CONTENTMENT

Phil 4:11-13

We need to be content (happy, satisfied, thankful, grateful) in every circumstance. Whether we get grade A’s or C’s, whether we are sick or healthy, rich or poor, married or single, children or no children, friends or no friends, gifted or with few gifts, the obvious gifts or secret gifts, honored or not, working hard or unemployed.

Usually we complain no matter what situation we are in. If we are single we will complain because we need to be married, while those that are married are complaining about all the dishes or dirty washing. If we have a job we will complain about working but if we are unemployed we will complain. Therefore we should be happy, satisfied and grateful for every situation and think of the positive side to it and not be stuck on the negative.

1 Timothy 6:6-9, What do we gain from godliness? It actually seems like we lose something – that’s what non-christians think which is why they don’t want to become Christians. So what do we gain?

With godliness we can gain peace with ourselves, with others and with God but if we are not content then we won’t have peace ‘cos we will be thinking of what we don’t have instead of what we do have. For example, ‘my husband is messy’ instead of praising God I have a husband. With godliness we will have self-control but without contentment we won’t be able to control ourselves. For example, I can control my tongue but when I see someone who has something I want, I will criticize them because I don’t have contentment with what I DO have.

So in order to gain from godliness we have to also have contentment. Be happy with what you have and don’t think about what you don’t have. For example, my arms are very painful and sometimes I wish I were not me but praise God I still have arms, better to have painful arms than no arms.

Remember verse 7, we didn’t bring anything with us when we were born and we can’t take anything with us when we die. So lets be grateful for what we do have ‘cos it’s more than what we deserve.
(vs 8) as long as we have food and covering, be happy. How many of us here don’t have food or covering? No body here.
(vs 9) be careful not to chase after what you don’t have ‘cos this will end in destruction and ruin.
(vs10) love of money can even cause someone to lose their faith, therefore chase after godliness and be content with what you have and God will do the rest.

Hebrews 13:5, Our characters must be free from the love of money. Character means that is a part of who we are so it won’t be easy if this is your's or my character to change and to be honest most people do love money. I remember a story once told to me about a pastor who invited his church to pray with him week after week and only one or two people would come. One day he invited the church to pray saying that those who come will receive $1,000. Of course everybody came. It was just a test. How many of us would do that?

Loving money is a danger because we risk to place finding money before God. Loving material things is the same which is why we must be content with what we have. If we are happy with the little that we have, we don’t need to work extra hard to find what we don’t have. It’s not bad to work hard but it’s a danger if we are working so hard that we don’t have any time for God or we are working when it’s God’s time. For example, it’s normal to work eight or even 10 hours a day because there is still time after that to give to God but if you are working 20 hours a day in order to get all the material things you want due to lack of contentment, then you will have no time for God and you actually will not be contented because you will always find more things you want.

Not being content with what you have can push you to be jealous and envy others. It can make you sin when you see something you want but can’t have by the words that will come out of the mouth or the thoughts in our heads. ‘Oh, that’s not fair why does Michelle wear such nice clothes while I have ugly ones’. ‘Oh, that’s not fair why does Ange have nice hair while mine is ugly?’ But I should be content that I have clothes, and I have hair.

God reminds us in this verse that He will never desert us or forsake us so we can trust in Him to provide for us and be happy with what we have. He will never leave us without the things we need so don’t worry and be satisfied with what we have because that is what God has given us.

By Hayley Boud