Jump Start # 1776

1 Timothy 6:6 “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”

  Contentment—being content. This word is most times used in reference to money. Be content with your wages is what John the prophet preached. Paul would say that he was content in whatever circumstances he was in, whether in humble means or in prosperity. Paul told Timothy, that with food and covering, he was content. The Hebrews were told to make sure that their character was free from the love of money, being content with what you have.

With all those references, it’s easy to assume that contentment deals only with finances. But it doesn’t. Contentment is a state of the mind. It’s a choice a person makes. The idea of content brings images of satisfaction, peace, calm, happiness. The opposite, “discontent,” is the idea of unsettled, stirring, not happy, bothered, wanting to be somewhere else. Paul’s use of this word illustrates that contentment is a state of the mind and has nothing to do with how many things one has. A person in a little house can be more content than a person in a large house. It’s not the size of the house that brings contentment, but the choices of the heart.

But contentment involves more than money. It’s a state of the heart. Here are a couple of areas that we don’t usually think about contentment, but they fit.

First, the words of the Lord. God’s way. There seems to be some who are not settled, not happy, not content with the way God’s word is written. They want some wiggle room to make adjustments. They want permission to update, redefine and change things. While still holding the hand of the Lord, they want to not be so strict on divorce as Jesus was. They want to believe that a person can be married and divorced multiple times and for whatever reasons, and if they still love the Lord, that’s ok. The bottom line is that they are not content with what Jesus said. You’d be surprised how many do not even know what He said on this subject. Do you? Look it up and read.

Moderns are not content with women sitting in the pew. They want her behind the pulpit. While still trying to hold the hand of Jesus, they want to restructure the organization of God’s church. They use words like culture to justify the demands of change. They are not content.

Some are not content with the shepherding role of leadership. They want a model that looks more like our federal government. They want layers of leaders and administrators. They want to tie all the churches together in a massive organization that looks like business. They are not content with the way God designed things. They believe their way is more efficient, more involved and keeps better track of things. What they fail to realize is that God’s system of organization works and it’s what He wants. When all churches are tied together and linked tightly through a hierarchy, it’s easy for the whole system to tumble and fall apart. Error in one part will poison the whole group. We see that in the study of church history. God’s way is for congregations to be independent and autonomous. Laodicea was lukewarm, Revelation tells us. Ephesus, lost their first love. Philadelphia was not affected by either one of those things. Tied together, like some would have it, and all of them would have been poisoned and ruined. God’s way works.

Content with God’s way. Content with the word of God being powerful enough to convert a person. Content with God’s way of reaching the lost. Content with God’s way of strengthening souls. Content with God’s way for a church to raise money. It works. When a person is not content, they will look for ways  to change.

A second area where some today are not content is in the home. They are looking for something else. They are looking for something different. Some want to restructure and redefine the home. It doesn’t have to be mom, dad and the kids, they are saying. It can be mom, mom and kids. Or, dad, dad and kids. Or kids and no parents. Changing, changing, changing. Not happy with God’s structure. Not content with what God has given us. This mixed up thinking leads to many broken homes, confused people and more dissatisfaction. It was just a moment ago that the cry on the streets was to accept homosexuals and same sex marriages. Now, the cry is to accept transgenders. Boys are girls and girls are boys. No one knows which bathroom to use and no one knows who they are. The moderns have always turned to change as the theme of the month. Accept them. What’s going on? There is a lack of contentment running in the streets. As soon as all the public bathrooms are changed, the moderns will move on to something else. Someone will be screaming that he has the right to marry his dog. Folks will march. They will clog the streets with protest signs and demand for fairness. The weak society will cave in. You’ll have modern preachers marrying dogs to people. Next, will come, people who claim that they are a dog trapped in a human body, or humans trapped in a dog’s body. So, we’ll have to have more marches about that one. We’ll have to allow people to live in kennels, because they are dogs. Dogs will be allowed to go to school. All of this is crazy. Where is all of this coming from? Not being content.

Contentment is a choice. It effects how we see ourselves and others. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said to be “perfect” as your Heavenly Father is perfect. Balancing that statement with the rest of the Bible, which we must always do, we know Jesus is not talking about being sinless. John said in his first letter, that if we say we have no sin we are a liar. Be perfect is not sinless. It means something else. It means complete or whole. Lacking nothing. In Christ, we are whole. In Christ, we are complete. In Christ, we are perfect. And, what drives that, is the spirit of contentment. I am content in Christ.

It seems that folks love to be miserable. Instead of counting their blessings, they count what they don’t have. They see what they missed rather than what they were given. That feeds discontentment.

God is good to us. God is generous. God loves us. God gives to us. God wants us to be with Him. What more does a person need? What can possibly top that?

Roger