CONTROLLING YOUR WANTS
I Samuel 8:4-5
“Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
When we moved to Vermont in 2008, it was amazing how much God took care of us. He gave me a great job that allowed me to provide for my family and He gave us the perfect house that was newly renovated. We had everything we needed and so much more. However, deep down in my heart, there was something else I wanted. God had blessed us with a really nice 4x4 SUV but I wanted a truck. Could I afford another vehicle? Not really, but I still wanted one. We didn’t have the money to buy a truck that would have been worth buying, but I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. I searched and searched to find a good truck in my price range and I finally located one. It was a 1997 Toyota T100 4x4. I was so excited to get a truck LIKE A REAL MAN.
I was so excited that I looked passed a lot of glaringly obvious issues. First of all it had been on salt roads its whole life and had a lot of rust. I guess I should have noticed the duct tape on the fenders… but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just wanted a truck. So, I bought it. I took the savings that we had and I bought this truck that I didn’t need. It wasn’t too long afterwards that I realized, this truck needed a lot of work. It seemed like every week I was at the auto parts store buying something for this truck. It was taking up a lot of my time off.
I distinctly remember one Saturday that I had off and the brakes were messed up. It was winter, it had snowed a lot and the temperature was below zero. I went out that morning to start changing the brakes out and I worked half the day and because of the rusty condition, I had made little to no progress. In fact, I had broken some bolts and now I made a simple job much more complicated.
By now the sun was setting and I was nowhere near finishing. I remember laying on the snowy ground on my back, my hands were numb as I looked up to the sky with such regret. This is not what I wanted at all. That day God taught me a very important lesson about my covetous heart.
The nation of Israel is going to learn a lesson the hard way as well. They wanted a king to rule over them instead of listening to God which is going to lead to a lot of heartache. Let’s look at a few practical things that we can learn from Israel about controlling our wants.
HOW TO CONTROL YOUR WANTS
1. Don’t Be Driven By Your Situation
Samuel was about to pass away and his sons did not walk in his ways and the children of Israel were fearful about the future because of this situation. So they began to reason and rationalize instead of seeking God and waiting on Him.
I don’t know what your situation is… You may be wanting a better financial situation, a better family situation or a better work situation but often we allow situations and circumstances to determine what we want rather than our walk with the Lord.
Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
When we are close to the Lord, we will want what He wants. I have found that the further I am from the Lord, the more carnal and the more intense my wants become. How is your walk with the Lord?
2. Don’t Be Driven By Others
All the elders of Israel had gathered together to petition Samuel about what they wanted. Not only that, it seems that having a king was something that all the other nations were doing. It made perfect sense to them. However there was a huge flaw in their plan… God wasn’t in it.
Have you ever felt the pressure to have something just because everyone else has it? It can be strong and intense and we can feel pressure to look a certain way or have certain things because of friends, culture or even our own pride.
Luke 12:15 "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."
Just remember, the only opinion that truly matters is God’s. Don’t succumb to the pressure. Be wise about the decisions you make. Some of the men that I respect the most are those that have wealth and choose to do something eternal with it, instead of squandering it on things that will not last. You’ll see them driving older vehicles, when they could be driving the latest and greatest.
If you are surrounded by “friends” that are always showing off and you feel like you have to keep up… it’s time for some new friends. Surround yourself with some spiritual people that are walking with the Lord to sharpen you instead of pressuring you.
3. God Is So Forgiving And Gracious
Even though they defied the Lord, rejected His authority and created a mess, God forgave them and had a plan to restore them and bring future blessings that would astonish the nations.
It’s amazing that God loves us even when we are unlovable. I sold my Toyota truck shortly thereafter and was very content with the things we had. Soon after that, my boss came up to me and said that he was going to buy me a car to use for work. It was an AWD Subaru that was perfect for the snowy conditions and the best thing… it never broke down! Even though it wasn’t a truck, I loved that car because it was what I truly needed and it reminded me of God’s grace.
Is your heart full of wants? Are you feeling the pressure to have particular things or status? Allow God’s Word to guide you, find some friends that will encourage you in righteousness and be thankful to our great God for His wonderful unmerited favor He gives!
May God bless you and thank you for taking the time to read this devotional.
