AUGUST 9, 1 Timothy  6:6

Dad has a respectable job as an engineer in a big company. Mum is a housewife. They live in a large nicely-furnished 5-room HDB flat with their two sons, Peow and Peng. The children are well provided for and do not lack anything.

Peow and Peng attend a school where a lot of the kids come from wealthy families. Most of these kids go to school in their parents’ cars or are chauffeured in big cars. This is a sore point for the brothers. Why? They envy these children who have nice cars. Their father has no car and they have to ake the school bus which is not so comfortable compared to a chauffeur driven car. Besides, taking the bus means waking up early as the bus driver needs to go to different places to pick up students.

Day by day, their envy of others intensifies and advances to the development of a complaining spirit and discontentment. One day, Peow complains to his mum, “Mum, why don’t we have a car? A lot of my friends’ parents have cars. Some even have more than one car!” His younger brother also adds, “Mum, it is embarrassing to go to school in a bus!”

Dear child, do you sometimes feel this way like Peow or Peng? You envy your friends living in big houses and having nice cars. You start to murmur why you don’t have what your friends have. Does having material things equate to godliness? Some people think so but we learn from today’s scriptural reading that when we are contented and do not envy or covet, we are counted godly and so in the same manner, when we are godly, we will be contented and will not complain.

Thought: Have you complained about what you don’t have?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I confess that I sometimes complain about not having things that I wish I had. Remind me that covetousness and complaining is a sin and help me not to do it again. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen