Fighting the Flesh #25: Contentment

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.”—1 Timothy 6:6-7

Today is known as “Black Friday” in the United States, when retailers mark down their merchandise in order to lure Christmas shoppers. The temptation of acquiring desired items at a reduced price can be intoxicating to anybody, but with our pension for credit and insatiable desire for stuff, shoppers will spend extraordinary amounts of money—more than they have, putting themselves deep in debt in order to acquire more “stuff.”

Christmas has become a season of commercialization and materialistic impulses, whereby we try to fill the void of our hearts with stuff, but stuff can’t satisfy the vacuum that was created for only God to fill. And only God can. Once we come to know God, learn who He is, and what He has for us, we can truly acquire the contentment that this world so longs and thirsts for.

Once we pursue God wholeheartedly, we come to the realization that He is our life, and that this world is but a breath. We bring nothing into this world and we cannot take anything out of it—our focus is turned from the temporal and the fleeting to the eternal and enduring. Contentment cannot be found in what is not going to last, but only in what will endure for eternity. As soon as we find what is eternal, which is our life in Christ, we can discover contentment and peace in the here and now.

As we are shopping for presents, we must ask whether are we doing it because we are trying to fill the void in our souls or if are we trying to share the joy of Christ. Are we spending within our means? Or are we presuming upon God’s grace and supply by racking up heaps of debt because we want something beyond what we can afford in the present? Such a practice reveals a lack of contentment (not to mention godliness) and presumption upon God’s supply and grace. We must make sure that our holiday shopping falls within the means and provision God has seen fit to establish for us, all the while cultivating godliness, which aids in our contentment. Our focus during the Christmas season is not to be upon presents or the continual comparison of our financial status to others, but to rest in Christ, knowing that we are part of His kingdom, and it is through continually seeking His presence that we find our ultimate joy.

Contentment in this world is based upon resting in the knowledge of God, understanding the passing nature of this world, and the ultimate destiny of creation. It is not found in our acquisition of presents or things—for presents or things cannot satisfy the eternal longing in our souls. It is only through knowing Christ that we can have true satisfaction. Amen.