Writing from a jail cell Paul says in Philippians 4:11-13 that he has, “learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” But wait, he told us he had learned the secret of contentment, but he didn’t tell us how he had learned it. Come on Paul, don’t leave us hanging! Thankfully, Paul wrote another letter to a young disciple named Timothy where he shared a few details about the secret behind his contentment!
READ: 1 Timothy 6:6-10
The pursuit of godliness relieves us of our need for RICHES and allows us to be CONTENT in this world (cf 1 Timothy 4:7-8)! What are some things we need to learn in order to be content?
We will be content when we understand we can take NOTHING out of this world into ETERNITY (1 Tim. 6:7) – He who dies with the most toys, . . . still dies! According to Paul, reflecting on the reality of our imminent death is a way to learn contentment. Sounds a little depressing, but it is true. No matter how much we accumulate, no matter how valuable something might be to us, whether we live 20 years or 100 years, our net worth and our stuff do not go with us. Plain and simple, when our lives are over we cannot take “anything” with us out of this world. That fact should shape our priorities in life and be a constant reminder of what is important and valuable. Life is so much more than the abundance of our possessions. If we want to be content in life, we need to learn this NOW (Job 1:21; Eccl. 5:13-16; Lk. 12:13-21).
We will be content knowing our BASIC NEEDS have been PROVIDED (1 Tim. 6:8) – “There are children dying in Africa!” This is a phrase that parents use to get their children to eat food that they are discontent with. In order to be content, we need to be able to identify the huge difference between what we WANT and what we NEED. By elevating so many wants in life to the level of need, we forget that our true needs do not go a whole lot further than “food” and “clothing”. Confusing wants and needs destroys our contentment, whereas being genuinely thankful for our daily bread is a big step toward learning to be content (Mt. 6:11).
We will be content if we avoid the DESIRE to be rich and the LOVE of money (1 Tim. 6:9-10) – We are all guilty of wanting more, and more, and MORE, and MORE! This is a serious issue, if we are not careful, we are in jeopardy of destroying more than our contentment, but our very faith in God. Listen very carefully, there is nothing wrong with being rich, but our “desire to be rich” will plunge us into ruin and destruction. There is nothing wrong with having money (even lots of money), but our “love of money” is the source of all kinds of other evil in our lives. Our desire for more must be put to death, and when it is, we will be free to be content and enjoy what God has blessed us with (Mt. 6:24; Lk. 18:24-25; Col. 3:5-6).
CONCLUSION
Make no mistake about it, we are rich! Paul has some final words for us in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, “as for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” Paul learned the secret of contentment and it was found in a relationship with God! Let us find our contentment in Him and Him alone!
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