Am I Content…

Am I Content…
Proverbs 30:7-9 (King James Version)
7Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

After watching the movie “The Book of Eli” I must say that my understanding of this scripture has taken on a new meaning. In this film people were fighting over items that we without hesitation waste today. For example a small tube of shampoo cost someone their life, water was rationed out with a price higher than gold. Another part of this film that rudely slapped me in the face (hand in glove) was how ruthlessly the bad guy wanted the Bible (he truly understood its power); I will save this topic for a later date, make sure you look for it.
My gosh where do I start, I guess I’ll mosey on down this vanity path first. I remember when I struggled with this the most. I gave great effort to this for the most part because I wasn’t affirmed by my father when I was young. So like a ton of fatherless children I sought to be accepted by the things in my possession (the little that I owned). We “Down South” folk call this disease “showing off” but what’s more comical is that most people don’t grasp where this syndrome originates until I or someone else with understanding explains it. Vanity is a very dangerous illness that infects the world at alarming rates and only a hand full of people are attempting to administer the cure.
Vanity is defined: when your self worth is determined by the inanimate things one has or the artificial adornments to the human body. It’s always characterized by a “look at me” mentality and our entertainment world is short handed on making things better. Shucks I wore muscle shirts because I knew people would stare. I’m from Miami guys; I wore loud colors because of the potential compliments that I would receive. My God in heaven, lets not mention church…just know that I owned a pair of artificial snake skin church shoes (enough said). And I was always empty at the suns setting as I was the day prior (Let the Church say…Amen).
Now that’s enough of vanity; I started having flashbacks (my mind is renewed…LOL).
How true is this scripture? King Solomon got a lot of things wrong but he sure split the fly in half with this one. Many people that run into wealth, quickly slide God to the back burner and likewise people that are in poverty doeth the same. Is there a middle ground? If we had all that was necessary to sustain life as we know it, would our relationship with the “Almighty” be different? Could we be content with the position of “Enough?” These are all relevant questions for the inquiring minds waiting to be properly addressed.
The question at hand is: Do you pierce yourself with grief chasing after wealth and popularity (this question is posed to the rich and poor) failing to realize that you have your daily bread?
I guess this is why the Bible states; to truly follow Jesus one must deny himself first.

Always in Love,

Kingdom Ambassador