TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
Read: Hebrews 13:5-6
Listen: Hebrews 13
TODAY’S MESSAGE
God is always with you. That’s the message the author of Hebrews reminds his readers. When they read it, they would recognize the language. He’s quoting an Old Testament passage from a significant time in the history of the Jewish people. It’s right during the transition from Moses to Joshua as the people are about ready to enter the Promised Land. God steps into this time of uncertainty to remind his people he will always be with them. The author of Hebrews uses this familiar statement to remind his readers that if God is always with them, they can be content. Because God is with them, they can give up their love of wealth and instead focus on God.
Phone screens crack. Cars break down. Pets die. Stock prices fluctuate. People disappoint. Things come and things go, but there is one thing we can never lose. If we’ve accepted the good news of Jesus, God promises to always be with us. That’s amazing. As the author of Hebrews writes, it can lead to incredible contentment. God is more than enough. That’s what contentment is about—recognizing we have enough. If we have God, we have enough. So we can be content. The love of money is at odds with contentment based on God. One pushes out the other. Either we love money, or we find contentment in God. For some of us, this will be a regular struggle. We have to regularly remind ourselves that God is with us so we can be content.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Memorize Hebrews 13:5. Put it on a sticky note next to your desk at work. Write it using a dry-erase marker on your mirror. Set it as the lock screen on your phone. These simple steps may be an incredibly powerful exercise for those of us who struggle with the love of money and the desire to be content in God.
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
March is FASTING. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
