Contentment
Central Thought: We must not let the things of this world hinder our relationship with God.
Text: 1 Timothy 6:6-12; Luke 12:18-20; Deuteronomy 8:18
We live in a society that is largely dominated by materialism. A good number of people are so preoccupied with the pursuit of material things that they have little or no time for spiritual things. The Scripture is full of the promises of God’s blessings and material provisions for those who fear Him and keep His commandments. Poverty is the state of being unable to meet the basic needs of life.
There are two extremes in the attitudes of many Christians towards wealth – those who think poverty is part of holiness and those who measure their relationship with God by their level of affluence. Both extremes have no scriptural basis. Wealth or money has neither the nature of good or evil. It is our attitude that defines such as good or bad. Mammon is the compulsive spirit behind wealth that creates insatiable appetites on her victims, making them to assume wrongly that more wealth will always bring more satisfaction and more security.
Contentment however is a Godly virtue that should be learned and practiced by all believers. It is a sign of gratitude to God and an unspoken statement of trust in His ability to provide for us at the appropriate time.
1. What is contentment?
Contentment is the state of feeling happy and satisfied with one’s possessions, status or situations. It is a Godly virtue that is necessary for the expression of true godliness. It involves being able to moderate and limit oneself in requirements, desires and actions. By contentment one is able to accommodate himself in his present condition, while patiently believing God for a better future.
The word of God encourages us to be contented for the simple fact that we brought nothing into this world, and we shall take nothing out of it. This means that we can never be poorer than when we were born into this world, and whatsoever we may now have, we must leave behind too.
Contentment is not to surrender to fate of life. It is to be satisfied and grateful for what our present efforts has yielded, even while trusting God for more.
2. What should be the guiding principle for the Christian while acquiring material possessions? Matthew 6:33; Deuteronomy 8:18
In trying to acquire material possessions, the Christian should be under the moderating influence of the word of God and the Holy Spirit. This is because there are serious temptations and pitfalls on the path to becoming wealthy. Lust, greed and covetousness must be promptly identified and dealt with prayerfully. The desire to please and honor God should be uppermost in our rating scale for every acquisition. The actual motive should not be pride, rivalry or self-centeredness. The need for a possession, and the eventual utility it brings to us, our family and the body of Christ should be prayerfully contemplated.
The believer must be rest assured in him that it is God that gives power to make wealth. We must therefore put God first in all our endeavors and we must avoid the easy road of fraud and self-manipulation. Material prosperity have taken many away from the faith and salvation in Christ, and brought them into entanglement of evil fraternities and powers of darkness. Godliness is to be preferred before and above material possessions. Life on earth is just a spot compared with eternity. Prosperity of the soul and the associated eternal life can never be compared with any pleasure here on earth. The Christian should be heavenly minded by investing in things with eternal value, such as salvation of souls and funding or provisions for the ministry.
3. What are some factors that breed dissatisfaction, covetousness and discontentment among believers?
The factors that breed discontentment among believers are numerous, and we may not be able to exhaust them but we have the following prominent ones.
Poverty and want are the major progenitors of discontentment. Inability to meet basic needs to life will definitely generate dissatisfaction. Sometimes the origins of poverty and want in a family are deep-rooted, and may be traceable to failures at the early stage of life. Be that as it may, God is all-sufficient to those who fear Him.
Pride is another factor that promotes dissatisfaction. A false sense of superiority over others will create restlessness and anxiety. It makes the victim to be in continuous contention to remain superior and relevant. Where there is rivalry and unhealthy competition, contentment will be a stranger, because the actors are in constant state of manipulation to outdo others. Where there is lust and unrefined sense of primitive accumulation, there can’t be contentment.
Pressure of life, from friends, family members and relations, and some extra tasks we take upon ourselves may bring us to a state where we are never contented with our possessions, status or situations.
The un-regenerated man thinks there is salvation and security in the abundance of material possessions. He is haunted by yesterday, not satisfied with, and anxiously agitated about tomorrow. There is no contentment in an unsaved life!
4. What are the dangers in not being content?
Lack of contentment results in covetousness. It results in an inordinate desire for wealth or position, and immoderate attachment or devotion to the fulfillment of that desire. Covetousness will make us to focus attention on things which are seen, handled and owned. By it we may lose sight of the unseen and eternal wealth. Covetousness is so subtle and deceptive that we may fall prey to it without realizing it. It is destructive because it breeds criticism, envy and withdrawal. It hinders fellowship and retards the work of God and promotes stinginess. It misleads and perverts the sense of good judgment, hardens one’s heart and dries up the well of human affection among brethren. It ultimately leads to damnation and death in hell fire. Lack of contentment is a fertile ground to plant the seeds of compromise, crime, immorality and corruption.
5. How do we relate contentment with aspiration for better things? Deuteronomy 8:12-18; Proverbs 30:8-9
It must be stated in clear terms that this virtue of contentment should not be interpreted to mean surrender to whatever fate holds in store for us. Contentment is to be satisfied and grateful to God for what our present effort has yielded. Contentment is not to be docile or lacking in imagination and creativity. It is not the folding of hands in piety of poverty. It is not to be a state of suppressed anxiety and not vocalizing our complaints. It is a state where the mind is at rest and at peace with others, with God and with oneself. It is a state of being positive towards the little God has favored us with. It is a state where we see our cup of God’s blessings as half-full instead of half-empty! We must thereafter aspire for greater and better things, depending on God to see us through, and not manipulating our way to what we call success.
Daily Living Application:
Solomon, the king, was able to picture the frustration and futility of all man’s toil when he leaves God out. Today, one may spring up in labor and hard work to raise a vast estate of wealth.
Ponder a little! What has become of the estates of wealthy men of yesterday? What will be the attitude of future generations to all we are trying to accumulate for them?
There is only on point of contentment in life and that is to recognize God as the source of all good things. We should learn to ask Him and go along with His pace.
Memory Verse:
1 Timothy 6:6 – “But Godliness with contentment is great gain.”