all ice cream cones. What a nice surprise, right? Rather than drive straight home, dad treats you to an unexpected ice cream cone. What sweet, delicious joy! Then, the oldest son said to his father, “I wanted sprinkles.” He almost lost his ice cream cone altogether. As we laughed about the little guy’s funny yet frustrating reaction to a free gift from his father, we both came face to face with our own childishness towards the Father and His gracious gifts.
We are largely a spoiled lot in this nation, even the poor among us often have more than most of the world’s population. Yet, we are one of the most depressed and anxious societies in the world too. We are a consumer nation that is fueled by want for more and more. What gives? How can a people so richly blessed, pampered indeed, be so consumed with a sense of what is lacking rather than what we have been given? We have been given a delicious ice cream cone, but we wanted sprinkles to go with it! Part of the issue is that many of us have had it made from the day of our birth, so we expect to always have what we want. Whatever the specific situation, if we are dissatisfied with the plentiful blessings our God has given, we need to reset our mindset. The rest of this discussion will consider some biblical attitudes we must embrace. This will guard us against covetousness and bless us with the abundant life Jesus came to bring (John 10:10).
First, we need to remember the source of all our blessings, our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:43-48; Acts 14:17; James 1:17). This recognition reminds us of our dependence on Him and generates greater humility in our hearts. Growing out of this humble recognition, we must foster an attitude of gratitude to remove any sense of entitlement. What do we have that we did not receive? (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalms 100:4; 106:1; 1 Corinthians 4:7). After improving our sense of gratitude, the next step is striving for contentment with what we have (Luke 3:14; Philippians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 6:6-8; Hebrews 13:5). Finally, the catalyst for all the above is to have our minds set beyond this world of uncertainty (Ecclesiastes 5:10-16; Matthew 6:19-34; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 3:1ff).
God has supplied us with all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He has promised that He will continue to supply our every need, so we can simply keep pursuing His kingdom and righteousness leading to our eternal joy (Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:19). Will we be content with what He has given us, or will we, like my neighbor’s young son, tell God we wanted sprinkles?