WHY DOES HAPPINESS SEEM TO BE JUST BEYOND MY REACH?

SCRIPTURE:
Then He said to them, “Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of 
greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  
(Luke 12:15)
 
MEDITATION:
The world would have everyone believe that the key to happiness is being rich.
As a result, there are many who have been consumed with greed and envy.
They are envious when others have more than them and they are greedy because 
they are striving to be happy through the acquirement of many possessions.
Many people make themselves miserable by wanting more than they can ever have. 
They suffer from “thing-itis” - the insatiable desire for more, better, and newer things.

When we think about it, there are actually two ways of being rich.
We can either be rich by having a lot, or by wanting very little.
The former is based on money and possessions, but the latter is based on attitude.
Jesus had less than most everyone today, but was He happy? Of course He was!
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, 
but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”(Matthew 8:20)

He may have not been pleased with the way He was treated, 
but the attitudes of others never stole His happiness from Him.
When we can learn to be content with what we have, we can avoid stress and
overwork that leads to unhappiness, instead of what we thought would bring joy.

Whenever the Bible says, “Watch out”, it must have some important information for us.
Even someone who has never read the Bible would have to think, 
“What in the world do I need to watch out for, and why?”
In this case, Jesus is warning His disciples (and us) to avoid 
allowing greed to dominate our thoughts and destroy our happiness.
He went on to explain that the abundance of possessions is not what life is all about.

If we want to build a relationship with the Lord, 
then we need to learn how to build relationships with those around us.
That is not going to happen 
if we are busy building our relationship with things, and becoming rich.

Building a relationship with the Lord doesn’t happen when we go to Him and say,
“Look at all this stuff I have accumulated and look how wealthy I am”.
We don’t need to learn how to get more, 
but how to get along with what we’ve got, and get on with the business of living.

The Lord wants to hear us say something like, 
“I love You more than anything this world could offer me 
and I am so grateful for what You did for me on the cross. 
I want to participate in Your earthly ministry 
by serving You in whatever way You want me to serve.”

ACTION:
Are you guilty of allowing the world to influence your goals and attitudes?
Do you find that chasing riches and possessions is killing your happiness?
If so, then it is time to heed the words from Jesus and 
“be on guard against all kinds of greed”.
Chase the Lord and His desires 
instead of wasting time trying to follow the world’s ideas for happiness. 

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You have given me so much more that I deserve. Teach me 
to be content with Your blessings and show me how to have a contented 
heart. If I have been guilty of pursuing worldly things instead of You and Your 
righteousness, then please forgive me and help me to change my focus, my goals, 
and my attitudes. Open my eyes so that I can see and understand that loving You 
and having a relationship with You is more important than anything else. Show 
me how I can participate in Your earthly ministry.”