The Envy Trap (2 of 4)
Series: Financial Traps
Jeff Strite
1 Timothy 6:6-6:10
OPEN: How many of you have heard of the tooth fairy? (The question met with a little laughter as everyone raised their hands). I read a story not so long ago about a woman whose 2nd grader had collected a fair amount of money from the "tooth fairy." Every time her daughter Rachel lost a tooth, they'd put it in a small envelope and put it under her daughter's pillow, and behold, in the morning, the tooth was gone and its place was $2. That was just great. Two dollars is a lot of money for a 2nd grader. At least it was until, one day Rachel visited a friend of hers. Her friend was telling how she had put her tooth under her pillow and found $10 the next morning. Rachel then asked her friend's mother, 'Mrs. Kraft, would you mind doing me a big favor? Would you please call my mom and tell her which tooth fairy you use?'"
APPLY: Paul writes that godliness with contentment is great gain.
But this little girl had lost her contentedness. Why? Because she had fallen prey to one of the most devious thieves known to man. A thief that robs more Christians of their joy and satisfaction in life than many things I know of. It's one of the traps that Paul hints at when he says "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap" (I Timothy 6:9)
I. What is this "trap" that can rob us of contentment? I call it the "envy" trap
Notice, that the little girl had gotten $2 a tooth. A 2nd grader with $2 in their pocket should be literally in heaven. That's a lot of money for a child. But suddenly, that wasn't enough… why?
Because her friend got $10 for her tooth. NOW $2 was no longer quite enough.
ILLUS: I recently read about South West Airlines. After the tragedy of September 11th, South West has been THE only big carrier to still be making money (although they are still making about ½ what they had last year). All the other airlines are swimming in red ink and have either declared b ...
Series: Financial Traps
Jeff Strite
1 Timothy 6:6-6:10
OPEN: How many of you have heard of the tooth fairy? (The question met with a little laughter as everyone raised their hands). I read a story not so long ago about a woman whose 2nd grader had collected a fair amount of money from the "tooth fairy." Every time her daughter Rachel lost a tooth, they'd put it in a small envelope and put it under her daughter's pillow, and behold, in the morning, the tooth was gone and its place was $2. That was just great. Two dollars is a lot of money for a 2nd grader. At least it was until, one day Rachel visited a friend of hers. Her friend was telling how she had put her tooth under her pillow and found $10 the next morning. Rachel then asked her friend's mother, 'Mrs. Kraft, would you mind doing me a big favor? Would you please call my mom and tell her which tooth fairy you use?'"
APPLY: Paul writes that godliness with contentment is great gain.
But this little girl had lost her contentedness. Why? Because she had fallen prey to one of the most devious thieves known to man. A thief that robs more Christians of their joy and satisfaction in life than many things I know of. It's one of the traps that Paul hints at when he says "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap" (I Timothy 6:9)
I. What is this "trap" that can rob us of contentment? I call it the "envy" trap
Notice, that the little girl had gotten $2 a tooth. A 2nd grader with $2 in their pocket should be literally in heaven. That's a lot of money for a child. But suddenly, that wasn't enough… why?
Because her friend got $10 for her tooth. NOW $2 was no longer quite enough.
ILLUS: I recently read about South West Airlines. After the tragedy of September 11th, South West has been THE only big carrier to still be making money (although they are still making about ½ what they had last year). All the other airlines are swimming in red ink and have either declared b ...
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