Learning To Be Content, I Timothy 6:6-10
Introduction
Here in America we are taught from birth that if we work hard enough we can have the all American dream; a big house with a two car garage, the man or woman of our dreams, 1 cat, 1 dog and 2.5 children. And many of us do have those things.
The reality though is that instead of a perfect imaginary house with a sparkling white picket fence, we find ourselves in a real house that is in constant need of repair! Instead of a Mercedes and a BMW in the garage, we have a car we use for parts to keep the other one running!
The man or woman of our dreams doesn’t live with us, we have their twin brother or sister who is grumpy in the morning and snores at night! The cat wakes us up at night meowing at shadows and the dog turned out to be a Saint Bernard whose favorite past time is eating the insoles out of our favorite shoes!
And oh, what about the 2.5 children of our dreams? It turns out that Hyperactivity disorder really does run in our families too!
We live in the real world, don’t we? God has given us many beautiful things. Imperfect houses that keep us safe, imperfect cars that take us from here to there.
He has given us pets to comfort us when we feel sad, faulty spouses to love us in spite of our flaws, and energetic-hyperactive children to remind us of how patient God is with us.
This morning I am going to share with you what the Bible has to say about being content. God has placed us right where we are supposed to be. Our task is not the constant pursuit of more wealth or more comfort, our task is to learn to be content with what we have and to honor God with all that we are.
Scripture
“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (I Timothy 6:6-10 ESV)
Scriptural Exposition
We brought nothing into this world that it is leaving with us. So many people are living as though today doesn’t matter. They live as though the only purpose which today serves is to provide a better, more comfortable life for tomorrow.
How many relationships suffer because one or both partners are consumed with things of this world? How many people’s lives are filled with disappointment over what they don’t have?
Proverbs 15:16 says, “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.” (ESV)
We see it all of the time; people with great wealth and fame – the good life – whose lives are full of trouble because they have abandoned God. We see people in the news who are famous football players with everything that the world says should make you happy in this life.
They are in great shape. They have fame and success. They have big houses, beautiful cars, and more money than they know what to do with. And yet their lives are filled with troubles of every kind. They get into legal trouble. They are addicted to drugs.
None of the physical comforts or pleasures of this life will ultimately make us happy or give us joy or peace. The Apostle Paul is telling us that if we have clothes and food then we should learn to be satisfied.
Material possessions are not inherently evil though. There is nothing wrong with owning nice things. Clearly there is a principal at work in the Scriptures which tells us that God does bless His people.
But joy, deep and abiding joyfulness, does not come from material possessions. It comes from the love of God filling our hearts.
Why do we see what someone else has and are envious? Why do we think that we need more than what we already have? Philippians 4:11 says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (ESV)
It is not our circumstances which drive our joy. The Apostle Paul is telling us that no matter what our state or circumstances it is possible to be content.
The reason is that ultimately the source of our joy is not what is around us but who is in us. You see, too often we allow what goes on around us to dictate what goes on inside of us.
Are things not going as well as you would like in your life? For a lot of us these are uncertain times financially. Its not that we are greedy and want more, it’s that we aren’t even sure if our job will still exist in 6 month.
Or we are living on a fixed income and are worried about the rising cost of healthcare. The same principals apply to us all. The 19th century American preacher, D. L. Moody once said, “We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God.”
Godliness with contentment is great gain. There is nothing wrong with having wealth and there is nothing wrong with seeking financial security, but there is something wrong with worshipping wealth rather than God.
When I was a kid I used to love to go into the mountains and pan for gold. I remember panning through sand in the Sacramento River near where I grew up in Modesto, California.
I remember that when I first started panning for gold I was amazed that more people didn’t do it. It was so easy; every time I went panning I filled my pan with gold! They were flakes but they really added up!
One day, when I was camping with one of my uncles, I showed him all of the gold that I had collected in a little vile. Much to my dismay, he explained that what I had found was iron pyrite – fools gold – which is very abundant in the river beds of Northern California.
You see, material wealth, even when it is real gold, is worthless compared to the wealth of knowing God.
I have known people who were poor and miserable and I have known just as many people who were rich and equally miserable.
Contentment does not come from a love of money. It comes from a love of God. Peace does not come from the security of stuff. It comes from knowing the eternal security deep within one’s spirit, which can only come from God.
People, who are consumed with greed, chase after temporary things while they watch everlasting things pass them by.
It doesn’t matter whether it is a wealthy person seeking more of what they already have or it is a poor person consumed with getting what they think will bring joy.
Wealth brings with it a new set of complications and living a moderate life can actually be a blessing. We brought nothing into this life and we can take nothing with us. Why then do we so often find ourselves living as though the stuff of this world is what matters most?
Blessed is the person who places their trust in God and pursues things that last.
In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (ESV)
Conclusion
If we are to be content we will have to understand that if I we are not satisfied with the things that we already have, we will never be satisfied with the things we want.
The love of money never satisfied a soul. The best it ever did was to entertain for a little while. The love of God fills us with love for others. The love of God brings with it real, abiding, lasting, and enduring joy – the kind of joy that can carry us through good and bad times.
Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (ESV)
The greatest of all treasures we posses is the gift of eternal life and the gift of faith.
Let us be thankful for what we already have, knowing that it is God who will sustain us as individuals and as a church. The same God who has brought us this far will see us through to the end.
Today, decide to learn to be content where with what you have. You are right where you are in life because God has a purpose for you. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Amen.
