Looking over the news headlines last night I couldn't help but notice one of the most alluring lines of text:
UberBucks Lottery JackPot at $275 Million!
It wasn't exactly worded that way, but that's close enough. I looked at the headline and thought to myself for a few seconds what does 275 million dollars look like? I don't have the slightest idea, but I suppose it to be rather overwhelming.
I'm not so unlike others that when I see something like this I don't entertain the idea of what it might be like to come into such a large amount of money. There is no question that a windfall like this wouldn't be a sigh of relief. Bills would be paid, needs would be met, and there would be plenty left over to do an amazing amount of good things, in places where good things now lack. After all that was done, there'd still be plenty left to comfortably take care of kids, and their kids after them, and their kids after that. No question at all that this wouldn't be a good thing, in that regard.
It occured to me however, that when you take the time (even if it's just a few seconds) to entertain the question "what would I do if I won...?" that your very first thought after that, is setting your sights on things of this world. Immediately you think of ways to make your life (in this world) and your family's lives better by such things as paying off debts or buying things to make life easier or just more enjoyable. While I don't think there is anything wrong with those things in and of themselves (we'd all like to be debt free and take a vacation once in a while, wouldn't we?) I do think it lends to a potentially dangerous and sinful practice for the Christian if these are things that tend to consume your thoughts.
The Scripture tells us that we're not to be about laying up our treasures on earth, where they will deteriorate and decay, but investing our time and our thoughts toward laying up treasures in Heaven where they will remain eternally. The warning that comes with this exhortation is pretty stark in that where our treasure is, there also will be our heart. Put another way, where our precious and valuable things are, that's where our affections, emotions, desires, appetites & passions will be. If we are so focused on our dissatisfaction with the circumstances that define our lives, we're primed and posed for jumping at any opportunity to become passionate towards such worldly things that we place our hope in, to improve our lives. In so doing, we head into very dangerous ground.
In this world that we live in, it's very easy to become dissatisfied with our lives, and the circumstances that make our lives the way that they are. Along with joyous times and wonderful moments, life is also filled with discouraging events, distressing circumstances, and depressing situations that sometimes feel so overwhelming that its easy to lose focus of the good, and dwell on the bad. Failed relationships, job loss, illness, death and injustice are everywhere we look. For some of us, many if not all of those are things we deal with every single day. This is the reality for countless numbers of people everywhere you look.
So then how are we to be satisfied in this life when such painful and discouraging things seem at times to define the very life we're living?
First, I believe it's critically important to remember that as James said, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14) As well as what Paul said when we are reminded that our light affliction is but for a moment (2Cor. 4:17). It's so important that we keep a right perspective on these things and remember that this life is just a very temporary situation. There is a life to come and that life is eternal, and for those in Christ it's eternally filled with joy, praise, glory in the Father, where all the former things are wiped away. The suffering and discouragement we deal with in this life is incomparable to the joy to come. When we understand this it makes it quite a bit easier to deal with the hard times.
Even with that in mind, it's also very important to focus your minds and hearts on living each day in satisfaction. That's not easy to do for a lot of us, as we battle with the temptations of the flesh and tend to carry ourselves off with a moment's emotional reaction to a circumstance that sets us back. How can we live in a satisfied state when the terminal diagnosis comes, the spouse walks out, the child dies, or the bank takes the house? How do we settle our hearts in satisfaction when the job loss comes, the excrutiating pain flares up again, we're subject to lies and slander and friends walk away? All of these are things we all deal with to one degree or another, every day. While these may indeed be all temporary things, they are the kinds of things in life that can shatter our hearts, leave us despondant and filled with sorrow, questioning what we thought we knew and believed. How then do we find satisfation, or a sense of having our hearts and minds filled without want or need, in any way?
The answer of course, is the promise of God through His word, and to know it, study it, meditate on it, and trust it to reform your thoughts, your emotions, your heart, and your reactions when life gets hard:
The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. (Proverbs 19:23)
Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psalm 36:5-10)
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:8-9)
I hope these words serve to encourage you today, lift you up, and compel you to dig just a little deeper into His word. I hope that when the sense of discontentment and dissatisfaction comes, you might remember that not only is this life so very temporary, but that as you walk through this life that you're so busy laying up your treasures in Heaven that you simply don't have time for laying them up anywhere else.
May He bless you richly today with His great comfort.
