If Only I had......

Tuesday March 3, 2015

Even as a child, I can remember coveting things that other people possessed. One day I was playing at my cousin´s house when one of his toys caught my eye. I begged to take it home, and when my parents refused me the pleasure,  I cried and created quite a scene. 

My behaviour was similar to that of King Ahab - one covetous king. Ahab had a neighbour who owned a vineyard. The king looked at that vineyard and felt that it could be better used as a vegetable garden - his garden. So he made his neighbour Naboth an offer : "I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it" (1 Kings 21:2).

But Naboth feared God. He knew that He had said, "The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me" (Leviticus 25:23). So Naboth refused Ahab´s offer.

Ahab sulked and "went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!" (1 Kings 21:4). Soon his wife, Jezebel, plotted to have Naboth killed so he husband could snatch his property. After Naboth was murdered, Ahab immediately went down to the man´s vineyard and claimed it as his own.

"If only I had..." can be a dangerous way to live. The moment we start thinking This item or goal is necessary for my happiness in life, we´ve crossed the line and have begun to covet. The covetous person doubts God´s wisdom, goodness, justice, timing and - ultimately - His love. To combat covetousness, we must pursue contentment.

George Herbert wrote a wonderful prayer that reflects being content : "Lord Jesus, You have given so much to me... Give me one thing more - a grateful heart. Amen" - Poh Fang Chia

Read
1 Kings 21:1-15
Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreeelite. The vineyard was in Jezrel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, "Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth."
But Naboth replied, "The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers."
So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.
His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, "Why are you so sullen? Why won´t you eat?"
He answered her, "Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, 'Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.' But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.' "
Jezebel his wife said, "Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I´ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."
So she wrote letters in Ahab´s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth´s city with him. In those letters she wrote : 
"Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite of him and have them testify that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death."
So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth´s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth has cursed both God and the king." So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent word to Jezebel: "Naboth has been stoned and is dead."
As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stone to death, she said to Ahab, "Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead."

Luke 12:13-34
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man´s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And he told them this parable : The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, "What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops."
Then he said, "This is what I´ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I´ll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' "
But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"
This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.

Then Jesus said to his disciples : "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens : They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"
"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Question to Ponder
How might the culture of consumerism, competitiveness and comparison fan your desire to have more and more?
What can you do to cultivate contentment more intentionally?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Mar 2015 - May 2015 issue