Title: Finding Contentment in a Culture of Discontentment
Text: I Timothy 6:6-19
Thesis: Christians who choose to pursue godliness rather than their cravings, will find contentment in living a life of trust.
Introduction
According to a study by a non-profit research organization, RTI International, researchers at the University of North Carolina found that obese people loose more weight when they are paid to do so. In fact they found that when paid to loose weight they were five times more likely to trim off the pounds. Nancy Hellmich, “Financial Incentives Can Encourage Weight Loss”)
NBC’s reality TV program The Biggest Loser pits teams in competition with each other to determine which team will be the biggest loser. However, while there is team motivation, the ultimate objective is to be the individual biggest loser. The teams engage is physical challenges and weigh-ins to determine who wins from week to week. In 2005 Matt Hoover won $250.000 for loosing 109 pounds during the duration of the show.
Money is a motivator that can move a four hundred pound man off the couch into physical activity and dietary restrictions. Money can do what others cannot encourage a person to do. Money can do what the effects of obesity upon one’s health cannot do. Money can motive one to loose.
However, money can also lead to great excess.
The last couple of years I have kept my eye on the news reports about a certain televangelist who was thoroughly investigated by Ministry Watch in March of 2005 and CBS Television in August of 2007.
They found that despite huge surpluses, the evangelist continued to express need for additional contributions. In one instance, though he currently travels in a personal jet, he asked his contributors for an additional thirty-six million dollars so he could buy a new Gulfstream G450 jet.
Investigators found that he lives in a gated community in an ocean front home valued at 8.6 million dollars. His ministry was cited for exorbitant spending of ministry monies for his family. When he travels, he and his entourage typically check into hotels where the room rates are three-thousand dollars a night. His ministry was cited for misappropriation of funds and fabrications of the truth and given an “F” grade by the folks at Ministry Watch.
Our story begins with the Apostle Paul giving advice to his young protoge, Timothy. He is encouraging Timothy to hold firm to the truth of God’s Word and live a godly life in contrast to those who propose to be spiritual leaders but do so causing a great deal of turmoil and unrest in the church and use religion as a way to get rich.
Such abuses by celebrity religious leaders is thought to be so common that we are hardly shocked when we learn a televangelist has used religion as a way to get rich.
In making his point, the Apostle Paul said to Timothy, rather than being a religious huckster, he should practice true religion. His counsel is that, True religion with contentment is great wealth. I Timothy 6:6
This morning I believe the advice Paul gave to Timothy is a good word for all who live in a culture of discontent.
Our culture of discontent is characterized by three myths:
• Things bring happiness.
• Debt is expected and unavoidable
• A little more money will solve all of our problems. (Good $ense Budget Course, Participant’s Guide, P. 18)
In his argument for learning to live a life of contentment rather than one of discontent and greed, Paul reminds us that things are temporal and transient.
I. Things are temporal and transient
We didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. I Timothy 6:7
We have example upon example of the temporal and transient nature of things. Every winter Breckenridge hosts the International Sculpting Championship in which artists sculpt intricate and awe-inspiring snow sculpts from twelve foot tall, twenty-ton blocks of snow. The winning work of art this year was called, “Wise Old Man Winter.” If you want to see “Wise Old Man Winter” you will need to find a photo on the internet because there is not a recognizable trace of him to be found. An ice sculpture is just one example of how temporary and fleeting things may be.
• Things are part of our experience in this earthly life… in this world.
• Things in this word are transient… things come and go. Things are fleeting.
A perfect biblical example is the story of Job who, upon losing all that he valued: seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, 500 teams of oxen, 500 female donkeys, seven sons and three daughters, tore his robe in grief, shaved his head, and fell to he ground before God. Then he said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die.” You may be more familiar with the terminology, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I shall return.” Job 1:21
All of the things in Job’s earthly existence and our earthly existences are transient. Everything in this life is fleeting. Everything comes and goes regardless of how desperately we cling to them.
Another biblical example is found in the parable of the rich fool who happened to be a very prosperous farmer. He had a very good farm and it produced wonderful crops. Jesus spoke of how his barns were overflowing with stored grains. So, he decided to build even bigger storage facilities so he could store enough so that he could retire and live off of his estate. He put is, “Now I can take it easy! I will eat, drink, and be merry!”
But in the story God, upon observing this scenario said, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all? A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:16-21
The wisdom literature from “The Teacher” recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes is rich with references to the transient and temporal nature of things. In 2:17ff he said, “Everything is meaningless. I must leave all of the fruits of my hard work to others. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? And, they will control everything. I must leave everything I gain to people who haven’t worked for it.”
Following another discourse on the futility of wealth in Ecclesiastes 5 he concludes: There is another serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, or they are put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born.” Ecclesiastes 5:13-15
The words of “The Teacher” apparently did not get through to the rich oilman from Texas lived a rather sumptuous life. Before he died and as his last request, he asked to be buried in his Cadillac. A large crowd gathered to watch at the grave side as the baby-blue, fully dressed Cadillac El Dorado convertible, that had been modified to contain the casket containing the body of the millionaire was lowered into the hole. As the Caddy settled comfortably into the open grave, one gentleman in the crowd was overheard to say, “Man, that’s livin’!”
The first lesson from out text today is this: Everything about our physical bodies and all of the things we acquire in this life is temporal and transient.
The second thing the bible writer encourages us to do is be content. In living in a temporal and transient world, why obsess over things that are fleeting and have no lasting future?
II. Since things are temporal and transient, we might want to give careful and prayerful thought to wanting less, trusting more, and learning to be content.
So, if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. I Timothy 6:8
Everyone needs enough for the basic essentials of life. God is not suggesting that the extent of your basic needs is a daily ration of food and the clothes on your back. We need food, clothing, and shelter. We need to be warm. It is okay to have a refrigerator and stove. You need transportation. Insurance is a good thing. Saving for a rainy day and for one’s future is necessary. I would suggest that it is also a good thing to have enough so that you can share with others.
The lesson is a simple recognition that we have wants and we have needs and sometimes we simply do not need what we want. Sometimes our discontent works to the detriment of ourselves and others simply because the price is too great.
Perhaps you have heard the familiar short story from Tolstoy’s little book, Twenty-Three [folk] Tales that begs the question: How Much Land Does a Man Need?
The story is about a peasant farmer who rose from renting farm land from a feudal lord, to assigned acreage on a communal farm in the Volga region,
to owning free-hold land, to attempting to purchase all the land he could walk around in one day for the price of 1,000 rubles from the Bashkirs who lived on the Steppes.
The whole Bashkir clan watched him walk into the rising sun and waited all day for his return, which had to be by sunset. He successfully stepped off a large piece of land and was on his way back when he realized he had quite some distance to go if he hoped to be back by sunset… so he began to trot and then with ever increasing urgency he ran and then sprinted madly in order to get back before the sun fell behind the hill where the Bashkirs waited. On and on he sped and just as the sun dropped out of sight, Tolstoy wrote, “He uttered a cry: his legs gave way beneath him, he fell forward and reached with his hands… he was dead.”
His servant picked up a spade and dug a grave long enough for him to lie in and buried him. “Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed.” (Twenty-Three Tales, Tolstoy, 1886)
How is it then that we may go about wanting less, trusting more, and learning to be content?
• We can work at keeping your wants simple.
Thelma and Victor Hayes struck it rich. In August of 2005, the Canadian couple won more than $7 million (Canadian) in the lottery.
There are a few additional facts that make the story interesting. According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission, Thelma and Victor are one of the oldest couples ever to win such a large jackpot. At the time they won, the Hayes’ had been married 63 years, and both of them were 89-years-old.
During a televised interview, Thelma and Victor were asked the typical question, "What are you going to do with the money?" The couple responded that, at this stage in life, they were unlikely to become "giddy high spenders." In fact, they intended to remain in the retirement home where they lived.
While her husband planned on buying a Lincoln Town Car, Thelma’s personal shopping list contained only one item. She told reporters, "I’m getting a new pair of nylons."
Thelma’s response was widely reported as at least comical, if not foolish. How could someone win a fortune and change nothing but her nylons? (John Beukeman, “Jackpot Winners to Splurge on Nyons…”, MSNBC.com, 8-6-05)
• We can learn the art of trusting God in all things and for all things.
For what it is worth, Jesus once said, “Don’t worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your Heavenly Father feeds them. And you are more valuable than they are. Why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work to make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they who are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he surely care for you? So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things. Your heavenly Father already knows what you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” Matthew 6:25-33
When we are not content we are likely to act upon our discontent.
III. When a person gets hooked on getting more, that person will likely plunge into self-destructive behaviors that harm themselves and others.
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. I Timothy 6:9
Perhaps you’ve followed the news article out of Maple Valley, Washington in which a young wife went missing for some eight days but was found alive, but trapped in the wreckage of her Honda Element at the bottom of a twenty-foot ravine, and buried below the bushes. She is currently listed in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center. Her husband, frantically drove her work route seven times and offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to her return. In news conferences, her husband has expressed frustration with the fact that the authorities initially said she did not fit the criteria for a missing person.
The intriguing bit of information that caught my attention was a comment he made in response a question as to why he took so long to file the missing persons report. He said, “We both work two jobs so when I am sleeping, she is working and when I am working, she is sleeping. Sometimes we don’t connect as often as we would like.”
We all understand the demands of taking care of our families and making ends meet, but something is terribly skewed when a couple works four jobs and just manage to bump into each other now and then.
The need to generate income from four jobs will take a physical and emotional toll on the youngest and strongest person and that speaks nothing of the detrimental toll taken on family life and in this case, the young woman’s life.
When we get hooked on getting more, the consequences of self-destructive behavior are devastating. But it happens and when it happens a person has to step back, seek the guidance of God, other wise people, put a stop to the discontent and the drive for more. It can be done, if you are serious about releasing your grip on the need for more.
In 2006 a group of ten friends living on the West Coast declared a sabbatical from American consumerism. They called their agreement “The Compact” in which the agreed by mutual pledge to abstain from shopping sprees and other trappings of modern culture. Other than food, essential toiletries, underwear, and other things in the categories of health and safety, they purchased nothing new for one year. (Interestingly enough, they have renewed “The Compact” for the year 2007.)
The ten friends found that they could live without some things. They found that there were many things they could share. They discovered the public library. They learned to fix things. And they learned to appreciate what they had and took better care of their things. There is nothing self-destructive about living well a contented life.
The desire to have more and go after it is also a spiritual matter… and this is the lesson:
IV. The desire for more things can have a detrimental effect on your faith.
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. I Timothy 6:10
When we give ourselves to the pursuit of money and things we essentially deify them. Money or things become our first love or obsession. They are more important to us than God and therefore, God is no longer God.
Jesus was very clear in his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount that, “No one can serve two masters. He will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24
There is a story in Luke 18:18-23 in which a rich man approached Jesus and asked what would be necessary in order for him to “get” eternal life. The rich man went on to assure Jesus that he had kept all of the commandments since he was a child. But, when Jesus spoke he said, “There is still one thing you lack, go, sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.” The bible says that when he heard this he became sad because he was very rich. Though it saddened him, he could not bring himself to place his spiritual values over his earthly, temporal, and transient wants and needs.
In contrast, Jay Gould lost his wife to lung cancer in October of 2002. He tried to fills his life with golf and vacations, but his life was empty. One Sunday he heard his parish priest speak about the needs of the poor and felt God was urging him to serve the poor in some way. So he went to his attorney and arranged his estate so that his seven children were cared for and then he left his luxurious home in the Denver suburbs for a modest room in a monastery where a photo of his wife and children hands on the wall. And now, he serves the homeless with the Franciscan Friends of the Poor. Today Jay Gould says, “I feel fulfilled.” (Alicia Acuna, “Man Gives Up Millions for God,” FoxNews.com, 10.12.04)
Jay Gould’s story reminds us that just as an obsession with things can be detrimental to one’s spiritual life, a willingness to live a life of simplicity and contentment has a positive effect on one’s spiritual life.
Conclusion
In his final instructions to young Timothy, Paul says, “But you, Timothy, belong to God, i.e., you are not like those who are caught up in the money trap.”
[So] run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life…” I Timothy 6:11
Once, there was a disciple who lived in a little mud hut. He lived simply and begged for his food. Every morning after devotions he washed his loin cloth and hung it up to dry. One day he came home and found that rats and torn up his single piece of clothing to make a nest. So, he begged the villagers to give him another loincloth… and another and another. He then decided he needed a cat to take care of the rats… but now he had to beg for his food and for milk for the cat as well. So he thought, I will get a cow, so he did. And then, he discovered that he had to beg for food for himself, his cat, and his cow. So, he decided to till the ground around his little mud hut so he could raise the food to feed the cow so he could have milk for his cat.
Tending the little farm was time consuming and he did not have time for his devotions like he once had, so he hired some servants to tend his farm. But overseeing the farm and the laborers was too much a task, so he married a wife to help him.
After a while, the disciple became the richest man in the village.
One day his teacher came to the village and seeing a palace in the place of the mud hut, and animals and fields being tended by servants he asked, “What is the meaning of this?”
The disciple thought a moment and then he replied, “Sir, There was no other way I could keep my loincloth.” Homiletics Magazine, September 2007, P. 41)
But, we know there is another way…We may choose to not be engaged in the contest for more… choosing rather to embrace contentment and the pursuit of a godly life. True religion with contentment is great wealth
