contentment

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

          This idea of contentment is foreign to most people, especially myself. Living in a society hinged on consumerism, being content comes hard. There is always a new trend, new clothing, new technology and because of that we can never keep our eyes on one thing. Contentment in its truest sense is to be satisfied, or to be at ease with ones state of living. However, since we are a broken and evil people, contentment is not appealing and does not meet our self-centered desires. I personally have encountered and still encountered this waging battle to remain content in whatever area I find myself in. Paul in 1 timothy 6 understood what true contentment looked like.

          …imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But bgodliness cwith contentment is great gain, 7 for dwe brought nothing into the world, and3 we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But eif we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.9 But fthose who desire to be rich fall into temptation, ginto a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that hplunge people into ruin and destruction.

          Contentment for Paul was fully grasping that all that we had was a gift from God and true satisfaction derived from knowing that all we pursue will stay here, and all we will have left is Christ. For many contentment Is hard because we wrongly assume that living a godly life will produce our desired end. However, in 1 timothy 6 godliness with contentment is great gain. Why? Because anything we place our trust in besides the living God equals nothing. Our chasing and pursuing things outside of a thriving relationship with God produces all kinds of evil and a heart that wanders. The reason we battle with this so strongly is found in Romans. We exchange creator and place the created things in his place. We don’t wanna be satisfied in Christ but feel as one pastor says that “Jesus + something=everything’. We forget that because our hearts our ‘idol factories” that the things we use to fill our longing hearts are never satisfied. Our voids are filled only by letting go of our preconceived notion that we need more things and rest in Christ who died on our behalf. Contentment is a hard concept and is the midst of our discontentment is where we find our idols. We must confront our hearts with the truth of the gospel ,letting nothing reign on the altar of our hearts but Christ and Christ alone. Digging deep to know him, encountering his truths and daily dying to ourselves.

Here are a couple things that discontentment is from a pastor at The Village Church

:Discontentment is ingratitude- We become so mindful with what we don’t have and what we want that we forget what we do have and what God did through his Son

:Discontentment is arrogance-we think we can manage our lives better than God has or will

:Discontentment is lust and greed-God has provided for all we need in Christ but we want more than that

:Discontentment is idolatry- we want something more than we want God-it’s a failure to believe that everything I need is found in Christ.

So we must repent of our grumbling and place faith in the finished work of Christ

                                                 Grace and Peace