What is it in us to waste so much money on clothing? Ken and I
were watching a movie from the 1920s and the mother said to her daughter, "Why do you
want to waste money on clothes?" We, in America, think nothing of wasting
money on clothing. In fact, many women have clothing in their closets right now
with the price tag on them that have never been worn.
What is it in us to keep buying more and more clothes that we will
rarely wear? Is it to fill an emptiness in our soul, to impress others, or to
simply be greedy by having more and more stuff? All of these reasons are wrong
and should be pondered in all of us since I would venture to say all of us have
way more clothing than we need.
Christians are to be people of contentment since the Creator of
the universe loves us and has saved us. We are told that godliness with
contentment is great gain, yet few of us believe this. We listen to the lies of
society that tell us that "just this one more thing and we will be
content." Then we get it and nothing has changed. We will never find
contentment until we are content with what we have and find contentment in
Jesus alone.
Since we all have plenty of food and clothes, we should be the
most contented people that ever existed. Are you content with what you have?
Does not having something that you want cause you to be discontent? Do you have
debt from wanting things you can't afford? These things should not be
definitions of a believer's life. We must learn to find our contentment in
knowing and loving Jesus.
How do we do this? We keep our eyes on things above, not on things
of this earth. Our life is hid with Christ in God. Seek
those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with him in glory {Colossians 3:1-4}. I had all of my children memorize
these verses and I would have to say that my children are fairly content
adults. I don't hear them telling me about all the things they want often. Are
they perfect in this? No, but probably few of us are. It is something we must
work on and continue to seek our contentment in the Lord and not the stuff of
the earth.
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow
not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father
feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?...And why are you worried about
clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do
they spin...Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day
is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much
more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Matthew 6:26, 28, 30
