Combatting the Desire for More

Ever heard: “We were happier when we were poor. Why, we used to eat off a card table, put cardboard in the bottom of our shoes, and lived on beans and rice!”

When did we come to believe that more is better?  A.W. Tozer wrote about the simple sounding possessive word: mine. “Our heart covets things with a deep and fierce passion. God’s gifts now take the place of God and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution. To allow this enemy to live is, in the end, to lose everything.”

What enemy? Tozer referring to the enemy of ‘mine’. It’s a coveting heart, replacing the Creator with the creation in our lives. And allowing a desire for more to rule us will lead us to ultimately lose everything. Just ask the Rich Young Ruler.

No wonder so many of the warnings in Christ’s messages were about money. God knows the frailty of our human nature and our temptation to depend upon money for identity and security.

Many people fear the loss of their stuff. They compromise God’s best for their lives to hang on to what they fear they’ll lose, believing those things will bring them satisfaction.

But, true satisfaction comes only in knowing Christ and abiding in Him. It’s a matter of focusing on the One who gives abundantly and renewing our mind on eternal matters. He is the vine and we are the branches bearing the fruit of self-control. Only in Him can we be content without the things the world says we need.   

Proverbs 23:4-5 says, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.”

Check your heart. If money and possessions have grabbed hold of you, ask God to set you free so you will find true satisfaction!

And if you’re struggling with overwhelming credit card debt as a result, get in touch with our Christian Credit Counselors. Find more information by calling the Crown Helpline at 800-722-1976 or online at crown.org/ccc