Are you content?

Today I was reading from the book of Luke. In fact, I was reading Chapter 3 of Luke, when John the Baptist was talking about the coming of Jesus.

As I was reading I came to verse 14 which reads:

"What should we do?" asked some soldiers. John replied, "Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay."

The last part of that really caught me for a moment... "be content with your pay".

How many of us are ever truly content with our pay? It seems, at least for me, that no matter how good of a raise I get, how well I am paid, how wonderful my benefits are...I am still wanting more? Why is that?

I am sure that we can all come up with a reason for it. It is tied to my past and the way I was raised. We live in a society that values wealth. Americans are driven by career success first. These are all valuable and realistic reasons. However, I think there is more to it.

I was listening to a sermon by Perry Noble yesterday. In it, Perry was talking about the things we bring into our marriage that shouldn't be there, i.e. greed, lust, etc. He also talks about how to eliminate it. Confession, repentance and Jesus. Perry goes on to say (and has many times in the past) that the more you feel your life with Jesus the less effect that Satan and this world has on your way of thinking.

The reality... I have an amazing job that is secure. I have a great salary for what I do. The benefits are unbeatable. I could not go somewhere else and get everything I am getting now and enjoy coming to work. That is the view I need to have... and that should be the view we should all have. Especially during these difficult times when many of you are loosing your jobs, are taking pay cuts. The fact that I have a job is something I definitely need to be grateful for!

If you are like me... then join me in letting go of our greed and truly thank God for what he has given us today!