The Prison of Want

[Patricia W]

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From: "Bible Gateway" <Bibleg...@e.biblegateway.com>
Date: 5 Aug 2013 19:07
Subject: The Prison of Want
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The Prison of Want Come with me to the most populated prison in the world. The facility has more inmates than bunks. More prisoners than plates. More residents than resources. Come with me to the world's most oppressive prison. Just ask the inmates; they will tell you. They are overworked and underfed. Their walls are bare and bunks are hard. No prison is so populated, no prison so oppressive, and, what's more, no prison is so permanent. Most inmates never leave. They never escape. They never get released. They serve a life sentence in this overcrowded, underprovisioned facility. The name of the prison? You’ll see it over the entrance. Rainbowed over the gate are four cast-iron letters that spell out its name: W-A-N-T The prison of want. You've seen her prisoners. They are "in want." They want something. They want something bigger. Nicer. Faster. Thinner. They want. They don't want much, mind you. They want just one thing. One new job. One new car. One new house. One new spouse. They don't want much. They want just one. And when they have "one," they will be happy. And they are right -- they will be happy. When they have "one," they will leave the prison. But then it happens. The new-car smell passes. The new job gets old. The neighbors buy a larger television set. The new spouse has bad habits. The sizzle fizzles, and before you know it, another ex-con breaks parole and returns to jail. Are you in prison? You are if you feel better when you have more and worse when you have less. You are if joy is one delivery away, one transfer away, one award away, or one makeover away. If your happiness comes from something you deposit, drive, drink, or digest, then face it -- you are in prison, the prison of want. Paul says that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6 NIV). When we surrender to God the cumbersome sack of discontent, we don't just give up something; we gain something. God replaces it with a lightweight, tailor-made, sorrow-resistant attaché́ of gratitude. What will you gain with contentment? You may gain your marriage. You may gain precious hours with your children. You may gain your self-respect. You may gain joy. You may gain the faith to say, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Try saying it slowly. "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want"” Again, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Again, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Shhhhhhh. Did you hear something? I think I did. I'm not sure ... but I think I heard the opening of a jail door. ADVERTISEMENT This excerpt is taken from Traveling Light. With the Twenty-third Psalm as a guide, Max Lucado invites you to release some of the burdens you were never intended to bear. Order Traveling Light at the Bible Gateway store! Subscription Info Copyright 2013 Max Lucado. Used by permission. All rights reserved. This email was sent to xena...@gmail.com by Bible Gateway, 5300 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530 USA. This email is part of a devotional or newsletter that you signed up for on BibleGateway.com. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact us at sup...@biblegateway.com. Manage all Bible Gateway subscriptions — Opt Out of all Bible Gateway communication