“This house ain’t worth robbing,” said a house burglar who went through every room but only found £3 in change, £5 in a wallet and a few pieces of cheap jewellery. The thief then gave back the £8 he was going to steal. “I think he was shocked,” said the victim later. “He couldn’t believe that was all the money I had.”

We might find this story funny. But we can often go through a similar thing. It happens whenever we try to take something that God has not given us. When we live in envy because we want the things, looks, gadgets or brains our friends have, we only get ourselves into trouble.

Israel’s King David learned this the hard way. In 2 Samuel, he stole Uriah’s wife, ending up with more trouble than expected. He became a murderer (11:14-15), lost a child (12:14) and created a life-long fight within his family (12:10). If we’re looking for things God hasn’t given us, we’ll end up with less than we had to start.

By: Mart DeHaan

To Pray About . . .

Father, help us not to waste our lives chasing things that leave us empty.