The Great Gain of Godly Contentment

My friend Claire loves to proclaim she’s “fully satisfied” after a hearty meal. What a contrast to today’s rants from the disgruntled masses. As Christians, choosing to gravitate to the great gain of godly contentment brings us closer to winning the race marked out for us. And after all, isn’t that why we’re all here?

How elusive is contentment, you may wonder? Siri defines it as a state of satisfaction or happiness. But the Greek definition goes a little deeper. That meaning refers to a habit or a permanent state of mind. It encompasses something more inward and peaceful. That’s in sharp contrast to the satisfaction that comes from an occurrence, object, or circumstance. Many people define their level of happiness using these kinds of yardsticks.

Dissecting Discontent

The apostle Paul camped in contentment. Despite all he experienced, he found contentment in the treasures found in following Christ. He set his intention to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

I’m not sure what you are going through right now. Paul’s words may sound like empty platitudes. To be fair, it’s so easy to pick apart our lives right now. So much lockdown. So many restrictions. And maybe you’re grappling with serious crises like job loss, foreclosure, or even COVID-19.

What does Paul know about my problem-ridden life, you might ask yourself? He’s the great New Testament encourager, after all.

Honestly, I fully relate. I procrastinated all day as I wrote this blog.

Why? I’m not feeling the feels of contentment!

I pick apart this and that in a relationship. And grouse about remaining county restrictions. Sick to death of my mask collection, I want to throw in the towel.

Yet in truth, most of the stuff I grapple with pales in comparison to Paul’s chronicled travails.

In fact, the guy practically journeyed to hell and back.

Indeed, he wrote of being “beaten with rods three times, stoned, and shipwrecked.” And Paul was threatened by bandits. He often lacked food and water. Yet “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.”  (1 Corinthians 2:12) God’s strength shone through his weakness.

Hallmarks of Contentment

Here’s a challenging question for you. What satisfies you? Is it a fat bank statement? Are you looking for a spouse significant other to “fully satisfy” you? Does it come from a carefully curated image or your impressive accomplishments? Indeed, you might need to reconfigure your priorities. Because as Mick Jagger says you “can’t get no satisfaction” – from any of those things.

In the final analysis, at the end of the day, only the things of God fully satisfy. And living with that truth in mind allows you to reap substantial dividends in your spiritual bank account. Just as long as you continue to make regular deposits. Because consistency is the key to contentment as well. In fact, without it, godly living is more of a series of starts and stops. We need a steady infusion of the word. In Isaiah 55:8 we read that God’s word never “returns empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” God sends us His word to complete, convict, correct, and bring contentment to any and all situations.

Principles of Multiplicity

It’s true that the more we focus on treasures of the spiritual realm, the closer we come to God and the inimitable peace only He can bring. We may not think we chase after the things of this world, but if we aren’t pursuing the acquisition of the fruits of the spirit, what are we truly going after? The challenging oppression of the pandemic lead to hoarding, posturing, ranting, and polarizing our communities, nation, and even our world.

I wanted to buck that trend.

I slammed the door in the face of what divided and reset my perspective to what unites us. That unifying factor is the Lord! And even if someone doesn’t know God, they still need Him, however unconsciously. Their need for the Lord unites us when I partner with God to help that person find God.  A person’s need for food and provision can be met at the food bank where I volunteer. And when it comes to my political opinions and non-salvation issues with regard to religion, I now know I don’t need to blurt out every personal belief to every passer-by. Honestly, letting go of my perceived lack and my right to be right lead me to a rich treasure trove overflowing with contentment. For me, that’s been the greatest blessing I received in these last six challenging months.

This perspective multiplied my gratitude in surprising ways. As I found myself looking to my All in All to meet my deepest emotional needs, the nit-picky things that tried to break in and steal my joy disintegrated before my eyes. Indeed, they were all useless components of a deceptive mirage. God opened His treasure chest for me and showed me the riches of spiritual gifts, sacrificial living, and precious Christian friendship. It shone a bright light on the friction, controversy, suspicion, slander, and quarrels that are so much a part of the fabric of society today. Paul’s helpful words in 1 Timothy 6:17 further illuminate this contrast. We are to “set our hopes not on uncertain things but on God.” We are to be “generous, ready to share” from a heart cultivated by and for God. As we do, we build a foundation of contentment built on our future.

In doing that, we embody a life-giving spirit that can be shared within our sphere of influence. That sphere in turn can influence their people. That kind of momentum is much more likely to change the world than any passionate Facebook rant.

Let’s partner with our Wonderful Counselor and ask Him to help us be mindful of our blessings. And may the resulting contentment be something we treasure and hold dear in the vaults of our hearts each and every day.