#contentment #stories #motivation #money #wealth #poor #rich #wealth #covetousness
Sunday 3rd of September 2023
Otakada.org content count – 2,221,779
2 STORIES ON CONTENTMENT: 23 SCRIPTURES TO EXPLORE – Money, Wealth, Poor, Rich and Contentment are they linked?
QUESTION TO CONSIDER:
Money, Wealth, Poor, Rich, Contentment and covetousness : Are they linked?
Do we always find ourselves wanting more than we need? Do we covet other people’s spiritual gifts, people or things?
Are we having sleepless nights because we can’t seem to be able to acquire more like the other sister or brother next door?
Are our prayer requests always about me, myself and I and always wanting more than we already have?
SOMETHING TO MEDITATE ON:
Have you, in the cause of your life’s journey experienced people who have so much but crave what you have, tell it to your face and will do anything to get it? Have you read about rich nations going after poor nations and dispossessing them of what will make a difference in the lives of these poor nations? It happens everywhere and everyday in inter-personal relationships. The bible calls this fruit – Lack of contentment and covetousness. We must take inventory of our lives to be sure this rotten fruit is not in us.
Let’s dive into the two stories today and the 23 scriptures for further clarity.
Story 1 – WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN THE 99 CLUB?
There was a king; since he had lots of responsibilities and huge amount of pressure on his shoulder, he was always stressed. He used to see his servant who was very happy. He was very happy with his work and family, he had no stress, and he used to work hard but enjoy his work and was contented with his life. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy?
The King asked the servant, “Why are you so happy?”
The man replied, “Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and Idon’t need too much – just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies.”
The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted minister. After hearing the King’s woes and the servant’s story, the minister said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club.”
“The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?” the King inquired curiously.
The minister replied, “Your Majesty, just wait a bit, you yourself will realize what I mean.”
The minister then kept a small bag with 99 gold coins outside the servant’s house. Next day when the servant saw the bag he was ecstatic. He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins.
‘What could’ve happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!’ he wondered. He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he would have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.
From that day he started to work really hard and hard, and could not give enough attention to his family. He was completely focused on earning that one more coin. He stopped enjoying his work.
Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King got puzzled. When he sought his Minister’s help, the Minister said, “Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club.”
He continued, “The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never content, because they’re always yearning and striving for that extra 1 telling to themselves: “Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life.”
We can be happy even with very little in our life, but the minute we’re given something bigger and better, we want more!!! We lose our sleep, our happiness; we hurt the people around us. We lose all this at a price of our growing greed and desire. That’s what joining The 99 Club is all about. Got it?
Story Two – THE TOURIST AND THE FISHERMAN
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village.
An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
“Not very long,” answered the Mexican.
“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, “But what do you do with all your time?”
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs…I have a full life.”
The American interrupted, “I have a degree in business management and I can help you!”
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.”
“You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.
“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American. “And after that?”
“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stock and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?”
“After that – and this is the best part – you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, catch a few fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends!”
The fisherman looked at the businessman quizzically and asked, “What do you think I am doing now?”
CONSIDER THIS:
Money, wealth, Rich, Poor and contentment are not necessarily linked. If they were, there would be no such thing as a miserable rich person or a happy poor one.
What do you think is the main ingredient for a life worth living, brimming with inner peace and contentment? Let’s go into the book of life – The Bible and explore for further details
23 BIBLE VERSES ABOUT CONTENTMENT
Contentment is the state of being satisfied with what you have, and not desiring more. The Bible contains many verses about finding contentment in our relationship with God and not through accumulating possessions. Here are some of Bible verses about contentment to get you started!
Be Content in Every Situation:
Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
2 Corinthians 12:10
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
1 Corinthians 7:17
Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.
Be Content with What You Have:
Luke 12:15
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
1 Timothy 6:6-8
Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Matthew 6:19-21
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Proverbs 16:8
Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
Proverbs 15:16
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.
Proverbs 30:8-9
Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.
Find Your Contentment in Serving God:
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 16:25
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
God will Provide for Your Needs:
Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Luke 12:24
Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
Psalm 34:10
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Jesus’ Warning about Covetousness:
Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’
But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Prayer:
Father, thank You for bringing clarity to our hearts today concerning the matter of lack of contentment and covetousness. Like David said in Psalm 139:23 , no one can know all his or her faults. We ask today that You search us Oh Lord and know our hearts, try us and know our thoughts and if there be any wicked way in us, cleanse us through the precious blood of Jesus Christ and lead us into righteous contented thinking, actions and life everlasting in Jesus name, 🙏
Conclusion:
What are your answers to questions asked above? What step will you take to avoid this rotten fruit? What commitment are you willing to make to the Lord concerning living in contentment?
Happy Sunday!
Share with us!
Share content to others who might need this post for equipping and spiritual growth!
By all means possible stay in the realm of contentment everyday!
Shalom!
Ambassador Monday O. Ogbe
God’s Eagle Ministries
Https://www.otakada.org –
Where we are seeding the Nations with God’s word and God is transforming lives through His timeless truth, one content at a time – We are one in Christ Jesus, Let’s stay one – Evangelism, Discipleship, Counseling, Healing, Deliverance, Restoration and Prayer without Walls, Borders and Denominations
Responses:
Friends, following our post on contentment yesterday to our over 2000 WhatsApp broadcast recipients, we received these two amidst other worthy of sharing. One from Tano in Lagos and the second from anonymous source for our reflection.
By the way, the sanitized copy of the contentment post can be found via the blog post link.
*Tano, Lagos*
Interesting topic! Both illustrations are explicit. I had come across that of the fisherman before.
Speaking about Nigeria of the 1970s, the area where I grew up in particular, people were more contented. Maybe I saw it like that because I was a child & naive. But I know people didn’t bother so much about amassing wealth the way people do now.
404 or 504 later, as it were, and VW Beetle cars were in vogue. Most homes had none but it made no difference. In primary school, most of us walked to & from school. Some didn’t have shoes. I remember I had a pair of brown Bata Cortina shoes. However, some classmates who walked to school barefooted made derogatory remarks about my shoes, all in a bit to draw attention from their lack of shoes. I laugh as I think of it now. Oh, kids! A few rich kids like Rotimi, whose father was said to be a car dealer, was chauffeur-driven to school. Then some children of army officers like Emilia. We admired them but didn’t envy them to the point of loathing our parents for not being like theirs.
Over the years, values have changed. Some say it’s Western influence. Others blame it sundry reasons.
In song lyrics, we hear:
“we wan hammer”
“get rich or die trying.”
In primary or secondary school, we dreamed of becoming professionals. Some of us wrote the degrees we desired beneath our names in our textbooks. Who does that now?
I’ve heard youth say “education na scam.” It’s either you have money and loads of it or no one respects you. People even ask you “na grammar we go chop?” On evangelism sometime ago, I distributed tracks and heard comments veiled as jokes but I know they meant it when they said: “Ordinary paper? I tink say money go join am.”
Yes, they have have a point. Downturn in economy has taken a toll on many people. I think evangelism needs to borrow a leaf from Luke 9:13, sometimes, especially in poverty ravaged communities.
I think I have digressed. Back to the point. Godliness with contentment is how it should be. (1Tim. 6:6) God’s standards don’t reduce because man’s standards have. I pray that the Lord helps us, as we look up to him (Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 32:8) and try in our various ways to do the right thing.
*Anonymous Source:*
WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK.
A generation that walked to school and then walked back.
A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street.
A generation that spent all their free time in the streets with their Friends.
A generation that played hide and seek when dark.
A generation that made mud cakes.
A generation that collected sports cards.
A generation that found, collected and washed & Returned empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each , then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.
A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.
A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.
A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings of their life experiences as a Kid.
A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.
A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.
A generation that had parents who were there.
A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn’t know we were still awake.
A generation that is passing and unfortunately it will never return no matter how hard we try.
I loved Growing up when I did. it was the best of times.
Shalom!
Ambassador Monday O. Ogbe
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About Author
Friends, following our post on contentment yesterday to our over 2000 WhatsApp broadcast recipients, we received these two amidst other worthy of sharing. One from Tano in Lagos and the second from anonymous source for our reflection.
By the way, the sanitized copy of the contentment post can be found via the blog post link.
*Tano, Lagos*
Interesting topic! Both illustrations are explicit. I had come across that of the fisherman before.
Speaking about Nigeria of the 1970s, the area where I grew up in particular, people were more contented. Maybe I saw it like that because I was a child & naive. But I know people didn’t bother so much about amassing wealth the way people do now.
404 or 504 later, as it were, and VW Beetle cars were in vogue. Most homes had none but it made no difference. In primary school, most of us walked to & from school. Some didn’t have shoes. I remember I had a pair of brown Bata Cortina shoes. However, some classmates who walked to school barefooted made derogatory remarks about my shoes, all in a bit to draw attention from their lack of shoes. I laugh as I think of it now. Oh, kids! A few rich kids like Rotimi, whose father was said to be a car dealer, was chauffeur-driven to school. Then some children of army officers like Emilia. We admired them but didn’t envy them to the point of loathing our parents for not being like theirs.
Over the years, values have changed. Some say it’s Western influence. Others blame it sundry reasons.
In song lyrics, we hear:
“we wan hammer”
“get rich or die trying.”
In primary or secondary school, we dreamed of becoming professionals. Some of us wrote the degrees we desired beneath our names in our textbooks. Who does that now?
I’ve heard youth say “education na scam.” It’s either you have money and loads of it or no one respects you. People even ask you “na grammar we go chop?” On evangelism sometime ago, I distributed tracks and heard comments veiled as jokes but I know they meant it when they said: “Ordinary paper? I tink say money go join am.”
Yes, they have have a point. Downturn in economy has taken a toll on many people. I think evangelism needs to borrow a leaf from Luke 9:13, sometimes, especially in poverty ravaged communities.
I think I have digressed. Back to the point. Godliness with contentment is how it should be. (1Tim. 6:6) God’s standards don’t reduce because man’s standards have. I pray that the Lord helps us, as we look up to him (Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 32:8) and try in our various ways to do the right thing.
*Anonymous Source:*
WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK.
A generation that walked to school and then walked back.
A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street.
A generation that spent all their free time in the streets with their Friends.
A generation that played hide and seek when dark.
A generation that made mud cakes.
A generation that collected sports cards.
A generation that found, collected and washed & Returned empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each , then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.
A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.
A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.
A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings of their life experiences as a Kid.
A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.
A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.
A generation that had parents who were there.
A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn’t know we were still awake.
A generation that is passing and unfortunately it will never return no matter how hard we try.
I loved Growing up when I did. it was the best of times.
Shalom!
Ambassador Monday O. Ogbe