But godliness with contentment is great gain….” 1Timothy 6:6
Last Sunday we heard how the pursuit and gain of ‘wine, women and song’ would never deliver true satisfaction and joyful contentment. While many of these earthly pursuits may give momentary pleasure - none of them give full contentment to our searching souls. Because all of us have ‘eternity stamped on our hearts’ (Eccl. 3:11) this inbuilt, forever perspective, cries out for more than the momentary ‘buzzes’ that we can aspire and experience in life.
The older I get the more I can affirm by my own life experience the perfect summary that Solomon gave on this matter - “... all was vanity and striving after the wind and there was no profit under the sun.” (Eccl. 2:11; 17;26)
This understanding of human life is not a voice of pure pessimism. This accurate summary is a voice (God’s voice) that points us to a life that has hope, value, joy, and lasting contentment. Not a contentment that is here today & gone tomorrow, but contentment that is complete and satisfies the soul, now and forever!
Of course, the only people who know this complete contentment is the man or woman who have trusted and committed their lives to Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
Life and what it offers, takes on a whole new perspective of contentment when we trust the Lord. Wealth, positions of authority or the opposite may be what the Lord gives us to be stewards of - but contentment toward God, with our lot, whatever it may be, is great gain!
I like how Jerry Bridges in his book ‘The Practice of Godliness’ puts it: Contentment is one of the most distinguishing traits of the godly person, because a godly person has his heart focused on God rather than on possessions or position or power.