Here’s the Bible verse I discussed on EWTN Radio’s The Son Rise Morning Show today:
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
In an especially comforting part of His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34) for those of us who tend to be anxious, Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t be anxious about our material needs. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need and will provide. Do you believe Him?
In the above Bible verse, we’re once again encouraged to trust that the Lord will provide for our needs. We’re also told to be “content with what we have” for it’s often what we don’t have that causes us to be anxious. That sounds good, but let’s be honest…we all have material needs. Even Jesus acknowledged that. Furthermore, He told us to ask for what we need. How can we ask God for our needs if we’re supposed to be content with what we have?
Basically, this verse is warning us of the danger of greed. It’s the same message delivered by St. Paul when he wrote that “the love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). Very often, we confuse our needs with our wants and we dwell on what we don’t have rather than what we have. By doing this, we often become sad and anxious. So, what’s the solution?
I believe that incorporating thanksgiving into our prayers is a step in the right direction. While the Lord wants us to ask Him for what we need, it’s always a good idea to begin our prayers by thanking Him for the blessings that we already have. In your prayers, do you ever thank Him for giving you another day? Do you thank Him for loving you unconditionally? Do you thank Him for redeeming you? Do you thank Him for the many blessings in your life? If you’re like me, you probably forget sometimes and start right in with all of your needs. In the words of EWTN’s Mother Angelica, “God wants to hear us, but He wants to hear something more than ‘Gimme'”!
Today, let’s all try to be thankful for our blessings and make it a point to ask Jesus to help us to avoid greed. When we do this, we’re bound to be much more grateful…
and peaceful!
(Gary Zimak is a Catholic speaker and author who travels throughout the US and Canada proclaiming the “Good News” of Jesus Christ. In addition to being the leading Catholic speaker on the topic of overcoming anxiety, Gary is the author of the soon to be released book – Faith, Hope, & Clarity: How To Know God’s Will.)
