Godliness With Contentment

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:6, "...godliness with contentment is great gain."  Being content in itself is not necessarily good, for people can be content to remain in sin or feel content without knowing God.  Those who have contentment without godliness will lose all, for their lives and all they posses will be ultimately taken away from them.  The one who is made godly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, sanctified and serving the LORD according to His leading and rejoices in God's provision and faithfulness, in all situations of life this one shall be content and be fruitful for the kingdom of God.

Even after being delivered from sin and death by the Gospel we are not God, and we live in an ungodly world.  There is a tendency in all of us to drift towards covetousness and envy, to give room for feelings of discontent to grow.  Instead of taking these thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, like the children of Israel after God brought them out of Egypt we can justify our lack of contentment and gratefulness to God by looking back.  After eating manna for awhile in the wilderness, the children of Israel and the mixed multitude among them wept because they wanted meat to eat.  But where could a sustainable source of meat for such a great congregation be found in the wilderness?  They remembered the fish, melons, cucumbers and leeks they enjoyed in Egypt:  they conveniently and foolishly forgot the harsh bondage they suffered when they previously cried out to God for deliverance.

The people complained, and God who was among His people heard it.  The response of God was strong against people marked by discontent through unbelief in Numbers 11:10:  "Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased."  Why were they complaining and weeping hopelessly when they could have cried out to God in faith who loved and saved them?  God's words to Moses shows the sinister reality of complaints without contentment in Numbers 11:18-20:  "Then you shall say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. ¹⁹ You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, ²⁰ but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?"

In their hunger for meat the children of Israel did not think to ask God who caused water to flow from the rock, the One who caused manna to fall day by day to sustain them.  They lamented leaving Egypt instead of rejoicing to follow God whose holy presence was among them.  And get this:  discontentment over the divine menu provided them by grace revealed they actually despised the LORD who dwelt with them, preserved their lives and made a covenant with them.  God had brought His people out of Egypt so they could worship Him and they could be sanctified to commune with Him, yet having given space to lust, covetousness, selfishness and envy, the people hated God.  This is a sobering passage because it is likely we all complain more than we realise or would like to admit.

How unbelief blinds us to the goodness of God!  It is not possible to walk in a godly manner without experiencing the contentment and rest found in Him that results in the fruit of the Spirit in all seasons.  Have you ever been discontent and looked back on your old life with fondness?  This is like the man who looks back on his days of being "single" and "freedom" after God answered his prayer for a wife.  It is seen in the woman who is discontent in the job initially she was over the moon to receive as a gift from God's hand because of personality conflicts:  her expectations were unmet and soured her gladness.  It can be ageing people with health struggles as they look back with longing to younger days, lamenting over what they can no longer do when God is with them, graciously sustains them and has eternal plans for them that are good.  When God's people are not thankful and grateful to God, when our hearts are filled with complaints, murmuring and bitterness, godliness with contentment is a foreign ideal because we exhibit hatred towards Him.  Allow this to sink into your heart.

The one who is grateful, satisfied with God's provision and trusts His word is content by faith in God, knowing God will ever be faithful.  It is for good reason believers are exhorted in James 1:16-17:  "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."  The Israelites were deceived to imagine the food of Egypt was better than having the presence of God in their midst.  The presence of God is a marvelous, miraculous gift we should treasure above gold, freedom, a spouse or a profitable career.  God is good and does not change, but we are the ones who are variable:  we jump for joy when God answers our prayer and then despise Him because life is not as easy as we expected.  God, deliver us from such turnings!  Praise the LORD His arm is not shortened that He cannot save or deliver!  May our eyes turn to Jesus Christ in faith, and may we demonstrate the truth that godliness with contentment is great gain.