Monday, August 11, 2008

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Learning to be Content

"But godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6).

This little verse encapsulates two of our greatest challenges in life.  Godliness and contentment.  As expected, both are missing when we look at the world, but sad to say, in the church we don't often seem to be doing much better.  We tend to be content with a little bit of God and spend most of our time eagerly pursuing more of all of the stuff.  If it is true that "godliness with contentment is great gain," then we must be willing to face the great loss that is ours when the opposite prevails.

We know that we could all be more godly and that nowhere in scripture is there any encouragement to be satisfied with where we are in our faith walk.  There is always more.  And, one of the supreme purposes of www.faith-forward.org is to encourage the body of Christ in this direction.  As Paul says, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12).  We need to go after more of God every day.

What about contentment?  This is so difficult for most of us.  It has always been so, I think, but is it even more so given the dissatisfied society in which we find ourselves?  Each and every day we are bombarded with encouragement to want the things that we are advertised into believing we need.  And, are any of us exempt from the simple temptation to want what it is that our neighbors have?  No matter what we have, we always want more.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:6-10).

I think that we are all familiar with the grief that comes when we go after some-thing that we think we must have for life to be complete.  Do "things" bring contentment?  We know that they do not.  Jesus said, "Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15).  The writer to the Hebrews says,

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'  So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?' " (Hebrews 13:5-6).

If we are ever going to learn to be content, we need to see that we can only be content through the pursuit of godliness.  Contentment is a fruit of God's presence is our lives and in our circumstances.  Contentment comes when we recognize the Lord as our helper and simply accept all that comes from his hand.

In the book of Philippians, Paul says that he had "learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (Philippians 4:11).  It didn't matter whether he was in need or in plenty.  It didn't matter whether he was well fed or hungry.  He said that no matter what, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation" (Philippians 4:12).  What is that secret?  It is found in the verse that follows and simply reinforces what has already been said:

"I can do everything — I can live contented in any and every situation or circumstance that life could ever throw at me — through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

If we are ever going to arrive at the Biblical place of contentment, we are going to need to draw on the strength of Jesus.  You and I cannot ever be content without him.  "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness . . ." (Matthew 6:33).  Godliness and contentment must go hand in hand.  Together, they are great gain.

Lord, help me today to be content with what I have.  May my only desire for more be for more of you.  Thank you for your strength through which I can do any circumstance.  Thank you that you are always with me no matter what. 

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