Content People Save More, Go In Debt Less
“Let your life be a stepping stone to Christ and not a stumbling block.” 1 Cor. 8:13 & 10:31
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify God who is in heaven." Matt. 5:16
Content People Save More, Go In Debt Less
By Rick Warren
“Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness!” Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NLT)
The more you get; the more you want. That's life. Somebody once asked the billionaire Howard Hughes, “How much does it take for a man to be happy?” He said, “Just a little more.”
That kind of thinking leads you into debt. If you love possessions, you’ll never be happy. You’ll always want more. It’s a myth that having more will make you happier or give you more pleasure. A $400,000 house won’t make you twice as happy as a $200,000 house.
Discontent is all about comparing. The Bible says comparisons are foolish. They’ll ruin you financially. You go out and find a car you can afford and buy it. But you look over and see your neighbor’s car has something extra on it, so you go into debt to buy a car like that – all because of a comparison.
The antidote to debt-inducing comparisons is contentment. The Bible says, “Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT)
Contentment says, “Regardless of the circumstance I'm in, with Christ's power in my life, I can handle it.” It’s being happy in your relationship with Christ regardless of whether you’re rich or poor, up or down.
Contentment will lead to a better bottom line. Content people save more – and go in debt less.
Learning to be content requires that you stop any “when and then” thinking –
“When I am ___________, then I’ll be happy.”
“When I have ___________, then I’ll be happy.”
(You fill in the blanks)
The reason we fall into this trap is that we may actually be content for a little while but it won’t last. But, more than likely, someone else or something else will come along and drain the contentment from our lives.
The Bible teaches that happiness isn’t getting what you want. Happiness is being happy with what you have. Look at all the things God has given you.
Unfortunately, we often focus on what we don’t have and forget the many wonderful things we do have, not only material blessings, but far more important things, such as family and friends.
A key to contentment is recognizing that you have the choice to be happy right now with the many things God has already given you. What are you waiting on to make you happy?
Contentment will lead to a better bottom line. Content people save more – and go in debt less.
Rick Warren is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century.