If I asked a million people from across the world this question,
“What do you want the most in your life?”
I am certain these would be the four top responses:
Joy, peace, abundant life, and contentment
Whether rich or poor, well or ill, single or married, able or disabled, all people seek these four things.
Perhaps this is why our forefathers wrote into the US Declaration of Independence, these words:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all … are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Through out much of our lives we remain anxious for the things of the earth that we need for survival, security, and comfort. We routinely ask ourselves these questions:
Can we afford to get married?
Can we afford to have kids?
Can I pay this week’s bills?
Do I have enough saved for retirement?
Even the rich worry about hanging onto their worldly wealth.
Eventually we learn that the things of the earth will not provide us with joy, peace, abundant life, or contentment.
The Bible promises that if we seek God first we will have these things added to our life:
Your joy will be complete. (John 15:11)
You will have peace which passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)
You will have an abundant life. (John 10:10)
You will find contentment in all things. (Phil 4:11)
This is why Thomas Kempis tells us:
“He who finds Jesus finds a rare treasure.
The man who lives without Jesus is the poorest of the poor.” (1)
+++
(1) Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1996), 75.
Bread Crumbs - Devotions for Life 