>>>
1 Timothy 6:6 - Secret of Contentment.

1 Timothy 6:6 - Secret of Contentment.

1 Timothy 6:6 (KJV) Godliness with contentment is great gain.

1 Timothy 6:6 (TEV) Well, religion does make a person very rich, 
if he is satisfied with what he has. 

1 Timothy 6:6 (NJB) Religion, of course, does bring large 
profits, but only to those who are content with what they have.  

CONTEXT

Love of Money: 1 Tim. 6:3-10.

COMMENTARY APPLICATION

This statement is the key to spiritual growth and personal 
fulfillment. We should honor God and center our desires on him, and we should 
be content with what God is doing in our lives. [Life Application 
SB] 

It is often helpful to distinguish between 'needs' and 'wants.' 
We may have all we need to live but let ourselves become anxious 
and discontented over what we merely want. Like Paul, we can choose 
to be content without having all that we want. The only alternative 
is to be a slave to our desires. [Life Application SB] 

When new "toys' are advertised on television, it's natural to 
crave them. We can take a tip from the apostle Paul, who knew what it 
was like to have it all--or nothing (Philippians 4:12), Greater 
happiness, he writes, is found by being happy with what you have rather 
than by spending money on things that take away from time with your 
heavenly Father 11 Timothy 6:8, 10). [The 365 Daily Promise Bible By 
Barbour re 1Ti. 6:6] 

  Satisfied? That is one thing we are not. We are not satisfied ...
  We take a vacation of a lifetime ... We satiate ourselves with 
sun, fun, and good food. But we are not even on the way home before 
we dread the end of the trip and begin planning another. 
  We are not satisfied.
  As a child we say, "If only I were a teenager." As a teen we 
say, "If only I were an adult," As an adult, "If only I were 
married." As a spouse, "If only I had kids"... 
  We are not satisfied. Contentment is a difficult virtue. Why?
  Because there is nothing on earth that can satisfy our deepest 
longing - our need for an intimate relationship with God. [Grace For The 
Moment SB By Max Lucado re 1Ti. 6:7, 8 mod.] 

  "I want a college major that will prepare me to make a lot of 
money." 
  "I want to marry a millionaire."
  "I need to take this transfer if I'm going to advance in the 
company." 
  I suppose each of these statements expresses a pretty common 
viewpoint. Each, however, also expresses something else. Each makes it 
clear that eagerness for money is a value that determines the 
speaker's decisions. 
  Paul had a lot of sympathy for such folks, because they've 
missed something vital in Christian faith, and have set out on a course 
that's likely to "pierce themselves with many griefs." 
  Why? Well, for one thing, we Christians are placed here on 
earth to serve others and to glorify God. Looking at college as a 
ticket to some high-paying job means that the person is not looking at 
his life-work in a Christian perspective. All too many fast-track 
businessmen over 40 look back, and realize that in their pursuit of money 
they've sacrificed their families, health, and their own higher ideals. 
The grief they feel when it's too late can never be assuaged by a 
six-figure salary, even with bonuses. 
  The girl who wants to marry a millionaire is being totally 
unrealistic about marriage. The qualities that make for a happy, successful, 
and lasting marriage can't be measured by one's bank account. If 
such women are unfortunate enough to find their millionaire, they all 
too often pay a high price in loneliness, lovelessness, and 
unhappiness. 
  The person who evaluates a transfer only in terms of financial 
benefit is also ignoring more important values. Is the family settled 
down in the present community, with a circle of good Christian 
friends, and a significant church life? How will the spouse and children 
be affected by a move just for the sake of the career? Again, moves 
motivated by a desire for money have often proven disastrous, and created 
many griefs for the individual and his or her family. 
  What Paul is saying to us isn't that we should ignore the 
economics of our decisions. He is warning us that if we find an eagerness 
for money pushing out consideration of other, more important values, 
we're in serious personal and spiritual danger. We can be sure of one 
thing. That desire for money was not given to us by God. [The 365-Day 
Devotional Commentary] 

  Many in today's workforce feel deeply discontented. "If only I 
had a better boss .... If only I could make more money .... If I could 
just work for that company ...." And so it goes. 
  Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist exhorted disgruntled 
Roman soldiers to be content with their wages (Luke 3:14). It's still 
good advice. 
  We can grow content when we see God as our sole provider: 
"Give me neither poverty nor riches--feed me with the food allotted to 
me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest 
I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Prov. 30:8, 
9). 
  We can also grow content as we focus on the necessities of 
life: "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that 
we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these 
we shall be content" (1 Tim. 6:7, 8). 
  Much of our restlessness comes from desiring the many perks 
our affluent culture offers. But do we really need them? Can we get 
along without designer jeans? God will often supply our wants out of 
His goodness and grace, but He promises to supply only our needs. 
  We can grow content as we learn to express gratitude for what 
we have, rather than complain about what we're missing: "Let your 
conduct be without covetousness; be content for such things as you have" 
(Heb. 13:5). Solomon said, "Better is the sight of the eyes than the 
wandering of desire" (Eccl. 6:9). 
  God already has blessed us with so much. Satan schemes to 
redirect our focus to what eludes us, thus fostering a malignant virus of 
discontent. Instead, why not take inventory of all that God has blessed you 
with and thank Him for each and every blessing you note? 
  We find our greatest source of contentment, of course, in a 
delightful relationship with Jesus Christ: "Not that I speak in regard to 
need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content .... I can 
do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:11, 13). 
Paul could feel satisfied with his often harsh lot in life because 
his communion with the Savior filled his heart to overflowing. 
  "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the 
desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:4). [Life Principles SB By Charles 
Stanley] 

  What God wants me to cultivate is an attitude of contentment 
with what I have now. Having "food and clothing," Paul said, "we will 
be content with that." God provides the necessities--and I don't 
need the luxuries. 
  How do I know? Why, when I die, nothing material I've gained 
will be taken with me. But the essential "me"--all that I am as an 
individual, all that I have or will become, is carried on into eternity. In 
the last analysis, nothing else counts. 
  So if you're not rich, count it a blessing. The opportunity to 
deepen your faith in God as you trust Him is a great blessing. For the 
more godly person that you are becoming will enter God's presence, 
and every material possession will be left behind. [The 365-Day 
Devotional Commentary] 

Are you content with the necessities of life, or must God give 
you luxuries? God wants you to enjoy His gifts (v. 17) and employ 
them for the good of others; but beware when your heart is set on 
getting rich (Prov. 15:27; Eccles. 5:10). [Chapter by Chapter Bible 
Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] 

MINI-VIDEO DEVOTIONAL ON THIS PASSAGE: 
http://www.itiswritten.com/television#episodes/2588