Heb. 13:5-6

5 Let your conversation [tropos] be without covetousness [aphilarguros]; and be content [arkeo] with such things as ye have [pareimi]: for [gar] he [autos] hath said [ereo], I will never [ou me] leave [aniemi] thee [se], nor [oude] [ou me] forsake [egkataleipo] thee [se].

6 So that [hoste] we [hemas] may boldly [tharrheo] say [lego], The Lord [kurios] is my [emoi] helper [boethos], and [kai] I will [phobeo] not [ou] fear [phobeo] what [tis] man [anthropos] shall do [poieo] unto me [moi]. KJV-Interlinear

5 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, 6 so that we confidently say, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me? NASB

God has put up with humanity for all of its history over these several thousands of years now. And He put up with humans all of this time just so you could be here on earth now.

He could have ended human history long ago. But He didn t. You think that He might have had other ideas for history and you just happened along? And in that, you are wrong. Certainly God has lots of things happening in history all at once, but your life is an integral part of human history. That makes you important.

God has given you something of great value too your spiritual life. God has also allowed all of the things of our temporal life to exist so we could live and survive in this world while we grow up spiritually.

Now you can place your trust in those temporal things, or you can place your trust in Gods provision especially in His doctrine.

Note that money is not the problem. Money just represents the things of this world. You could easily substitute sex, drugs, food, chocolate, sleep, television, social life, entertainment, work, career, hobbies, or anything you can imagine that can occupy a persons desires or focus on life.

When you lust or desire something else, anything else in life, to the exclusion of Bible doctrine, then you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Covetousness, or distractions from doctrine, even greed, follow a principle of increasing insatiable desires that produce decreasing satisfaction, a form of the law of diminishing returns. The more you put into the things of this world, the less you will get out of them.

No matter what you will have in life, it will never be the source for your happiness, success, or contentment. Satisfaction requires a capacity for and an orientation to, life.

That capacity demands that you learn about life, and that learning comes from only one source Gods Word.

In the last few lessons we studied marriage and the role of the husband and the wife, we studied prejudice and the attitudes that people can have selectively for one class of people as opposed to another class. The class being a product of your discrimination. We studied hospitality, and various views that people can have when they interact with others.

You can be selective too, with respect to our studies and decide that you will agree with one thing and disagree with another. And that is where your failure in life will start. You cannot have life both ways. You cannot choose from the things God teaches, things which are agreeable with you, and substitute your own ideas for those things of God with which you disagree.

That is a form of material lust. The material you are pursuing in this case is your own righteousness as opposed to Gods.

1 Tim. 6:17

17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. NASB

Luke 12:15

Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. NASB

Psa. 62:10

10 Do not trust in oppression, And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. NASB

Prov. 23:5

5 When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings, Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens. NASB

Deut. 31:6

6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. NASB

Josh. 1:5

5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. NASB

Psa. 118:6

6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? NASB

God has given us all an opportunity for a great commission in this life and a phenomenal blessing package for all of eternity. Don t you think that He will provide for our meager needs while we are here on this earth?

Would it be worth while pursuing something that is temporary while excluding something that is permanent?

If God has waited through all of human history just so you can be born, won t He remain in your life, throughout your life?

Is God not greater than anything in this universe?

So, if you pursue your spiritual life, without trying to compromise away portions of it, without throwing it away as Esau did, then isn t it prudent to stick with Gods Word, which is phenomenally valuable, instead of trading it away for something that will gain you nothing?

Now, don t misunderstand. Money is not the bad boy here. Your attitude is. If you have an opportunity to make a lot of money, or to have fun, or to pursue the things that you enjoy in life, then by all means go for it. Just remember your spiritual life and persevere in that too. Don t exclude one from the other. Have a balanced life, not a lopsided life.

Pursuing worldly things without a spiritual life gains you nothing. But too, pursuing a spiritual life while excluding your temporal life will result in your making mistakes, also resulting in your having a compromised spiritual life. The two lives need to be synchronized together so that your application of Bible doctrine to your daily life will aid in your learning, resulting in an even better spiritual life. Don t pursue extremes in either direction.

Don t play games with something as valuable as your spiritual life.

Now is the time to post a prayer.