Godliness and Contentment

Yesterday, we celebrated my mother-in-law’s 60th birthday. To celebrate we took a day trip to Lake Geneva which is beautiful this time of the year. While we were there we went on an ice cream social boat tour. The boat tour took us along the shore of the lake that is lined with summer homes and mansions of many of Chicago’s wealthy. As we went past these homes, I have to say that I was left with a bit of jealousy.

It must be nice to live in such luxury and to seemingly have everything. When we look at the possessions of others it is easy to become envious of these things that we don’t have. I know in my heart this is not a godly attitude. 1 Timothy 6:6 says that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Peter 2:1 that says, “Get rid of all deceit, hypocrisy, envy . . .” We are called to be content and to continually give God thanks in every circumstance whether well fed or hungry.

Contentment starts with Jesus
So how do we avoid jealousy and envy? It all starts with Jesus. If we don’t have Jesus, we’ve got nothing. We are left wanting. We are left bitter. But with Jesus we have more than everything. We have all things.

Paul writes: “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8

Count your blessings
With Jesus, we can count our blessings! When we lament about what we don’t have, it is good to be reminded of all we do have. There are so many people in this world who are in much worse shape and living in much more desperate situations. As bad as I think I have it, it really is not that bad. I have a roof over my head, food on my table, a family that loves me. Life is good! Be thankful for what you do have.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Our church has participated with an organization called Feed my Starving Children. It is a volunteer organization that works to package and send food internationally to feed malnourished children. It is heartbreaking to see the pictures, but the pictures put in perspective the reality of just how blessed we are. The following email does much the same:

If we woke up this morning with more health than sickness, we are luckier than the million that will not survive this week. If we have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of hunger, then we are ahead of the 500 million inhabitants of this world. If we are able to go to church without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, then we are blessed compared to three billion people in the wold. If we have food in our refrigerators, clothing on our backs, a roof over our heads and a place to sleep, then we are richer than 75% of the rest of the world. If we have money in our bank account, in our wallets and spare change somewhere in a container, then we are among the 8% rich people of the world. If our parents are still alive and still married, then we are a rarity, even in the United Status and Canada. If we can read this message, then we are more fortunate than the two billion people in the world that are unable to read.

Reliance on God
When in a position of need, I am left in a position where I need to rely upon God. When we seemingly have everything we need, we begin to fool ourselves that we don’t really need God. We begin to pat ourselves on our back take pride in what we believe we have accomplished and achieved on our own. We forget to give thanks to the one who truly deserves our appreciation.

When I am left lacking, I come to a recognition that I cannot make it on my own. I need God in my life. I need him to supply and provide me with my daily bread.

I think of King David, when he was in a time of need, he writes Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?” David was a man who had seemingly had everything. Why would he ask such a question? The reason was because there was nothing he possessed that was all sufficient to supply his every need. That is why in verse 2 he boldly proclaims: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” David affirms it was the Lord in whom he relied upon and not his great wealth, the strength of his army, nor power of his position.

The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence
Possessions don’t really make people happy. Why is it that so many movie stars enter rehab? Too often those with the most toys are the most unhappy and unfulfilled people in the world.

I can count on one hand the number of times I have watched Oprah. I believe that her teachings are very dangerous with a subtle anti-Jesus message. But I did happen to catch a show last week.

It was one of the scariest things I had ever seen. Featured on this episode was a couple from California. They lived in a $700,000 home. The husband made slightly more than $100,000 a year. However, because of the nature of his work, he had no health insurance. The wife was a stay at home mom with six kids.

Where it got really scary was when you went into their house. The wife had two walk-in closets filled with clothes and shoes. The walls of the bedroom where covered with thousands of dollars in painting and murals.

Moving to the living room and dining room was much the same thing. The rooms where filled with expensive furnishings to the point of excess.

The tour moved on to the children’s bedrooms. The bedrooms were bare and empty. No pictures on the wall. There was a bed in each of the rooms, but that was about it. No more than five shirts hung in any of the closets of any of the kids. One kid only had one shirt. What clothes and toys the kids did have, the mom would take and sell them in garage sales so that she could buy more clothes for herself.

Part of the mom’s routine was that she would ensure her three daily fixes of Starbucks Coffee. Plus she needed her regular nail, hair, and spa treatments. Meanwhile, one of the daughters had an illness where she needed to have a regular MRI. Yet, the mother would not take her. Her reasons were that she did not have enough time, their family did not have insurance, and they could not afford the procedure.

To prolong the lifestyle that they were living, this family had racked up $150,000 in credit card debt. To meet the weekly mortgage the wife would take out a loan from cash advance stores. The result was that their mortgage was about to double and they were on the verge of losing it all.

This family was messed up, but the real problem with this family was not their money. The real problem was much deeper. They had what many consider the American Dream but it still did not make them happy.

It is a tragic story and a story that is seen far too often. The more we have and the more we accumulate, the more lost we find ourselves. In 1 Timothy 6:8 it says, “people who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”

In the letter to the Church at Laodicea, recorded in Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus says: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich . . .”

The point here is that the grass is not greener on the other side. We look at those who seemingly have it all, but the reality is that they often have nothing at all. For all of their possessions and lifestyles of excess, they are so empty on the inside. They buy more to try to fill a hole in their life, and when they discover their possessions do not fill the hole, they go out and buy more. It creates an endless cycle.

What is worse is that the desire for wealth destroys relationships, families, and marriages. We become so focused on ourselves and the desire to draw attention to ourselves. We look for others to serve us rather than to serve others. We end up alienating and turning away the most precious relationships we have outside of our relationship with Jesus.

The desire for wealth is a dangerous thing. It ruins us. 1 Timothy 6:10 calls the “love of money” the “root of all kids of evil.” Those that love money “pierce themselves with many griefs.”

Ouch! I will stay away if you don’t mind.

True healing, joy, and contentment is found in Jesus. I will be content in every circumstance for I have learned the secret of contentment. The secret is that I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13)