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Key Bible Verse: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19) Dig Deeper: Matthew 6:19-34

When I drove a 10-year-old van, I was never concerned about where I would park it. I didn't worry about someone bumping the side with their car door. When a neighbor kid slammed the sliding door a little too hard, I couldn't care less. But when we bought a new van, suddenly I thought twice about where to park it at church or at the mall. When a kid slammed the side door a little too hard, I winced. Upgrading our van, at least initially, took its toll on my psyche. It was embarrassing to admit, but I was attached to a piece of metal.

I've found that greater abundance often invites more anxiety rather than less. Put in new carpet and see if you have the same attitude the next time people walk into your house.

[The early church leader] Ambrose wrote, "It is not property which makes rich, but the spirit. For the more a man has gained the more he thirsts for gain, and burns as it were with a kind of intoxication from his lusts." He then adds, "Why do you seek for a heap of riches as though it were necessary? Nothing is so necessary as to know that this is not necessary."

—Gary Thomas in Simply Sacred

My Response: Thinking about Gary's story, when have I acted similarly about a new purchase? What insights from this reading might help me the next time I make a major purchase—or consider making one?

Adapted from Simply Sacred (Zondervan, 2011) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.

Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Dear Heavenly Provider, may I trust you to provide all that I really need; help me to be content in all circumstances—both good and bad—and thankful for the many blessings I so easily overlook.

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