Bible Society of South Africa

One of the easiest traps to fall into is to compare yourself to those who are better off than you are. As a result, you become discontented and constantly strive for more. Very soon you will be so enslaved by greed that you will no longer be satisfied with anything. The Bible warns us against envy:

“Do not desire another man’s house; do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns.” Exodus 20:17 (GNT)

"There are two things, Lord, I want you to do for me before I die: make me absolutely honest and don’t let me be too poor or too rich. Give me just what I need. If I have too much to eat, I might forget about you; if I don’t have enough, I might steal and disgrace your name." Proverbs 30:7-9

"These people think religion is supposed to make you rich. And religion does make your life rich, by making you content with what you have. We didn’t bring anything into this world, and we won’t take anything with us when we leave. So we should be satisfied just to have food and clothes. People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them. The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain." 1 Timothy 6:5b-10

"Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father. The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live for ever." 1 John 2:16-17

"Don’t fall in love with money. Be satisfied with what you have. The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us. That should make you feel like saying, “The Lord helps me! Why should I be afraid of what people can do to me?’’ Hebrews 13:5-6

"I have learnt to be satisfied with whatever I have." Philippians 4:11b

Are you constantly working to "keep up with the Joneses"? Or have you learned that worldly things are temporary, and what really matters is to do the will of God?

Prayer: Lord, teach me to be satisfied with what I receive from your hand every day. May I never do something that brings dishonour to your name. Amen