Trapped!
Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 6:6-10
If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
1 Timothy 6:8
You are driving along with your friends, and the wind is blowing through the open sunroof of your car. Everything's great-until you look in the rearview mirror and see the police lights behind you. The radar has caught you speeding. You're trapped!
Traps work because they take hold of us when we least expect it. But it's possible to be caught not only in a speed trap. It's possible to be caught in a greed trap.
Let's say you just bought a new house. It was a little more than you planned on paying, so you started working a few more hours to cover your payments. Not long afterward your neighbor showed you her new car. You couldn't shake that restless gnawing at your insides. So you got a new car too. Now by the time you finish work each day and drive your nice car back to your new house, you have neither time nor energy for anything else. You're so strapped financially that you can't begin to think about helping the poor in your town or city, let alone the starving masses around the world. Trapped!
The apostle Paul tells us how to avoid being trapped by greed when he says, "If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." So take a few moments and ask how it is with you and your family. Are you content? Or has greed got you in a corner? Don't let the love of money pierce you with grief.
Father, you have taught us to pray for our daily bread, and you have promised to provide all we need. May we be content to trust in you for all things. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — John Van Schepen
Dr. John Van Schepen is a retired pastor who served churches in Washington, Wisconsin, Indiana, Oregon and California. He and his wife, Willie, have been blessed with five children and several grandchildren.
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