Great gain is godliness accompanied by contentment
Over the years, it has surprised me—considering Jesus' warning that riches make it difficult for people to enter heaven, and Paul's warning that those who desire to be rich fall into ruin and destruction— How strange it is that so many Christians still pursue riches. It seems that they do not believe them or that they think that they will be the exception to the rule, or that they simply do not believe that the Word of God can say what it says.
But Paul is clear—desiring to be rich is deadly. And there is more. The key to this text is in verse 6: “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (NKJV). How can we protect ourselves from these deadly effects of money? Answer: with a heart that is content in God. Are you deeply satisfied in God, such that that satisfaction, that contentment, does not collapse when God sends you riches or scarcity? Scarcity can destroy contentment in God by making us feel that He does not care for us or that He does not have the power to give us what we think we need. And abundance can destroy our contentment in God by making us feel that God is not indispensable, or that his value as a helper and treasure is far less than what he really has.
It is no small thing to learn to maintain our contentment in God. This is the purpose of our life—to show that God is incredibly glorious. And that is reflected, among other ways, when we demonstrate that He is enough to give us contentment in the best and worst moments of our lives. Pablo learned the secret to achieve this:
11 I do not say this because I am needy, for I have learned to be satisfied in whatever situation I find myself in. 12 I know what it is to live in poverty, and what it is to live in abundance. I have learned to live in each and every circumstance, both to be satisfied and to be hungry, to have plenty and to suffer lack. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:11-13).
Paul learned to be content. This is the key to the proper use of money in 1 Timothy 6:5-10. Paul said he learned the secret of his contentment. “I know what it is to live in poverty, and what it is to live in abundance. I have learned to live in each and every circumstance” (Phil 4:12). What was the secret? I believe he tells us this in the previous chapter of Philippians: “In fact, I consider everything a loss because of the incomparable value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost everything, and count it as dung, that I may gain Christ” (3:8). In other words, to put it in today's terms, if the stock market goes up and he makes a profit, he would say, “Jesus is more valuable and satisfying than seeing my wealth increase.” And if the stock market goes down and he makes financial losses, he would say, “Jesus is more valuable and satisfying than everything I have lost.” The glory, beauty, and worth of Christ were the secret to contentment that kept money from controlling it.
Excerpted from the book Living in the Light: Money, Sex & Power
