Godliness with contentment is great gain
1 Timothy 6:6
Much to my family's delight I have recently upgraded my phone. They were perturbed by the fact that the screen on my old phone was shattered and the case falling to bits.
I admit it was a bit frustrating trying to view and use the screen and I was getting embarrassed by the tatty phone cover, but this was the phone I was using when the Lord showed me what an idol it was. (Click here to read more about that time)
I was reluctant to buy a new phone in case I fell back into my old addictive ways. Sure enough, the Instagram App being already installed in the phone I have started scrolling on there every day.
Photo by Daria Nepriakhina 🇺🇦 on Unsplash
And how can this make us feel?... Dissatisfied with our lives.
But it is not just scrolling on Instagram that can bring dissatisfaction. Have you noticed how you can feel irritable and dissatisfied after reading a book, looking at other social media or even after having coffee with a friend?
On social media or in magazines you see all the perfect photos or videos of beautifully arranged homes, gardens and lives.
When you lose yourself in a book you might be filled with idealistic happily ever afters or excitement.
When you meet your friend for coffee and notice her 'new handbag', 'perfect nails', 'easy going confidence', 'blemish free skin'.
When you chat with a fellow Christian and hear of all their 'good deeds' and 'charitable work'.
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Can you relate to any of these scenarios and the dissatisfaction you might have felt?
What is happening here?
Are we subconsciously starting to compare ourselves, our homes, our families, our lives with these other things/people? Are we envying and wanting them/it for ourselves? Are we feeling inferior or wondering if we've got it all wrong? Do we even feel as if we have 'failed' at life?
What are we to do when we feel like this?
It seems to me that there are two ways of considering a remedy to this dissatisfaction:
- With God's help replace the sin of covetousness with gratitude and thankfulness
- Consider the dissatisfaction as a voice to stir us up, or motivate us, to strive to be what God has created us to be.
1. Exchanging the sin of dissatisfaction with gratitude and thankfulness
We are told in the Bible that wanting what other people have is a sin - whether it is their home, their possessions or their family (Exodus 20:17).
Being dissatisfied and discontent with what we have is in effect being ungrateful and unthankful for what God has given us. When we feel such feelings, let us come to God and confess our dissatisfied thoughts. Let us ask for forgiveness, and then instead let us start giving thanks for all the things we do have.
Counting our blessings and lifting our thoughts to God will bring a happiness that the most beautiful home, life and possessions cannot lastingly achieve.
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The Apostle Paul, when teaching Timothy that those greedily focused on making more money would only bring trouble on themselves, exhorted the great benefit of 'godliness with contentment' .
He wrote, 'having food and raiment let us be therewith content' and urged 'fleeing' or running from coveting after getting rich and instead following 'after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness' and fighting 'the good fight of faith' (1 Timothy 6:8-12).
So Paul is urging us to turn from thinking about all the material things we haven't got, to turn from coveting after all the lovely things and lives we see on social media, and instead, if we have clothes and food to be content and pursue God.
When I was in my early twenties I remember my attention being caught by an article headed with this verse 'godliness with contentment'. At that time social media didn't exist but I had an inner restless dissatisfaction, craving for what I didn't know. I wanted to feel contented with life and with myself. I read through the article but it seemed something unattainable to me - something only 'religious' people could have.
That inner dissatisfaction was taken away when Jesus spoke to me and filled my broken sad heart with his peace and love. Then I knew contentment! When we know our heart's innermost desires fulfilled by the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, when He fills us with His Holy Spirit, all material things become as nothing in comparison.
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Reminding ourselves of what we have in Jesus, what He is to us, what He gave up in His coming to earth to live as a man and die for us and giving thanks for all the material things He has seen fit to give us is a sure remedy for feeling irritated and dissatisfied.
But if you have not experienced Jesus in this way, I encourage you to search for Jesus by praying to Him, asking Him to reveal Himself to you, and satisfy your inner being, your soul, with Himself.
Read His words by reading in the Holy Bible. Ask Him to speak to you through what is written there. These words can be like spiritual food and drink to you which will satisfy you forever. And don't give up! Persevere with reading, with asking and praying and searching for Him. He has promised that you will find Him when you search for Him with your whole heart - with singleness of purpose - as if you are looking for lost priceless treasure that needs to be found.
Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash
But what about when it is one of life's great blessings that you are being reminded of - something which God has blessed others with but withheld from you - be it the wife, husband, the children, grandchildren or the home of your own?
You may think you have been resigned to not having this blessing, not even be feeling discontent and envious in a jealous sort of way - but you see a photo of a happy couple, or newly proud parents, a new home, and you suddenly feel overwhelmed with the heartache and longing for what you haven't got.
Dear friend, give that heartache to the Lord in prayer. Lay it at His feet and ask for Him to help you bear that pain, to give you submission to His perfect will for you, to be helped to trust that He makes no mistakes.
Ask Him to be that spiritual Husband to you, to be that companion and comfort that you so long for, ask Him to give you spiritual children to travail over and support in the way of following Jesus.
Ask Him to help you to share the joy of others as they share their blessings in life on social media, without becoming bitter and angry towards Him or them.
Ask Him to give you satisfaction in Him and the life He has given you.
When we are suddenly reminded by somebody else's happiness of what we haven't got, let us pray for them and give thanks on their behalf - pray that the Lord will be with them, protect them and help them; for all these blessings often get tested and tried and they will need the Lord's help - and even in their apparent happiness they may be struggling with something which we have no idea about.
Come back next week for part 2, God Willing, when we consider our individual gifts, talents and personalities and how our dissatisfaction and discontent may stir us up to follow after what God has created us to each be.
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