by Rick Warren
"Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness!” Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NLT)
The more you get; the more you want. That's life. Somebody once asked the billionaire Howard Hughes, “How much does it take for a man to be happy?” He said, “Just a little more.”
That kind of thinking leads you into debt. If you love possessions, you’ll never be happy. You’ll always want more. It’s a myth that having more will make you happier or give you more pleasure. A $400,000 house won’t make you twice as happy as a $200,000 house.
Discontent is all about comparing. The Bible says comparisons are foolish. They’ll ruin you financially. You go out and find a car you can afford and buy it. But you look over and see your neighbor’s car has something extra on it, so you go into debt to buy a car like that – all because of a comparison.
The antidote to debt-inducing comparisons is contentment. The Bible says, “Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT)
Contentment says, “Regardless of the circumstance I'm in, with Christ's power in my life, I can handle it.” It’s being happy in your relationship with Christ regardless of whether you’re rich or poor, up or down.
Contentment will lead to a better bottom line. Content people save more – and go in debt less.