When is Enough – Enough?
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1 Timothy 6:6
Paul’s Dynamic Duo
While stationed in South Korea during my military days in the 1970s, I noticed that the Korean nationals never threw away anything. They would take what some considered waste and use if for another purpose. By contrast, people of the United States, throw away just about everything. Sadly, many will throw away decent clothes because, in their minds, old clothes are no longer fashionable. Our culture throws away a tremendous amount of food every day while many in other parts of the world are starving to death. It seems that this nation is in a constant cycle of grab it – flaunt it – and then throw it away. What would happen if just for a day, people were totally satisfied with life? It would change everything. Throwing away and then turning to buy more is a sign of deep discontentment. This attitude points to the sad fact that people only value themselves and materialism as a way of life. When will we ever get to the place where we declare that “enough is enough?”
Many centuries ago, the Apostle Paul saw a problem emerging in the newly formed Christian Church. He described the culture of his day as greed seekers who were robbed of truth and thought that godliness was a means to financial gain. 1 Tim. 6:5. He went on to share the two elements that would provide enormous profit to the Christian: godliness with contentment. These two elements work together for the good of those that love God. The godliness demonstrates the believer’s positive response to the will of God. The contentment demonstrates the believer’s positive response to the wealth of God. Both of these virtues work together as a testimony that a person loves God for who He is and not just for the things God can do. Of course, we need God at every turn in our life, but we should never take God’s Power or His Will to bless us for granted. Paul is basically saying, “whatever God gives, I shall be more than satisfied and I shall use what God gives for God’s Glory.” It is powerful to know the concept of enough.
We discover three things about God when we learn the concept of enough. The godliness and contentment will produce results that last a lifetime. The first discovery is realizing that serving God is far more rewarding than serving God for gain. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. Many of us have learned from experience, if you seek after things you will be disappointed, and your life will be constantly in the “get mode.” But seeking after God satisfies on every front. God satisfies us spiritually by renewing our spirits and strengthening our soul through worship. God satisfies us emotionally by reminding us not to worry about tomorrow, but to be satisfied with His provisions for today. God satisfies physically by providing for our needs and causing us to be productive to the point that we are willing to share with others. Yes, serving God is far more rewarding than gain.
The second discovery is realizing that serving others in God’s Name is more blessed than serving ourselves. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Jesus also said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Self-serving people boast about what they have and demonstrate their pride through what they possess. God-serving people boast in the Lord and others praise God for their service in God’s Name. This is referred to as the “good works” that are produced by the believer. People recognize those works and give glory to the Father in Heaven.
The third discovery is realizing that true living does not take material gain it takes God’s Grace. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Serving God does pay off in this life, but it is not always in terms of monetary profit. There have been people who possessed very little in material wealth and yet they impacted the world through their testimony. One such person was Corrie Ten Boom, who suffered greatly in the German concentration camps of World War II. Rather than turning bitter, she turned to the Lord and served God. Her testimony of faith in troubled times has helped many believers through their struggles. Ms. Boom shared how Satan knows when we are in need and will try to entice us to get ahead of God’s promises. God knows our need and will whisper to us to wait for His promises. She said, “our wise Father knows when we need things – don’t run ahead of Him.” (Source: Crosswalk.com – Quotes by Corrie Ten Boom.) It is Satan who tells us the lie that the more we have, the happier we will become. But God tells us that if we have Him in our lives, we have everything that we will ever need and more. What God gives is always more than enough.
Soul Satisfaction
How does godliness and contentment become great gain? The godliness and contentment is a state of soul satisfaction that comes only from God, and it is given freely to all who believe. The problem with worldly satisfaction is that it is sporadic and never complete. Today you may be filled with temporary things but tomorrow the hunger and craving for more returns. It is much like the woman from the town of Sychar, Samaria. Her life was a constant cycle of dissatisfaction. In her miserable state, she would return to Jacob’s well just to get a temporary drink that could never satisfy the thirst of her soul. This woman was not satisfied physically because the water could not take care of all her needs. So, her thirst was never quenched. She was not satisfied relationally because she had gone through five failed marriages and the man she was now living with could not provide for her soul’s need. She was not satisfied spiritually because she thought that she had to find some mountain top experience in order to have faith in God. In her state of soul dissatisfaction, Jesus said, if you knew the gift of God, and Who it is that said to you “give Me to drink,” you would ask Him, and He would give you living water. John 4:10.That woman listened to the Words of Jesus, and she found soul satisfaction. She left her water pitcher and ran back into the town to tell everyone about Jesus who told her all about her life. That day she received a Message from God that brought godliness and contentment. It satisfied.
That same godliness and contentment is available to us today. Yes, we live in a restless and sometimes hopeless world of confusion, but Jesus makes the same offer today as He did for the woman of Samaria. He offers to everyone soul satisfaction that preserves us in this life. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Ps. 23:1. In the same way that shepherds guided, protected, and cared for sheep, our Lord and Savior cares for all our needs. Our simple, yet powerful command is to follow the Shepherd. It is the Lord who satisfies and that is more than enough. Amen!
Not only does Jesus preserve and care for us as His sheep, but the Lord also has a plan of righteousness that satisfies. Soul satisfaction is God’s plan for every believer to be righteous as God is righteous. Ps. 17:15, as for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied when I awake with Your likeness. The goal in life is not to get material gain, but to become everything that God planned. That plan is for every believer to eventually become like Jesus. Those who try to fill their lives with material things will become more and more disillusioned and deceived by life. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that since we brought nothing into this world – we will not carry anything out of this world. It is only in becoming more like Jesus and living a righteous life before God that we will truly be satisfied. Then, when we see God, there will be an amazing discovery. We will be righteous and that will satisfy our soul.
Yes, soul satisfaction is attained by realizing that the Lord preserves us as our Shepherd. The soul satisfaction is attained as we follow God’s plan that will mold us into God’s righteousness. But there is one other element of soul satisfaction that comes from godliness and contentment. The soul satisfaction that comes from God provides joy for living. This world is filled with trouble and Christians are not exempt. Yet, in the midst of trouble our souls are satisfied. Our souls are satisfied through God’s provision of joy based on Psalm 30:5. For His anger endures but a moment; in His favor is life – weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. For that reason, we don’t sorrow and live in a constant state of grief as others who don’t have Christ. We have found this over and over that God sends His joy to lift our heads and satisfy our souls. Sickness, hardship, distress, and problems are all temporary situations. Even death itself cannot keep us from God’s joy for death is only a corridor that leads the faithful to God. Yes, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. That is more than enough. And because it is more than enough, I plan to tell others about this godliness and contentment. I am going to let others know that Jesus gives His joy in every situation. I am going to be like the woman of Samaria and invite everyone to “come and see a Man who told me all things that ever I did, is not this the Christ? John 4:29. That is soul satisfaction; that is godliness and contentment.