Choosing Contentment

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5 That passage reminds us that there are more important things than, well, things and that there are benefits to choosing contentment. Let’s start with a definition. “Contentment is an attitude that says, I will be satisfied with what God has given me.” Unfortunately, godly contentment isn’t a popular virtue in our materialistic culture. There’s constant pressure from peers and the media to desire more things, better cars, cooler friends. The attitude that says, “I deserve this” is so prevalent, that we’ve given it a name, “entitlement”. Parents usually scold their kids for having this attitude, because it’s really a form of selfishness. But it’s not only kids who have this mindset, is it? So, if an entitlement attitude is creeping into your house, what do you do? Here’s some wisdom from Moody Church theologian Harry Ironside: “We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” Cultivate that “attitude of gratitude”, and you’ll find it easier to be content. If someone— including you— starts complaining, stop a moment and think about what you’re thankful for instead. The Bible tells us about the benefits of being content. For the Apostle Paul, it meant having the ability to weather all of life’s storms without fear or worry. In Philippians 4:11, Paul writes, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” What’s Paul’s secret for being content in all circumstances? How does he do that? He finishes the passage in Philippians by saying, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Ultimately, it’s Jesus who provides the strength to be at peace in all circumstances. Like Paul, you and I can choose to be content because, as Christ-followers, our position in Christ never changes. Circumstances ebb and flow like the stock market, but who we are in Christ never budges one bit. We are saved by grace, and our eternal future is secure. This can— and should— change our perspective on everyday life. Proverbs 19:23 puts it another way: The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Fear in this case means trust, honor, awe. We trust, obey and respect the Lord because He is our Master, our Holy Lord. This trust leads to life, or flourishing. It’s like spiritual confidence! Then, as a result of fearing the Lord, the verse says, “one rests content, untouched by trouble.” That doesn’t mean we won’t face trouble; it means trouble can’t destroy us, spiritually. So, we can choose to be content. Another way to understand the choice to be content or not is to understand what the opposite looks like. The opposite of contentment is to be dissatisfied, disappointed, and unhappy. It’s actually worse than that. Proverbs 27: 20 says, “Death and Destruction are never satisfied” … so being discontented is right down there with death and destruction. Not something you want in your life. In Ecclesiastes 5:10, we see another problem with discontent – a lack of meaning. Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. If what you make or what you have is all that matters, then you can never really be content, and you’re courting “death and destruction” in your heart. The Bible confirms that in God’s economy, material things are meaningless by themselves. You can be grateful for what God has provided now, knowing that he has a good plan for you, both now and in the future. As Philippians 4:19 teaches, you can let your heart be filled with gratitude because the Lord “will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Ultimately, our choice to be content rests on our understanding of three things: God is faithful, we can have peace through Christ, and our circumstances don’t control us, because we have the power of the Holy Spirit to face life with gratitude and grace.

What God has for us is so much better than what we can imagine for ourselves. When we realize this, buying and keeping things doesn’t seem so appealing anymore. We can choose, like the Apostle Paul, “to be content in all circumstances”. This doesn’t happen overnight, especially when you’re in the habit of accumulation. Ask the Lord to change your heart about this, and He will! You can also listen to the related podcast on this topic.