Scripture

True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

~1 Timothy 6:6, NLT

Quote

Money will open doors in this world, but not the next.

~Ray Comfort

The world we live in worships materialism and wealth, but lasting contentment is not found in wealth. Genuine contentment is a gift from God that comes to those who trust Him fully and follow His commandments. As a matter of fact, most rich people are discontent. I did not say all, I said most. Both Abraham and Job were rich, but they were even richer in faith. They both loved God and hated evil. I did not grow up in a wealthy family. My daddy worked hard to feed nine mouths, and we survived by the skin of our teeth. I am not going to lie, we didn’t have much, but that didn’t keep me from dreaming, and I dreamed a lot, and it was never of poverty. Greed is a temptation for everyone rich or poor. At one time we had both a house and some land and now we have neither. The irony is, I am much more content now than I was then. June was telling me the other day that homeowner’s insurance was going up. I said, “Ours isn’t.”

I was 22 years old when I met June’s father, and he was a marvel to me. I could not figure him out. As Granny said {June’s mom} he lived in a shack. He didn’t have a big pickup; he didn’t have a vehicle at all. I guess he owned the one June and her mother drove, but he never drove it. He didn’t go anywhere. He didn’t do trips, and he never went out to eat. He would walk to the store occasionally, but that was about it. He was the most contented person I’ve ever known. He did not want for anything. You could not mention anything that he wanted. June bought him an overcoat for Christmas which was still hanging in the closet the day he died, and the tags were still on it. He never wore it. He told us he didn’t need it. She gave him a 100 dollar bill the next Christmas and it was still folded in his billfold when he died. He was an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. I never heard him say, “I want this, or I would like to have that.” At that time in my life, I wanted everything. I could not understand him at all until I grew older. Now, I think I understand. I am not saying that I have the same degree of contentment, but I can say I want less, and I am extremely thankful for what we have.

Extra

We give thanks for a good day yesterday. We were at Salem Springs in Limestone County. It was homecoming June had her brother and sister-in-law present plus six other cousins. We had a great time and shared a wonderful meal. We have one blog reader from Salem Springs and it is June’s second cousin Paige who is a sweetheart. She and her husband Brad are faithful leaders, and we are proud of them. Another second cousin played the piano.

Meanwhile at Grace Point we had three Profession of Faith, and we have another Baptismal Service September 8. Lord willing, we will be back at the POINT Wednesday night.

Have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.

Extra/Extra

I was at Danville last night and I shared William Faulkner’s story THE OLD MAN. It is about the 1927 flood of the Mississippi delta that effected 7-8 states along the Mississippi. The old man was on a chain gang. The warden had them filling sandbags and building levees. The warden picked him and one other to take a flat bottom boat and rescue a woman who was up a tree. One guy fell out of the boat within minutes as the storm got really violent. The old man road out the storm and fell asleep when the storm let up. The next morning, the boat he was in bumped the tree that lady was in. It woke him up. The lady said, “You found me.” Long story short they spend days trying to get out of the swamp. The woman delivered a baby soon after the old man rescued her, and he took good care of both. Then they got picked up by a boat going to New Orleans. Over the weeks, they got attached. When they finally got on land she asked the old man to stay with her, but he said, “I can’t do it, I have 8 more years on my prison term.” No one was looking for him. Everyone thought he was dead. He had a perfect out, but he was determined to do his time, so he went back and turned himself in to the warden.

My point was that the story doesn’t have a happy ending. I wanted him to remain free and marry the woman and take care of the baby.

After the service last night, someone said, “Gregg says you are wrong, the story has a happy ending, the old man was better off going back to prison than getting married. Gregg has amazing insights!