". . . a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."
Luke 12:15
The secret of contentment is to be satisfied where we are and with the things which we have. Wealth alone never brings true happiness. James said that God hath "chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom" (James 2:5). Paul was a happy man because he had learned to be content in whatsoever state he was (Philippians 4:11). He further says, ". . . godliness with contentment is great gain (wealth)" (1 Timothy 6:6). He did not need much, for he could say, ". . . having food and raiment, let us be therewith content" (1 Timothy 6:8). Hebrews 13:5 reads, ". . . be content with such things as ye have."
Sometime ago I was slowly driving through the colored section of a southern village. On a sand trail in the "sticks," I passed an isolated cabin of a Negro couple. It was only a shack of one room, furnished with a few pieces of homemade furniture. There were no panes or screens on the two windows and the door was off its hinges. On the stoop sat an elderly Negro reading his Bible. I stopped the car, got out, and asked, "What are you reading?" He answered, "The Good Book." Asked what he was reading in the "Good Book," his face lit up, his eyes sparkled as he replied, "I'se readin' about my new house they is building' for me in Heaven. The Lord am preparin' for me a mansion in the great City of the New Jerusalem." Placing his hand upon the well-worn Bible, soiled and grimy by much use, he looked at me and said, "Sir, it's going to be wonderful!" A faraway look in his eyes seemed to say, "I don't ind a few years in this shack, for they're building a mansion for me over There." What a sermon on contentment! I gave him a copy of "Our Daily Bread" and some tracts and went away ashamed and humbled - envying that old toothless colored man on the stoop in Mt. Dora, Florida. I never listened to a more impressive sermon. See you in Heaven, Joe! God bless you!
"Bread For Each Day"
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