Contentment is great gain
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6
Contentment in Greek is “autarkeia”, it means sufficiency, a mind content with its lot. A state of contentment is an inward quality; it is like "soul rest", whereas a state of discontent leads to restlessness.
The quote from Jeremiah Burroughs about contentment is accurate, “A Christian comes to contentment, not so much by way of addition as by way of subtraction... Contentment does not come by adding to what you have, but by subtracting from what you desire.” It is true that less is more, and if we have coveted material possessions and taken pleasure in nothing, it is a tragic life.
As Solomon says, "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor will he who loves wealth be satisfied with income. This also is vanity." (Ec 5:10) It is impossible to be content with money, and we have seen countless people fall into the trap of getting rich, who walk away from faith and suffer many sorrows.
We cannot have financial freedom if we set our hearts on money, because we will be enslaved by the God of money, and strive to keep what we gain, which will lead to ruin and destruction, because the love of money is evil.
In addition, Paul has learned how to be content regardless of the circumstances and his secret of contentment is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." As Paul wrote this secret during his imprisonment, it was evident that he was not controlled by his circumstances because he understood God's grace was sufficient. It seems to me that God compelled Paul to write this secret in jail to give us a greater understanding of His sufficiency.
Learning to be content is a journey, from being anxious to being at peace, from feeling frustrated to feeling satisfied. It is a learning process that enables us to experience God's goodness without distractions from the world.
When we truly trust in Jesus's sufficiency, we can be satisfied with even the smallest material things, like a warm meal and clothes to wear. Our hearts abound with joy, peace, and thankfulness, and that is the greatest gain! By subtracting our earthly desires and being content in Christ, we will recognize that we have achieved holistic well-being, and will find blessing after blessing in our lives, for His grace is sufficient in every way.
Blessing prayer: Give us a thanksgiving heart and for contentment is great gain. May your grace abounds toward us and we always have all sufficiency in all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
