ICS Daily Devotions
Godliness with Contentment Is Great Gain

Dallas Willard who was a renowned spiritual formation director said, “What matters is not the accomplishments you achieve; what matters is the person you become.” (quoted in Soul-Keeping by John Ortberg)

1 Timothy 6: 9 (NKJV) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Scripture clearly warns us that there will be snares, traps, and many foolish and harmful lusts that will drown those men who have a love for money in destruction and perdition. They will bring about many sorrows.

When we join a new company there is always a clause when there is a promise of a big pay out in the form of a bonus or shares given to us. The unspoken expectation of the clause will be for us to give up our time with our family and loved ones. Yes, they pay us, but they will also squeeze us. Of course, the family is promised a certain lifestyle in exchange for our time spent with the company. If we do not make a stand regarding what is important and priceless to us, then we will cave in on the demand.

We will probably not have much time to spend with the Lord. We might not even have time for corporate worship. We will slowly but surely be more and more emotionally detached from our spouse because there is no quality time spent together. We will lose our spouse as our soul mate. We will relinquish all responsibilities as a father or mother to the person assigned to look after the family. We are dealing with the demands of a job that needs us almost 24/7 when we are having conference calls due to the different time zones. We might be frustrated at work because we have a boss who only demands and never seems to understand.

We are drained emotionally because we are angry, frustrated and disappointed meanwhile the person staying at home is also overwhelmed, neglected and lonely. We argue and complain about our lives, but we still want that certain lifestyle. Sorrows, resentment and anger have crept into our lives. Our soul is not prospering although we are doing well financially. What kind of a man or woman will we become at the end of this pursuit?

1 Timothy 6:6-7(NKJV) Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Godliness with contentment means we are to make adjustments to ensure that our lives line up with the values and priorities that we have set forth to achieve especially during critical times. All of us are able to learn to be content even if we need to live on one income to make God and family as priorities in our lives. Godliness with contentment is great gain indeed!

Sermon Series: Balancing Godliness and Riches