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6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ~ 1 Timothy 6:6-8
In the previous verse, the Apostle Paul addressed the fact that false teachers are very often motivated by financial gain. They use false godliness to garner material gain. When we believe this world is the ultimate, we will live for what this world has to offer us. This world will define more than God does, thus we will have false godliness. We experience false godliness because we are not willing to bow our will to the Lord and to let Him have His way in our lives.
In v.6 we read, "But godliness with contentment is great gain."
Godliness grows not through the pursuit of a process, but through the presence of a person. The presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives is the mystery of godliness. But, His presence isn't enough, we must practice His presence which is to treat Him like we do our best friend.
Twice in this passage the Apostle uses the word content which is true wealth. We are taught in this world that contentment is the product of the comfort of this world. When we are being defined by God and what He says, our love for money will diminish because we will increasingly be defined by His pursuit of us. Loving money ignores the true gain which is the discovery of what is really real.
The word used for godliness is the Greek word which means sacred awe or awe of God. This is the secret to contentment, the awe of God. In Colossians 1:27 we discover that it is Christ in us that is the hope of glory or the presence of God in our lives. So, it is not just His presence, it is when we practice His presence that we develop this sense of awe of Him. And, this awe is the product of getting to know Him on a personal level. And, if all we pursue is money, we will never have this awe of God, because we will never be made content by money. Only God renders contentment in the soul that He has created. Genuine gain comes from true godliness which is inseparably linked to His presence in our lives and the contentment that only He can give.
The Greek word for contentment means unflappable, not moved by circumstance, the ability to live immune to external distraction, oblivious to outside troubles. Being content with what we have is one of the greatest things in life. Our contentment is based on the sufficiency of Christ. It is the product of knowing Him and discovering that He is our provider and He is enough. True contentment comes from God in our heart, not wealth in our hand. A person who depends on material things for peace and assurance will never be satisfied, for material things have a way of being lost.
True riches is not related to how much we have, it is related to whether we are content with what we have. The root of all sin is that last of the Ten Commandments: do not covet. The person who is rich is the person who doesn’t need anything else. The Greek philosopher Epicurus said “The secret of contentment is not to add to a man’s possessions but to take away from his desires.”
The only thing that makes us truly rich is God who uses contentment to enable us to see and hear Him more clearly. And, the practice of His presence yields a greater expression of Him in and through our lives. This is godliness. So, great gain comes through godliness linked to contentment. To pursue riches out of discontent is an illusion and is to ignore the true gain.
In v.7 we read, "For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." The Greek word translated nothing is the first word of the verse. It literally reads: “Nothing we brought into the world.” Someone once said, “Money is like sea water, the more you drink the thirstier you get.” God has promised that our basic needs will be met. Even millionaires do not die as millionaires because they can not take their wealth with them beyond the realm of time and space.
In v.8 we read, "But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."
It is clear in this passage that contentment comes from a whole and balanced life. And, wholeness is a product of His holiness which is His definition of all of life. And, wholeness produces a contented heart. Some think contentment is getting everything we want as soon as we want it. One of the best definitions of contentment is, "not having all we want but wanting only what we have been given by the Lord."
Contentment, therefore, is finding joy in what God has given to us. The opposite of contentment is greed which destroys our capacity to enjoy God and what He has given. Being content with what we have is satisfaction. This is why the Lord Jesus taught in Matthew 5, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
He also said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." It is our knowledge of and our fellowship with the Lord Jesus that makes our hearts rejoice. From Him do we receive peace and a sense of worth and security. This is contentment, this is real life.
