Are you content?

Are you content?

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
                                                                             Philippians 4:12,13.
Are you content with what you have?
There is what I and many Christians consider a dangerous teaching circulating in evangelical Christian circles. That of “name it, claim it.” it sometimes goes by “seed faith.”
Simply put the teachers of this as my pastor puts it, “blab it grab it” doctrine, teach that if you give to God’s ministry (quite often a code for their particular ministry) God will give you back ten, a hundred, or even a thousand fold over what you gave.
They treat God like a sugar daddy or super banker giving unbelievable interest on what you give.
Many espousing this doctrine go further saying if you don’t receive the increase your faith is weak. If that’s the case then there are many Christians including pastors who’s faith is weak. Because by far the majority of Christians are not wealthy and when they give to God they don’t get the ten, hundred, or thousand fold increase.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” 
                                                                                                                     Philippians 4:19.
Notice Paul states “And my God will meed all your needs”
The people he was talking to had helped him out and he was giving them a blessing stating God will give them their needs. Not necessarily make them rich.
Now there is nothing wrong with being rich. There are many wealthy Christians that help with the spread of the gospel. However Paul writing to Timothy warned,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 
                                                                                             1 Timothy 6:10.
It is precisely the love of money that have caused people to wander from the faith.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  
                                                                                   Hebrews 13:5.
Our faith must be in God not in money. Wealth comes with its own set of problems and as the apostle Paul said,
“Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
As Christians we need to be always striving to do better even in the area of wealth but the acquiring of wealth should not be the primary thing in our life. It should not pull us away from God.
I have known a lot of people over the years that have worked long hours to try and get the nice house and all the toys that go with it.
When it’s come to a choice to get more overtime to earn more money they have chosen it over going to Church and serving God.
Many Christians today are like non-Christians, they are heavily in debt and striving to make ends meet.
We as Christians need to heed the words of the writer of the book of Hebrews who said,
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  
                                                                               Hebrews 13:5.
Think about it.