6 But godliness with contentment is great gain<\/p>\n
I've written a book entitled Secret of Contentment, addressing the issue of godliness with contentment, in which I keep saying that the intention of God in saving us is to bring us from fear and dissatisfaction to give us a life of contentment and joy.<\/p>\n
But unless you know the secret of contentment, you will be born again, but not living a quality life. And so it's not surprising that Paul, finally, after many subjects he is teaching Timothy, so that he in turn can teach his church this issue of contentment.<\/p>\n
In 1st Timothy chapter 6 verse 6, we read:<\/p>\n
"But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich will fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."<\/p>\n
I think one of the things that Paul is addressing is the false idea that if only I got more property, or got more money, got more of whatever others have, that I would be more contented than currently. What I hear from Paul is: If you cannot be contented where you are now, you will never be contented by having more. In fact, for him, he is saying, if now you have food and clothing, you can survive now contented. So if what is disturbing is more yet you already have food and clothing, and you are being disturbed by the many things you don't have, then you have a problem. You have not discovered the secret of contentment, and you need to spend time asking yourself, "How can I discover this secret?"<\/p>\n
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.<\/p>\n
You know, the first thing I hear is: Godliness is the solution. What I hear him saying is, if you are spiritually tuned to heaven, like the songwriter says, things of this world will no longer attract :<\/p>\n
Turn your eyes upon Jesus<\/p>\n
Look full, in his wonderful face<\/p>\n
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim<\/p>\n
In the light of his glory and grace<\/p>\n
Yes the needs, the issues, wealth of this world, will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. but godliness, that idea of turning your attention to heaven, doesn''t mean you are not available on earth; doesn't mean you are not serving God on earth, but it means you are conscious earth is a temporary city. We are going to heaven sooner or later. So, you always see things with a heavenly perspective.<\/p>\n
You know, if you don't know how to draw, and you have to draw a mountain and a tree, you are likely to draw the mountain much bigger than the tree that is nearby. I was taught by my teacher that means you are not drawing in perspective. With the perspective, the mountain that is very far is going to look smaller than the tree that is near, yet in truth, you know the tree that is near has no comparison in height with the mountain. It's much shorter than the mountain.<\/p>\n
And that really where our problem is. If you are godly, you always see the big issues of life that are surrounding you, the frightening, the threatening, as small. When you look at them in perspective, yeah, they are not as big as they seem or as threatening, because heaven despite not near is far much bigger than this near one.<\/p>\n
You know, for example, you are a girl, and you have just been dropped by your boyfriend. You feel like the whole world is collapsing. Do you realize, in perspective, '"Wait a minute, even if I was to marry him, it will only be for a very short period, then I go to heaven. I have not lost heaven in loosing him." So you still, of course feel disappointed that you have been dropped by boyfriend, but the impact of it is far much lower when you see it in perspective because you are a godly person. I think you need to ask yourself, is that true of you in terms of your perspective as you look at various needs and various achievements that face you? Do you get very excited that you have made a big achievement and you feel like it's everything?<\/p>\n
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that<\/p>\n
I will never forget the testimony we got from one of the first people to reach the moon when he visited kenya. You know, it was very novel that time to have gone to the moon, and so after he came back, he was getting a lot of invitation to give lectures. He was very busy, successful, world famous. Then one day the wife, he tells us so, , "I want to divorce you," and he couldn't believe it: "Divorced me to marry whom? You have the very best!" But she was fed up completely, and the marriage was going through a very difficult time. That's when he realized that he was so fueled up with the success that he was kind of ignoring the wife.<\/p>\n
It started earlier when they were preparing for the trip to the moon, but despite missing him she said she doesn't want to affect trip. She loved him, so let him go to the moon. Once he landed back, very excited, is when she told him, "By the way, you need to understand that we cannot stay together. You are married to your success. It's okay, I'm leaving you." In that period of trying to understand what is happening, the wife actually got born again, and when she got born again, he realized he had totally changed. She was, more contented, more joyful. So, he asked, "Well, where do you go when I see leave?" "Oh, I'm going to a Bible study." And out of that story, according to his testimony, he started going there, got born again, and gained that contentment. It has no comparison with the achievement of this earth when he realized what it means to have heaven in perspective.<\/p>\n
So, I'm asking you, do you have godliness with contentment? Is a problem you're having, some item you have not been able to achieve, some sickness, or whatever, are you seeing it in the light of eternity? An achievement and success, do you see it in light of eternity? So that you can see it in its right size. How are you dealing with life? Until you are able to have this perspective you will not have contentment. According to Paul, if you don't have godliness with contentment, you have a loss. If you have godliness with contentment, you have a great, great gain. So, you need to ask yourself, is that what you are doing?<\/p>\n
And I think it will be important to understand that God, in His own wisdom, wants you to spend time looking at life with the glasses of heaven. And I think that's really what you need to ask yourself, is that something you are you are doing, or are you living without the proper balance? And what will cause your lack of balance is your definition of success. How do you define success? Because that will be the critical thing. If success is just this worldly achievement, then there will be a problem.<\/p>\n
You know Paul is telling Timothy, those who misuse God's word wrongly, they claim to be Christians, but they are not godly, it just means all they have is the material, material gain. You can misunderstand what he's saying. He's not telling you not to have worldly possessions, because even himself he worked and so that he could meet his needs. See the rest of the verses below as he tries to explain this position.<\/p>\n
9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction<\/p>\n
It is true that godliness is a great gain, but only when that godliness has contentment. You can claim to be a Christian, but if you are still pursuing the things of this earth like it's all there is, you have godliness but without contentment, you will not live a life pleasing to the Lord.You will find yourself compromising in order to achieve your earthly success.<\/p>\n
You know when you talk about contentment, I think you mean a complete self-sufficiency. It doesn't mean everything you have is enough, but what you have, you feel is adequate, some kind of self-sufficiency. Of course, that's a mental picture thing. This is because there are certainly things you want to have, and you don't have, but in the meanwhile, you are satisfied with what you have. And that way you are totally independent of things out there which you have not gotten yet. And because of that, Barclay writes, "The secret of happiness within yourself is what gives you contentment''. '\u0080\u0098Contentment," he says, "never comes from the possession of external things."<\/p>\n
Did you hear Jesus say that "Life does not consist in the things you possess?" Joy and life and vibrance does not consist in the thing you own or possess. He is explaining himself as to why he is saying godliness, with contentment, is great gain. You can be godly, but if you are being driven by a desire for things, you still have a problem.<\/p>\n
You know, do you have that itch for more, never enjoying what you already have? Is your life dominated by a shopping spree? In life, you're always acquiring that, acquiring the other one. Is that how you get excited only because you're acquiring more? That certainly will mean you never get contented. There will never be a time when you have had enough; you will still keep buying more and more. That is unlikely to be God's will for your life.<\/p>\n
If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment<\/p>\n
You see this issue is quite, quite controversial. It's very easy to come up with reasons as to why you can't stop pursuing things. "Why, it's natural to have this greed for material things. Or you argue that even if I have it, it's not controlling me," . But let's be clear, anytime you feel pushed to acquire some material things, you better check out whether you are in balance. Especially when something inside you keeps suggesting, "If only I built a better house, I will not be more satisfied." It's a lie. Getting more will not make you more contented, or it will not answer all your life's questions.<\/p>\n
So you need to understand your lack of contentment cannot be met by more things. Do not be deeply grieved about material loss, because sometimes God is using your loss in order to remind you: you are complete without the item you had taken as a god. The Bible also said greed is idolatry. Whenever we get inordinate pleasure from buying or having some material things, we lack this contentment. The truth is we don't have contentment, and you need to ask yourself, is that true of you in life?<\/p>\n
So do you then understand that if only you have godliness,it should lead to contentment. Yes, it's important, but have it but let it give you contentment. That way You are going to gain. Isn't that what Paul is saying? Philippians chapter 4 verse 11 to 13, he's telling the Philippian church,<\/p>\n
"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content: 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 gave me strength."<\/p>\n
He has learnt and unfortunately you also have to learn this secret. You have to learn. Of course, we have to agree, material possessions, there's nothing wrong with them of themselves. It's your attitude to them that we are questioning. It's not wrong to have a good car. It's not wrong. So do not get the picture the Paul is saying you should not own things. Question is what perspective, what attitude you have to whatever it is you own? What perspective? What is your perspective?<\/p>\n
And sometimes our need of things makes us miss the point that we are now becoming materialistic, carnal. No wonder we are not contented. Check your lack of contentment and find out what is causing it. Might it be the loss of something or inability to gain something? Then you are really not having the contentment that Paul is talking about.<\/p>\n
I think between property and contentment, please vote for contentment. Contentment is essential; material things are not necessarily, except food and clothing according to Paul. So, if you want contentment, then your heart has to be rooted in the heavenly perspective I've been talking about. Yes, when that happens, the things of this earth, like I said earlier, will grow deem, for they are no longer that attractive. They are no longer driving you, because you are living with the eternal perspective.<\/p>\n
She<\/p>\n
I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. Thus I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment<\/p>\n
It is hard, I have to agree, to have to attain this thing called contentment. Why? Your children, your spouse are pushing you for things. Our culture is a culture of continuous purchase, and until you get something that your neighbor got, which is part of coveting, you still don't feel satisfied. It causes our discontent that your neighbor has more or has what you don't have. Additionally the TV is full of advertising about this and the other. You are using an old fridge; a new one has come, it's far much better. You know, it ends up producing discontent in you with what you have. Yes, with the kind of people around you, it must be very difficult to have contentment, and because people's atmosphere is pushing us not to be happy with what we have, but to actually look for more or ask for more and struggle for more. In that struggle, I think it will be very difficult for you at the same time to realize contentment.<\/p>\n
But the truth is, when we live and act without contentment, which is what is maybe in the majority of us, we will start looking for things in order to fill our lives. By the way, when I say things, it may be somebody you need because you are not married, you feel you cannot have contentment. Because a certain friend had disagreed with you, you think you cannot have contentment. You lose a sense of security because of you don't have a certain person. You need contentment in God despite these situations. It's wonderful to have all these other things, but your contentment needs to be in God. That's why you cannot be forced by somebody to compromise because you don't want to lose him as a friend. No, you know you are not tied up to him although you love him. You are happy to have him as a friend, but you are not tied up to him. Your life is not tied up in that friendship. So you will not spend time meeting your desire for contentment through people or material things, because the truth is your real needs are spiritual, and they are met in God.<\/p>\n
So, if you want real contentment, then you must have heaven as your home. Somebody called Clarke says,<\/p>\n
"It requires but little of this world's goods to satisfy a man who feels himself to be a citizen of another country, and knows that this is not his rest."<\/p>\n
Do you hear that? If you have one leg here,while the other one is trying to go to heaven, then the things of this earth will not make you too happy. You will not derive your joy from them. Am I having a proper relationship with the God or not? Is the question.That will be something only you can answer. But Paul wants you to know for sure that if you want contentment, then you want something that will be very useful to you. In verse 7, he says,<\/p>\n
"But we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it."<\/p>\n
He's still discussing the subject of contentment, and wants you to hear: You brought nothing to this world, and you cannot take anything out of this world.<\/p>\n
But is it true that we brought nothing this world? Just remember the last time you saw a baby. He came with nothing. Babies are totally dependent on their parents. For sure they brought nothing. Of course, the baby body doesn't have a place to place money. No, there is no money the baby has. So, you came with nothing, absolutely nothing.<\/p>\n
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want<\/p>\n
Let's also be clear, if have you seen a dead body? Again, it takes nothing out. Yet in between, we are being pushed to earn things. Can't you get the right perspective? You came with nothing, you are going to leave with nothing. It means then you should not compromise as you put all your effort in something which you are not going to have in the next longer life.<\/p>\n
Sometimes we are doing it in order to leave something for our children, but one rich man after another, once he is gone, the children waste that money within 10 years. They are paupers, despite all the wealth the father left them.<\/p>\n
We certainly carry nothing out of this world. So it's not a guess; we have enough examples to know you will leave with nothing. So why not get contented? Because whatever you leave or don't leave, what you have used and how it has carried you is what matters. So, if you're able to meet your basic needs, why are you without contentment? So please start seeing your possessions and resources from an eternal perspective, and you will see how low the value they retain is going to be.<\/p>\n
You know, somebody says that "a moving trailer never follows a hearse." What do think they mean? Everyone might take with them to the world beyond must be left behind. Do you have gold, maybe precious commodity, but it's not the currency of heaven. You can't carry it to heaven. So have gold and we will call you rich, call you wealthy. When you leave, you don't carry anything on the other side. And that's Paul is still wanting to give you a proper argument as to why godliness with contentment it's great gain. It is because it gives you the right perspective.<\/p>\n
Read Luke chapter 16 verse 1 to 14: Christ spoke about a dishonest manager who was about to be called to account for the things he had been left with, but knowing that he'll be fired, he began to settle accounts. I'm sure you know the story. The master ended up complimenting the manager for his shrewd tactics. Of course, most likely even after commending him, he still fired him, most likely… why was he praising a person, this this manager? Why is he praising a person he was going to fire? Because he knew he would be called to account for his life, and he took it seriously.<\/p>\n
One of our problem is that we are not conscious that all these things happening to us on earth one day we shall be called to account. This guy was better he realized, rather late, that he's going to be held to account, and he started sorting himself out. What about you? You don't know your date of departure. How come the worldly possessions are making you not relate well with people, not relate well with God? Don't you know your God is going to hold you account?<\/p>\n
But I think the second thing that's likely to have caused the manager to call him shrewd is that, not only did he start making arrangements, but he used his power and authority before losing it. He used his position to arrange comfortable future for himself. So, the question is, if your future is in heaven, what are you doing today to prepare for that heaven?<\/p>\n
It is true that those things, possessions, are not going to take to heaven, but is there something you can do with the possessions, with your life, that can be carried to heaven? You know, if anybody gets born again, those ones are going with us to heaven. So, you need to ask yourself, how are you using your resources, since you know very well that you carry nothing to heaven, nor can you send it in in advance to heaven? You know, once you see heaven our eternal blessing and our eternal reward through the wise eyes, and look at this manager who recognized as shrewd, I think you'll understand. What do you mean? He was clever, even to know I'm going to account for my performance.<\/p>\n
Number two, he thought,'' I can use what I have now to better my days in later. His days on earth for him, were better.But I think it's a very interesting thing to just see him later. Paul, saying that if you don't have contentment it is understandable when lacking only two items: food and clothing. So, once you have a clarity of your eternal perspective, you have to be contented with very basic things: food and clothing.<\/p>\n
It must be clear that most of us have problems because we keep accumulating clothes which we might never use. We keep accumulating. We start putting our interest here, especially like I said before, because of the people around us and the culture we have. But if older people will tell you, a number of things that used to satisfy them in their younger years no longer no longer satisfy them. And as you grow older, it becomes easier to reduce your hunger for more, your hunger for better, your hunger for the improved, the latest, all which work against your contentment.<\/p>\n
May the Lord help you at a very young age to come to where you trust yourself fully into God's hands, and because you trust yourself into God's hands and understand this is no continuing city, we are here temporarily you enjoy the journey and just the destination. You might live to 100, but you still go. See, you need to start enjoying today because of your heavenly perspective. May the things we lose here on earth not have as much an impact on us as we could have had if only we didn't have the heavenly perspective.<\/p>\n
I think that's what Paul means: Godliness with contentment is great gain. Critical questions: Are you godly? Number two: Do you live a life of contentment? Do you feel like, "I'm okay the way I am. If God gives me more, it's welcome, but the way I am, I feel blessed. I feel God has my case and is interested in me, and because He is good, this is what He had decided for me to have for now. I'm happy. I'm rejoicing in Him."<\/p>\n
That way you enjoy contentment now without losing hope for tomorrow, both here on earth and in heaven. Yes, the things of the earth will grow strangely dim is the light of heavenly perspective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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