There is Nothing that I Lack
Dear Friends,
I have just finished reading Ken Follett’s most recent book, Fall of Giants. It chronicles the origins and the outcome of World War I by tracing several different families – American, German, Russian, British, and Welsh. The book enumerates on the vast wealth of upper class European and American families in contrast with the grinding poverty of the working class poor during the early part of the 20th century. In true Follett style, there are several key reversals of fortune, and by the end of the novel, a few of the characters have switched places on the economic spectrum.
In reading the novel, I was reminded about how much we tend to equate significance and security with material provision. I was also reminded about how much material wealth can blind and distract us from what is real and true. We become so consumed with maintaining comfort and status that we forget who and what is important. It is human nature to neglect our values and our calling when we are consumed by material gain.
Obviously, the novel is not a Christian book, nor is it written from a biblical worldview, but it did serve to remind me to examine my focus. Am I focused on loving God and loving others (the great commandment), or am I focused on the care and feeding of my stuff, because I rely on it for my security and significance?
Today, we can probably all easily list forty or fifty places in our lives where we experience abundance. And, we can probably list several places of lack. I’d like to challenge us in both of those places. In our abundance, I challenge us to gratitude. In our lack, I challenge us to God’s sufficiency. The sum total of our possessions today may change dramatically five, ten, or twenty years from now. Who God is today will never change. Praise Him!
Blessings,
Ron
I suspect there's very little of significance that any of us lack. Most of us are truly blessed but may not have stopped to consider how blessed we are.
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