By Paul Chappell
"They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his
counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the
desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their
soul."
Psalm 106:13–15
In his day, John D. Rockefeller was the richest man alive.
He amassed his fortune in the late 1800s with the Standard Oil Company. His
wealth was so vast that it is still being given away today, seventy-five years
after his death. To have a comparable amount of money in today’s economy, Bill
Gates would need to multiply his net worth more than four times!
But even with all his wealth, Rockefeller never enjoyed many
luxuries and conveniences that we take for granted—things like air
conditioning, television and the internet. Studies consistently show that, even
though we have more than any past generation, we are enjoying it less and less.
Depression, disappointment, and a lack of fulfillment are reported as rising in
survey after survey.
Why is that? Why do we find it so hard to be content? In
part, it is because of our fallen nature; but it is also important that we
recognize the multiplied billions of dollars being spent on advertising
designed to create discontent. If we allow the messages that are constantly
bombarding us to affect our thinking, we can easily fall into the trap of
thinking that if we just had a little bit more, we would then be happy.
Though John D. Rockefeller was controversial in his business
practices, he was faithful to tithe from his first paycheck as a teen all the
way through the end of his life. As an old man looking back over the course of
his life, he wrote, "I dropped the worry on the way, and God was good to
me every day." Rockefeller was not content because of his wealth; he was
content because of his heart.
Today's Rooted Principle:
If you are not content with what you have today, you will
not be content with more tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment