Watch “Made For More: Contentment” Jentezen Franklin, host of Kingdom Connection & Pastor of Free Chapel.

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if you have your Bibles I’d like for you

to open them with me to the book of

Exodus I want to go to Exodus chapter 20

and verse 17 I really wrestled with this

message a little bit but the more that I

kept thinking on our theme and and being

made for more I couldn’t get away from

this thought I couldn’t get away from

what I’m going to teach you today from

God’s Word and if you want to open your

Bible to Exodus 20 verse 17 you shall

not covet your neighbor’s house you

shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or

is male servant or female servant nor

his ox nor his donkey nor is BMW nor is

Mercedes or anything that is your

neighbors I want to talk to you today

about being content and not being made

for materialism but made for such

greater things than just what things the

world can offer the biggest room in the

world is the room for improvement people

live in one of two tents number one

content or discontent no matter how long

you agonize over the dessert menu the

moment the person besides you gets their

dessert you’re gonna realize you made

the wrong decision because no matter how

good it is what you have it’s always

possible to wish you had what somebody

else has we’re made that way the average

family goal is to make as much money as

they are spending but our yearnings will

always out spend our our earnings the

word budget someone said I like this is

a mathematical confirmation of our

suspicions just when you think you’re

gonna make ends meet somebody moves the

ends I see it I want it I’ve got to have

it and that’s how most people live their

lives I see it I want it I’ve got to

have it and so we end up buying

things we don’t need with money that we

don’t have to impress people we don’t

like we are we are impulsive shoppers

look at what I bought it was on sale and

look how much money I saved by buying it

on sale 52 easy payments there’s no such

thing as easy payments if it’s so easy

pay cash and you won’t have to worry

about it but it’s not easy it’s not easy

there are three groups of people the

haves the have-nots and the haves but

have not paid for what they have how

many of you in that last group wave at

me a little bit we need to treat debt

and credit with extreme caution when it

comes to thinking about buying something

new you need to take inventory of what

you’ve already got and here’s a good

formula to live by use it up wear it out

make it do or do without alright you’re

gonna repeat after me ready let’s go use

it up wear it out make it do or do

without if you’re married turn to your

wife and say use it up wear it out make

it do or do without turn to your husband

and say come on one more time I know you

got more in you use it up wear it out

make it do or do without some of us need

to have plastic surgery and we need to

cut up our plastic credit cards the 10th

commandment there’s just 10 out of all

of the things God could have put on his

top 10 list he said do not covet your

neighbor’s house or anything else your

neighbor owns the word covet means to

desire with intent to own something that

you could never rightfully say is yours

another word for covet is materialism

materialism and being obsessed with

things can cause problems greatly in our

we were made for more than material

things number one materialism can cause

worry listen to what the Bible says

don’t be greedy for what you don’t have

life is not measured by how much we own

when we focus on things we worry about

them we worry about keeping what we have

and we worry about getting what we want

money is the greatest worry of most

people when family was having a family

portrait and the teenage son was

standing by the dad and the photographer

made a suggestion and said I think it

would be nice to the teenage son if you

would put your arm up on your dad’s

shoulder and the dad spoke up and said

it would be more appropriate if he put

his hand in my pocket because that’s

what he does all the time as he just

takes my money

materialism can cause you weariness

listen to the scripture don’t worry

yourself trying to make yourself rich

why waste your time some people are

chasing money and they are and they have

pierced themselves through with many

sorrows if you cannot have everything

you need to learn to make the best of

everything you have the Bible doesn’t

condemn wealth or possessions the Bible

doesn’t say that money is evil but it

does say the love of money is the root

of all evil God is not opposed to wealth

he’s opposed to the worship of wealth

and we were made for more than

accumulation of things Jesus taught a

lot about money in 16 out of 38 parables

Jesus taught that we are more than our

money and our possessions as a matter of

fact Jesus perhaps most famous teaching

on money is when he said it’s harder for

rich man to go to heaven than for a

camel to go through the eye of a needle

I’m hope I’m holding a sewing needle and

it has the little slit in the middle

that you would put the thread through

and Jesus himself taught this lesson

about material things he said it’s

harder for a wealthy person to go to

heaven than it is for a

camel to go through the eye of the

needle once you’d imagine in your mind a

big fat hairy camel like that and then I

want you to imagine somehow trying to

get that big fat hairy camel through the

eye of this needle in other words Jesus

was saying it’s difficult to say the

least

so I have a great imagination so in my

mind I said well you know Lord I could

take a big blender and if I put that big

fat hairy camel in a blender I could

liquidate him and if I liquidated him

enough I might could get him through but

then the hair would still clog up the

eye of the needle let me tell you what

Jesus was saying it’s like the Yuppie

that gets a brand-new Porsche and he

goes downtown to a big fancy hotel that

has a revolving door and he rams that

Porsche into the revolving door trying

to go inside of the hotel the point is

this he can’t go in the hotel with that

Porsche what he has to do is get out of

it and then he can go through the door

and when Jesus said that is that it’s

harder for rich man to go to heaven than

it is to get a camel through the eye of

the needle his point was simply this

it’s not that wealthy people can’t go to

heaven they can’t take any of the stuff

with them you only the ground is level

there and you only get in through one

entrance and his name is Jesus not how

much possessions you own coveting is the

mother of all sins we lie we cheat we

steal because we want more it’s like

drinking seawater the more you drink the

more you won’t and we’re never satisfied

so the opposite of coveting is the

principle of being content the first

thing that I want to say to you is when

you receive the contentment of the Lord

here’s how you get it you need to be

more grateful for what you already have

the way you conquer this covetous

of wanting so much that other people

have is you become grateful for what I

already have I want you to help me speak

today so everybody open your mouth and

say I need to be more grateful for what

I already have listen to what the

scripture says true religion with

contentment is great wealth after all we

don’t have it we don’t bring anything

with us when we come into the world and

we can’t take anything with us when we

die so if we have enough food and

clothing let us be content the best way

to be content is to count your blessings

not your cash and you may not have tons

of cash but you have lots of blessings

because you’re sitting in this room and

not in an intensive care today so you

need to count your blessings and I need

to be grateful for what I already have

beware of this win and then thinking

when I get the promotion then I’ll be

happy when I get the another zero on the

end of my salary then I’ll be happy when

I get the car then I’ll be happy when I

get the house then I’ll be satisfied

then I’ll be content then I’ll give

myself permission to enjoy my life when

and then thinking will rob you of a

joyful life a precious life and

relationships that are all around you be

content while having aspirations and

dreams and goals be happy where you are

a farmer lived on a farm all of his life

it was a beautiful farm with the passing

of life the farmer began to tire and get

weary of the hard work and he longed in

his heart for a change he wanted

something new so he called a real-estate

agent and he said I want to sell

everything and they developed an ad and

it was amazing and beautiful ad it read

ideal location acres of fertile ground

beautiful livestock barns a gorgeous

home place streams ponds rivers and

finally the man spoke up and interrupted

the real estate agent and said hold

everything

I’m not gonna sail I’ve been looking for

a place like that all my life if you’ve

got food clothes and a roof over your

head you’re richer than 75% of the

people in the world today if you have

savings of money in the bank you are in

the top 8% of the world’s wealthy today

if you woke up this morning with your

health you’re more blessed than 1

million people who will not survive this

week if you have not experienced the

agony of torture or the pains of

starvation you are more fortunate than

500 million people in the world today do

you have an attitude of gratitude I need

to be more thankful for what I have

right now everybody take a praise break

and be thankful unto Him and bless his

name not win and then but right now

thank him that you are blessed that you

are healthy that you are strong that you

are saved come on if you didn’t get

another blessing you have eternal life

let’s be grateful for what we already

have number two you need to recognize

the limitations of wealth if you’re

going to be content one way to teach

your children the value of money is to

borrow from them money can buy medicine

but it cannot buy health money can buy a

house but it cannot buy a home money can

buy companionship but it cannot buy

friendship money can buy entertainment

but it cannot buy happiness money can

buy food but it cannot buy an appetite

money can buy a bed but it cannot buy

sleep money can buy a crucifix but it

cannot buy a Savior he’s not for sale

and he says come unto me all of you who

are weary and I’ll give you rest come on

he prays in just a minute I I tell you

I’m getting happy we need to quit saying

one day when I get this or that I’m

gonna rejoice this is a good day to be

joyful enjoy your life enjoy your family

enjoy the goodness of the Lord because

one day you’ll look back and these will

be the good old days come only rejoice

come on we’re gonna have a praise party

in here this morning we’ve got so much

to be thankful for

get your eyes off what you don’t have

there’s a story of a king who was

suffering from anxiety and depression he

was advised that he would be cured if he

could find the shirt of a contented man

and it was brought to him so after a

long search they did find a man who was

totally content but he didn’t own a

shirt Ecclesiastes said those who love

money will never have enough how absurd

to think wealth brings true happiness

things satisfy for a while and then they

lose their thrill the Bible says the

rich think of their wealth as an

impregnable defense a high wall of

safety and God doesn’t want us trusting

in things the truth is your money is not

a high wall of defense I don’t care how

much you accumulate your one little vein

in your brain collapsing from having an

aneurysm and B not even able to make a

decision or know who you are or where

you are your safety is not in your money

in your house in the accumulation of

things our safety is in the fact that he

will never leave me and he will never

forsake me and he will supply all my

needs according oh I’m so blessed today

I know I’ve been I’ve been young and now

I’m old and I’ve never seen the

righteous forsaken or his seed begging

for bread that’s a law of safety

security and happiness cannot be bought

as one philosopher put it Mick Jagger I

can’t get no satisfaction because I

tried and I tried and I tried and I

tried but I can’t get no satisfaction

because you were made for more than

things and stuff and lovers and parties

and this and that there is something

missing and it’s Jesus and only Jesus

can

– file your soul if you are witness of

that give him appraised and I’ll keep

preaching Jesus satisfies our soul a man

asks God one time God how long is a

million years to you and God said son a

million years to me is like one second

of your time the man asks God a second

question God what is a million dollars

like to you God said son a million

dollars to me is like one penny to you

the man looked up and said God could I

have one of your pennies and God smiled

and replied certainly just a second

true contentment is not found in having

everything we want but in not wanting

everything that we see true contentment

is not found in having everything we

want but in not wanting to have

everything the third principle of being

content is I need to focus on people not

possessions we can covet so much that

things become more important to us than

people possessions cannot compensate for

successful relationships listen to me

possessions cannot compensate for second

for successful relationships people

bring happiness not things people bring

happiness not things people bring

happiness not things a man’s life does

not consist of the abundance of things

Jesus said he possesses the Bible says a

greedy person brings trouble to their

family striving for riches can cost you

a marriage it can cost you children and

a distant relationship the best thing

that you can ever give your children is

time not treasure its presents not

presents love people and use things

don’t use people and love things focus

on people not possessions the last thing

I want to say to you is you need to look

beyond what’s temporal if you’re gonna

be content life is a blip on the eternal

screen live life in the light of

eternity what does it profit a man if he

gains the whole world and he loses his

soul if you just live for here and now

you’re gonna be a miserable person look

at the news look at the people who have

had great success and it’s not let the

bible’s against success and it’s not

against dreams and goals and achieving

God loves that he cheers us own in our

aspirations and dreams but once you

begin to allow material things to take

the place of what we were singing about

a moment ago there’s no one higher than

you there’s no one greater than you

there’s no one like you Lord nothing in

this life compares to you I’m telling

you that’s where contentment is that’s

where meaning is that’s where a

purposeful life is it’s in Jesus when

Alexander the Great who had conquered

the then-known world knew he was going

to die gave instructions to his officers

that he’d be buried in a coffin where

his hands were outside the coffin

visible so that all of the people who

watched his funeral would see his hands

outside his coffin empty because even

though he had conquered the world he

could take none of it with him into the

afterlife it doesn’t matter the titles

the achievements the possessions the

wealth the fame the fortune that you

assembled the point is if you go to the

gate of heaven and you knock on the

doors and say let me in because I have

this I have that I’ve earned this I’ve

done this I’ve achieved this they’ll say

we do not know you but if you say I am a

sinful mortal man and I need a Savior

then only upon that condition are we

accepted and that’s the profound lesson

that I’m wanting you to get today that

things are here and they’re gone and

what does it profit a man if he gains

the whole world because you’re gonna

leave here empty-handed someone said to

me did your father leave you much when

he died yes he left me everything and so

will yours you can take nothing with you

some of you are ruining your lives and

ruining your families and ruining your

marriages and ruining relationships and

you’re stressed out and you’re not even

enjoying your life because you’re in the

relentless pursuit of things and you

were made for more and when you get it

it won’t satisfy and when you achieve

the next thing and you get a million or

two million or five million or ten

billion it still will not satisfy

because you were made for more and I

close with this but I’ve used this

illustration but I want to I want you to

see it a little different the United

States Treasury the one who created this

says that it has $20 value it’s a new

crisp $20 bill and we live in a nation

and in a world that says your value is

how much you own and how much you

possess if you have a lot of this then

you’re worth a lot is the hidden

subliminal message that the more of this

you have the more important you are the

more of this you have the more valued

you are the more of this you have the

more your worth is and nothing could be

further from the truth according to your

Creator because I can take this new $20

bill and I can crunch it up and I can

throw it on the floor and I can this

floors got some dust on it and I can get

dirt on it and I can crumble it up but

guess how much it’s still worth it’s

still worth $20 according to its creator

and God says I don’t care what you’ve

done I don’t care how dirty you are I

don’t care where you’ve been your value

has not changed to me I’m your Creator

and I love you and I gave my life for

you and I gave my son for you so that

you could be valued and your life does

not consist of the abundance of things

that you possess

praise God men that ought to set us free

none of us all to leave here today

discouraged and depressed and worried we

ought to leave here are different people

saying you know my life is not in just

my stuff my life is in my possessions my

family my loved ones and most of all my

god I have meaning I have value I have

purpose and God has a plan for my life

does anybody hear what I’m saying some

of you are so stressed out today God

wants that stress to come off of you and

enjoy your life the Bible said a

preached on it Wednesday and I enjoy

your wife in her youth and in joy or

through the seasons enjoy one and that

sounds like God wants us to enjoy life

not be stressed out of what we don’t

have some of you some of you are gonna

waste years of your life because Jesus

isn’t the center stuff is successes

things and I’m telling you here’s the

amazing thing if you seek first the

kingdom he just adds the stuff it gets a

whole lot easier with the stuff when he

is Lord of your life you were made from

born that’s why it doesn’t satisfy only

Jesus can satisfy your heart

you

at party more laughs more live more more

have you ever had that feeling there

must be more to life you might be

enjoying all of the blessings that God

has provided but still know something is

missing God has a perfect plan and

purpose for your life you are made for

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