Read: Luke 3:4-14
And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" (Luke 3:10 ESV)
John and Jesus preached to anyone and everyone. Their message and motives were the same. They longed to see God's chosen people returned to a special relationship with God. Hundreds and sometimes thousands followed their uniquely demonstrative ministries. John at one point, after admonishing some of the religious elite for their spiritual malpractice, had soldiers and tax collectors seeking his counsel. John told them to share out of their abundance, and to be content with their possessions.
Today that teaching pretty much flies in the face of what many of us do. We hoard stuff, get stuff, and want stuff. Take Thanksgiving for example, some of us can barely even spend one day offering a token "Thanks!" for the stuff we already have before rushing out the next day to get more.
What if we gave away all that we could to those who are in need? What if we were content with our pay? What if we demonstrated joy that said, "I don't need more?"
The truth is, we should want to help those who need help even when we don't have the means to help them, and when we do have the means we should go the extra step and help them every way we can. Also, we should be content with the stuff we have, not in a way that limits our dreams or holds us back from promotion or advancement, but in a way that puts that kind of pursuit in a proper place among our priorities.