A newspaper story yesterday caught my eyes. It wrote of the downward spiral of the life of Mr Jack Whittaker ever since he won the powerball prize of US$315 million back in 2002. His only grand daughter died of a drug overdose. His daughter is cancer strickened and he and his wife has filed for divorce. He has a long list of indiscretions made public and an inability to trust others. 'I don't have any friends,' he said. 'Every friend that I've had, practically, has wanted to borrow money or something and of course, once they borrow money from you, you can't be friends anymore.' He had trouble also in keeping the law. In all, he said, he has been involved in 460 legal actions since winning.
Sounds familiar? There are numerous cases of lives being destroyed because of a sudden change in material status. Judging by the queues at the Toto/4D outlets speak volume of the people pursuing a quick way to riches and a supposedly blissful life thereafter. With the new casinos in Integrated Resorts coming up in 2009, we can foresee more social problems surfacing.
As christians, we must guard our hearts against the pursuit of material wealth. The Bible warns us that "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. " (1 Timothy 6:10).
The cure ? Contentment! "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:" (Philippians 4:11)
The steps to contentment?
1. Prayer ( Philippians 4:6,7). Not being anxious and leaving it all to God will bring peace, resulting in contentment.
2. Guard the ambitions of our heart and to control the preoccupation of our mind. Read Psalms 131 - David's example
3. Maintain our Christian priorities. Knowing that we are a redeemed child of God helps us to view issues with the right perspectives.
May God teach us the grace of contentment.
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