Humility and Contentment

Humility and Contentment

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have brother Soo Ewe Jin give us the message on the Parable of the Rich Fool. It was a very meaningful message from a very wise brother, who had gained invaluable strength and maturity in facing death during his two battles with cancer.

The parable of the rich fool is the story of a rich man who built up bigger barns for himself in view of his great harvest. He thought to himself that he had many years to lie back and enjoy his wealth. However, he never expected that God would demand his life of him that very night, and he would not be able to enjoy all the wealth that he had stored up for himself. In today’s context, one could imagine a successful executive who was suddenly given three times his salary, the best company car, the biggest bonus, and just three days later, found his life required of him.

The parable of the rich fool causes us to look at a very fundamental fault in human nature – greed. Greed is good, say capitalists and the money men of Wall Street. It is greed that drives the economy, that lifts humanity up to higher heights, they claim. Yet it is greed that causes Wall Street to collapse every 10 years or so, and greed that so quickly destroys families and lives all over the world. And greed comes in many forms, none the more obvious than the greed of money. Jesus warned us against all kinds of greed. Greed for gadgets are very common these days, the latest I-Phone, the latest LCD TV, the latest Mega-Stereo System. Brother Ewe Jin himself found himself drawn towards an uncontrollable collection of DVDs that he was ultimately convicted to let go off. Some are greedy for endless entertainment, endless pleasure, endless self-gratification. Tiger Woods, in his public confession conceded that he had deceived himself, thinking that because he had worked so hard to get where he was, he deserved to enjoy the temptation around him. He was deceived to think that the normal rules did not apply to him, and satisfied his greed to a point of almost no return.

But what is the cure of greed? It is humility and contentment! Humility is a constant awareness that we are human, and no matter who we are, or how we rise in the eyes of the world, we are the same before God, and we need to answer to Him for the deeds done in the flesh. The rich are often given many privileges, even treated as more credible in court, but rich or poor, there is no difference in the eyes of God. We are all sinners alike, in need of the grace of God. Humility is being aware of the shortness of human life, that at any time, one may be called back to the Creator and all the wealth, the goods stored up for one’s self will be just utterly meaningless.

Contentment is being satisfied with what one’s has, no matter how little. Brother Soo may drive only a Kembara compared to the BMW’s and Volvo’s of the rich, but he is content that he has a car at all. Brother Soo spent 6 years of his life at home with his children as a house-husband. Well-meaning friends and relatives chided him severely. You must work hard and earn as much as you can when you are young, they said, and perhaps they were right from the eyes of the world, but to brother Soo and his wife, the years spent with their children in their growing years were worth far more than any amount of money. And to this day, the closeness his children are to him and his wife bear testament to the correct decision they made to take turns to be at home with their kids to nurture them and be with them in their formative years.

The famous preacher John Wesley absolved to live as simply as he could, and give away everything else he earned in excess. And brother Soo pointed in particular to two great role model couples who greatly impacted him in his Christian life. First was our own Pastor Micky and sister Kun Han, whose home and love was always open to anyone who would come to them for help and need. Once, they even took in a dying lady from Batu Pahat who had no where to go to. The lady died in their house, and they had a funeral service for her there and then only sent her back to Batu Pahat. They always resolved to live simply and humbly in service to God, and the trappings of material things was never of importance to them.

Likewise, brother Soo was greatly impacted by Reverend Peter and Betty Young, who freely gave to whatever good cause they could find. They only have two properties, two burial plots which they purchased at a discount, but they are rich and happy in the Lord. Even the proceeds from Betty Young’s well-written books are given to charity.

When we feel discontented, or discouraged with our current lives, it is just so meaningful to consider great role models such as these who were so content in living simple lives and serving God. People who see them see Jesus Christ in them.

May we too, friends, brothers and sisters find that humility and contentment, that we may live lives to the full in Jesus Christ, irregardless of how much or how little we have.

God bless, Jason