Are You Overpacked?
Theme of the Week: The Case for Contentment
Friday, November 27, 2009
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Key Bible Verse: True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth (1 Timothy 6:6). Bonus Reading:1 Timothy 6:5b-11, 17-19
I entered a shelter along the Appalachian Trail late one afternoon after enjoying nature's beauty up close. But there was one problem—my pack was too heavy. My shoulders were aching, and my neck felt like it needed one of those thick, padded braces. I'd packed way too much food and dreaded lugging the heavy pack the next day.
So I started giving away dried fruit and granola bars to the other hikers settling in for the night. They probably thought it odd, but accepted the provisions I'd (unknowingly) been carrying for them. I had never been such a cheerful giver!
Today's verse reminds me that if I carry too much, my journey will suffer. Under-standing my limitations has helped me carry my pack. Some of us are stronger than others. A friend of mine carries large bank accounts in his "life pack," and it seems to never slow him down. However, for others of us, our loads are lighter because our heavenly Father knows what we're able to heft. Seeking to fill our packs and pockets is a grave mistake. As we learn to trust God more fully, we know he'll meet our needs—so there's no need to overpack!
—Nathan Chapman in With God on the Hiking Trail
My Response: To lighten my "life pack," I need to …
Thought to Apply: God doesn't call upon us to give up a single thing that adds to our happiness; all he wants us to give up are the things which blight our lives.—D.L. Moody (evangelist & preacher)
Adapted from With God on the Hiking Trail (Harvest, 2002) by permission.
Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Lord, make me grateful for your past blessings, confident of your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
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