1 Timothy 6:6-10. Paul tells Timothy that there is great gain in godliness with contentment "for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world," so if we have food and clothing we should be content. Many who desire instead to be rich fall into temptation and sin. The desire for wealth can "plunge men into ruin and destruction," for the love of money is the root of all evils." It has caused many to wander from their faith and be greatly harmed.

We know this - we know we should be content in what God blesses us with, even if it is no more than food and clothing. We know that God will take care of us because he loves us. But we have such a hard time remembering it! The standard of living in our country is so high, it is often difficult to see that even just by trying to live up to that standard we may be falling into sin. Are we neglecting our family in order to work more so we can afford a larger house? Are we jealous of our neighbors when they get a new car or a new addition?  Do we "fudge" a little on our timesheets or our final invoices?

There are a million ways that money and the lack of contentment with what we have can lead us to sin. And when we start sinning in small ways for money, it can get it gets easier and easier (and more and more necessary) to sin in larger and larger ways to keep the money, the status, the standard of living.

How much better it is if we just accept what we have been given with gratitude, for we certainly are not entitled to any of it! This godly gratitude fills us with joy when we realize that everything is a blessing from a God who loves us, and it frees us to feel joy for others when they are blessed!