1 Timothy 6.6-10
“Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
The world is obsessed with abundance and excess. People today have more than any time in history, yet still scream for more. Many are addicted to covetousness. With almost every conceivable pleasure available, they are neither happy nor satisfied. They rush from one activity to the next, always looking for one satisfying event, which they never find. They overwhelm their senses in a mad search for fulfillment, but in the end it is disappointing.
The truth is that you will not find happiness and fulfillment in another activity, a different spouse, an exotic vacation, a new car, a different house, a better job, etc. Happiness is having your heart right with God … the only true source of joy, peace, and hope.
What Paul is saying is that the desire to possess and acquire things is a source of discontent. The passage refers to “the desire to be rich” as the central problem, further emphasized by the famous verse “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” The truth of the matter is that it’s not just the desire for money that is the issue; the problem is when we love and desire anything more than God. It is the “craving” for something other than God that causes discontent and anxiety.
When we are discontented with our circumstances, when we are anxious and stressed about the situation, when we are jealous and envious of what other people have, we are saying to God: “You are not enough. I want more.”
This is also the message of Proverbs 14.30: “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” When we crave things other than God, we “pierce ourselves with many pangs.” It is a painful way to live.
There is nothing wrong with having things; or seeking to succeed and achieve; or competing to win. In fact, we should work hard to produce, achieve, compete, and succeed. It is imperative, however, that we subordinate all of our passions, pursuits, and possessions to the lordship of Christ. Jesus and his kingdom must be the why and the how of our efforts. Our most fundamental desire must be to obey him, and we must obey him in why we perform and achieve, and in the way we go about it.
Paul tells Timothy that we start our life in this world with nothing and we will end our life in this world with nothing. So, contentment is not about what we accumulate; it is about how and why we live between our birth and our death. It is living each day — each moment — with deep faith and disciplined perspective, independent of our circumstances.
Trust God. Keep perspective. Live in moderation. Appreciate what you have.
