Saturday August 29, 2020

1 Timothy 6:6-9 17-19

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that…
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Command those who are rich in the present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope In God, who
richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

One of the things that I have often said “If you are not happy with what you’ve got, you won’t be happy with what you get”. There are too many unhappy people out there.

1 Timothy gives us the recipe for a happy, contented life:

• “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
• “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”
• “God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
• “Do good, be rich in good deeds, generous”
• “Take hold of the life that is truly life”

For this to make sense we must discover what great gain looks like to us. We must decide what is of value that drives us,
Is God of the highest value to us? Is a relationship with God, our greatest treasure? Is walking with God the most important thing to us? Do we consider being a Godly person as gain? Have we learned to enjoy what God has already provided?

Contentment, peace, these attributes only become possible if we pursue godliness as our highest virtue, not easy to do in a world saturated with dissatisfaction.

One of the things that makes it so difficult for Americans to be content is that we live in a consumer culture, one that spends billions of dollars; advertising products, pushing political points, multiple 24-hour media opinion outlets clamoring for viewers. Many of these are designed to “create discontentment”. When discontentment is created then the system that created it has some control of what we do with our money, how we behave, and sometimes who we vote for.

The bible challenges us to be contented.
We live in a culture determined to create discontentment.
The bible tells us that God has given us much to enjoy.
We have a culture telling us we should not be happy no matter what we have.

Heavenly Father, I want to be a Godly person. There are many things that demand my attention. Today I turn my heart and mind to you as my God and Savior. By your grace I choose to enjoy the many blessings you have given me in my life and choose by that same grace to be content with this moment I share with you in worship. As I pursue Godliness, I pray that goodness, generosity, and good deeds are reflected in the life you give me that is truly life.