Happy With My Portion

There is no harm whatever in having money, houses, lands, friends and children if you do not value these things or ones for themselves.  A.B. Simpson

It's about time we stopped buying things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like.  Adrian Rogers

When I left work yesterday I called my husband as I usually do on my way home. Yesterday was his day off.  He had to put his truck in the shop yesterday because it had some issues.  The first is he needs new brakes and the second is his truck keeps cutting out on him.   By that I mean in the middle of driving it will just stop or stutter and stop.  This doesn’t work well when you are on the road going 60mph. 

My husband and I both drive vehicles that are eleven years old with well over 160,000 miles on them.  The beauty of this is they are paid for which means we don’t owe anyone a payment every month.  So we discussed the $700 dollars that it is going to cost to repair his truck. We discussed how much God has blessed us.  I recently had to buy two new tires, one because of a blowout and the other due to wear and tear.  God provided in our time of need.

I admit many years ago I loved having a new car.  Every four years I would either buy or lease a new one.  This started me thinking about how sometimes I long for a new car or a new house.  If I look at it from a Godly perspective, I don’t need those things.  I have a roof over my head and a vehicle to get me to work. That is all I need.  Everything else is a want.

One of the hardest things for me to learn in this life is being “Happy with my portion”.  God provides and if I understand what the Bible tells me, He will provide for my needs.  It doesn’t say He will provide for my wants.  The irony of wants is that it leads to more wants.  When we discover that what we want doesn’t fulfill us or make us happy, we turn to the next want.  I call it “Wantitus” and it is a rampant disease in this world.

If we look at Jesus’ life on earth he really didn’t have much in the way of things.  His focus was on relationships not things.  

• I read a devotional today by Rick Warren and he asked this question.    If someone were to look at your life, what would he say is more important to you: things or relationships?

If you are like me, sometimes I don’t like what others would see in me.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, many times I fail miserably when it comes to things in my life.  When I am happy with my portion in this life, that is when you give me the most wisdom.  If I am striving for more things and I make that my focus, then I have defeated the purpose of my life here on earth.        

Scripture:   Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.   My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.  Psalm 73:25-27

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. Lamentations 3:23-25