Joshua 22—24, Luke 3 Key Verse: Luke 3:14
Years ago the only clothes people owned were probably handmade. The same was true of their
furniture and most everything they had. Then came the rise of manufacturing. More things were
available, if you had the money to buy them. With the increase in goods came the increased
desire to have.
The finishing touch, of sorts, was the catalog. It made more people aware of how’ much more
there was to have. The catalog stoked the fires of materialism, a fire that rages in epic
proportions today.
Manufacturing and marketing, however, are not the source of materialism. The source is the
sinful human heart.
Ever notice what John the Baptist said to the soldiers who asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money . . . be content with your pay” (v. 14). John knew that soldiers
used their position for personal gain. He also knew that the problem was one of the heart. The
cure is contentment.
Watch carefully what you feed your heart. Feed it the trappings of materialism, and
discontentment will grow. In contrast, Paul said, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1
Tim. 6:6). Find true gain by feeding your heart godliness and contentment.
Ask yourself if you have these two qualities: godliness and contentment. Sometimes it is hard to
admit they are missing in one’s life, but that is the first step in developing them.

Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in