The Joy of Contentment

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The Lost Art of Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6-10

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain which is accompanied by contentment.”

                  The most challenging quality to possess is contentment.  We can obtain and extol many excellent qualities, but the ability to be genuinely content is perhaps the most difficult virtue to discover. We can demonstrate love, find joy, and have patience towards others, but to be genuinely content with all that we have in the present is elusive and fleeting.  When we think we have attained it, our eyes fasten upon something we want, and we become discontent until we obtain it. 

                  As Paul closes out his instructions with Timothy, he reminds Timothy of a vital lesson everyone must learn, including pastors and those in ministry.   Throughout his letters, Paul challenges his readers with the importance and necessity of pursuing godliness. The word godliness refers to one who not only believes in God but is shaped by that belief so their life is lived to reflect the nature and person of Christ.  It is more than just the awareness of God’s presence and the reality of His existence.  It is a way of life that is consistent with the will of God. Godliness is the most valuable possession we can pursue.  Its value is beyond the wealth of this world. Genuine godliness leads to inward contentment.  Contentment is the inward satisfaction that comes from Christ so that apart from Christ, we need nothing more.

                  In our world, we relentlessly strive to attain that which we cannot keep.  All the things that we deem so necessary to our happiness become fodder for the next landfill.  Paul reminds us that we came into this world with nothing, and we departed from the world with nothing.  When we are confronted with death, we are reminded that all our wealth, all our material possessions, and even all our achievements in life have no value in preventing death or even giving us hope in the face of its presence.  Instead of giving us hope and security, wealth and our endless pursuit of things become a hindrance.  They become our great distraction by drawing us away from what is truly important to that which becomes our ruin.  The tragedy for many of us is that we spend our lives pursuing the insignificant.  We strive to obtain that which we can never keep. Paul reminds us that it is not in the things of this world.  We can easily fall into the trap of loving money, making acquiring wealth our goal in life.  We make all kinds of sacrifices to obtain it, constantly fear its loss, and worry relentlessly about how to keep it.  Ultimately, it does not bring peace and joy; it only brings us unhappiness and grief (vs. 10).

                  We are now confronted with the perplexing question.  How do we obtain contentment in a world that offers us unfathomable wealth and things?  Paul provides us with the answer in verse 6.  Contentment comes when we pursue godliness. We discover genuine contentment and joy in life when our focus is no longer on the possessions of this world but on the possession of Christ and having His character and will as our desire.  Wealth itself is not evil, but our love and desire for wealth become the corrupter of our soul.  Genuine contentment only comes when we make Christ our only desire.  Jeremiah Burroughs, in his classic, “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment,” reminds us, “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”   If you are not content, you are not looking in the right place.  Contentment comes when all we desire is God, and the only possession we yearn to obtain is the riches of His salvation.

 

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