Contentment - thoughts based loosely upon 1Ti 6:6-12 GW

This was a piece I wrote some time ago.

Contentment

I believe that we all desire some form of contentment but the question is what is it and what is the cost.
In my opinion our lack of contentment stems from unmet desires, so the beginning question to ask is what is the basis for our discontent.

God made man and gave him dominion

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen 1:26 ESV
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Adam gave it all away.

And to Adam He said, because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, you shall not eat of it! The ground is cursed for your sake. In pain shall you eat of it all the days of your life. Gen 3:17 MKJV
(CEV) "You listened to your wife and ate fruit from that tree. And so, the ground will be under a curse because of what you did.

If I could say that there was a basis for our discontentment it would be EGO. Mine is pretty well shot but I still struggle to re-establish the threads that I cling too. Ego seems to be the basis for every fall that I have; I wish to be in charge or my jealousy flares up, or my feelings get hurt.

Ego was behind Satan’s fall.
Isa 14:12-14 KJV How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Satan uses discontentment as a weapon against us constantly. Consider that Paul pointed out that Satan no longer has any weapons to use for Jesus stripped him of his weapons.
Col 2:15 KJV And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

SPOILED, pp. Plundered; pillaged; corrupted; rendered useless.
Spoil,
1. To plunder; to strip by violence; to rob; with of; as, to spoil one of his goods or possessions.
2. To seize by violence; to take by force; as, to spoil ones goods.
Principality
1. Sovereignty; supreme power.
2. A prince; one invested with sovereignty. Titus 3.
3. The territory of a prince; or the country which gives title to a prince;
4. Superiority; predominance. [Little used.]
5. In Scripture, royal state or attire. Jer 13.

Power

1. In a philosophical sense, the faculty of doing or performing any thing; the faculty of moving or of producing a change in something; ability or strength. Power may exist without exertion. We have power to speak when we are silent.
2. Force.
3. Faculty of the mind, as manifested by a particular mode of operation; as the power of thinking, comparing and judging; the reasoning powers.
4. Ability, natural or moral. We say, a man has the power of doing good;
5. Influence; that which may move the mind; as the power of arguments or of persuasion.
6. Command; the right of governing, or actual government; dominion; rule, sway; authority.
7. A sovereign, whether emperor, king or governing prince or the legislature of a state;
8. One invested with authority; a ruler; a civil magistrate. Rom 13.
9. Divinity; a celestial or invisible being or agent supposed to have dominion over some part of creation; as celestial powers; the powers of darkness.
10. Legal authority; warrant; as a power of attorney; an agent invested with ample power. The envoy has full powers to negotiate a treaty.
11. Violence, force; compulsion. Ezek 4.
12. Satan is said to have the power of death, as he introduced sin, the cause of death, temporal and eternal, and torments men with the feat of death and future misery.
13. Power of attorney, authority given to a person to act for another.


Rom 6:16 LITV Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or obedience to righteousness?


If I struggle to feed my ego and envy to have what others have I will never be content. I feel I have a strong desire to know my Jesus but often feel I will never know that kind of depth, and yet this is not an envy but a drive of my heart like that of a lover. In human relationships to pursue another with that kind of intensity could easily suck the life out of that relationship, especially when one is so needy and the other is merely giving all the time. There is a sickness in this kind of thought process because it comes from a broken, human point of view.

God is love and made man for relationship. Solomon spoke of Adam's relationship with God prophetically in Proverbs (Pro:8:30)and never do we see God drained by the communion he had with man; He was and is clearly drained by our lack of faith in Him and our dismal attempts to show him love, but none of that changes God's heart toward us. You cannot make God love you anymore, nor can you make him love you any less.

I was beside him as a master craftsman. I made him happy day after day, I rejoiced in front of him all the time, Pro_8:30 GW



CONTENTMENT
1. A resting or satisfaction of mind without disquiet; acquiescence.
2. Gratification.

CONTENTED, pp. or a. Satisfied; quiet; easy in mind; not complaining, opposing or demanding more.

To ACQUIESCE is to be quiet; rest.
1. To rest satisfied, or apparently satisfied, or to rest without opposition and discontent; usually implying previous opposition, uneasiness, or dislike,

Paul wrote to Timothy, a young man who may have struggled to find a place of contentment himself.

1Ti 6:6-12 GW A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have. (7)We didn't bring anything into the world, and we can't take anything out of it. (8)As long as we have food and clothes, we should be satisfied. (9)But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin. (10)Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief. (11)But you, man of God, must avoid these things. Pursue what God approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. (12)Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life to which you were called and about which you made a good testimony in front of many witnesses.

Being content with what we have may be one of the hardest things we do. I love this version in that it says: “Pursue what God approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life”

Pro 8:35 (KJV) For whoso finds me finds life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD.

“The entire universe in its totality is cooperating with God in his purpose to select and train His Church as His Eternal companions.” Paul Bilheimer, Destined For The Throne.

So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. 1Co 3:21 - 3:23 ESV

I wish I could make the concept of contentment clear. I believe it is a goal, a position to be in, and not a place we will find ourselves in very often, because I believe that God constantly has us in training as he tries to perfect us into the bride fit for his Son.