Live with Contentment
ICS Daily Devotions
1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NKJV) Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
A couple from a cosmopolitan city once went on holiday with their children to a beautiful countryside. This couple often had quarrels and disagreements in their marriage because both were highly driven, career-minded individuals. They irritated each other at home because they brought all their frustration and anger there, leaving their souls exhausted. Every minor flaw in the other was amplified, which frustrated them and made them unable to control their anger.
During their stay at the farm, they observed the slow, mundane lifestyle of the farmer and asked him, “Don’t you think that you are missing so much of city life by living at the farm?” The farmer replied, “I have a closely knit family. I lack nothing in life because of the produce of the land and the herds I rear, and we are healthy.” What a picture of contentment! We may not be farmers, but we can learn to be content, even if we had to live on one income, by making God and family our priorities in life. Godliness with contentment is great gain.
If money is not the god of our lives and our identity is firmly rooted in Christ, there will be no growing discontent or a constant need to compare ourselves with our peers. What’s the point of gaining the whole world but losing one’s soul?
Philippians 4:12-13 (NKJV) I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
The context of this Scripture is that the Apostle Paul was able to make adjustments to his life, whether he was abundantly supplied or experiencing times of material want. He experienced God’s grace and strength in every situation. So no matter whether you are well supplied or need to wait patiently for a breakthrough during times of scarcity, God’s grace is sufficient for you.
We should be content that our family is doing well, that we are walking with the Lord, and that we are in good health. But if we are not careful, we may become frustrated because we have identified with the social class we belong to and the lifestyle we have grown accustomed to. When we become too attached to a certain way of life, it can be very hard to adjust when circumstances call for it.
Reflection: If God limited my income tomorrow, would my joy, identity, or sense of worth fall apart?
Sermon Series: Is Money Evil
