Godly Contentment

27/10/2025 3 min
Godly Contentment

Listen "Godly Contentment"

Episode Synopsis

Our text comes from 1 Timothy 6:6: But godliness with contentment is great gain. Gahazi’s is a sad story. As Elisha’s servant, he watched as Elisha refused payment for the healing of Naaman. Gahazi thought this was rubbish. He slipped out the back door to follow Naaman. Interrupting the commander’s journey home, he lied about his purposes and came away with a sizable payment, which he hid. But of course, Elisha was wise to him. As punishment, Gahazi was inflicted with Naaman’s leprosy. Gahazi lived with and served God’s primary prophet in Israel. He knew the miracles that both Elijah and Elisha had performed. Surely, he knew that to provide adequately for his prophets was no big deal for the God of Israel. Provision he had aplenty. Access to God he had at his fingertips. Yet he wanted more. He was not content. Paul warns us about this, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Instead, pursue this, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” There’s a quiet strength in these words — a kind of wisdom that cuts against the grain. We are surrounded by messages that tell us gain comes from getting — more possessions, more comfort, more status. But Paul says, true gain does not come from adding more. This is not a contentment that shrugs its shoulders and settles for less. It’s a deep sufficiency — a settled peace that flows from knowing that Christ is enough. We don’t find contentment by ignoring the world’s goodness, but by knowing where our ultimate treasure lies. This contentment isn’t natural. We must learn it as Paul did, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” That learning often comes through loss, through the stripping away of the things we thought we needed. And in those moments, we discover that we can lose everything and still have Christ — and therefore still have everything that matters. Godliness with contentment — that’s not a small thing. It’s freedom. Freedom from envy. Freedom from anxiety. Freedom from the restless drive to prove ourselves. It is the life of one who has found their joy in God Himself. So, what does this look like for us? It changes the reasons for paid employment. It changes the way we purchase things. As you go about your activities this week, keep an eye on your heart. Pay attention to the moments when discontentment rises. In Christ, we already possess the greatest treasure — and when we have Him, we can learn contentment, knowing that nothing more can make us truly rich. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

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