Live Simply with Contentment

Vol. 20 No. 42 | October 22, 2018

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and 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 6:6-10, NIV)

This one line stands out to me: But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

That line jumps off the page because I wonder: Will we? Will we be content with just food and clothing?

Every time I pull my car into our two-car garage, I see boxes lining the walls filled with clothes we are not wearing, sporting equipment we are not using, and decorations that are only decorating the boxes they’re in.

When I drive through neighborhoods, I see cars sitting in driveways because their garages are filled with exercise and building equipment that do not fit inside their houses.

When I drive down city streets, I see housing development after housing development, in part, because we are not satisfied with our current living situation.

When I go to the grocery store, I usually leave with more than I need and can’t remember the last time I didn’t stand in line to check out (even with the self-check-out lanes).

The ads that show up on my social media pages and appear repeatedly on tv constantly challenge my notion of being content.

Don’t take this to mean I have anything against using your garage as a workshop or workout room, community growth, people buying groceries to feed their families, or companies promoting their products. My concern, however, is with the difficulty we have experiencing the great gain of godliness and contentment.

Contentment is a great challenge for all who live in the land of plenty. It seems that plenty is okay, but more is better. Enough is seldom enough.

It’s only natural, right? The American way, right?

Not according to Jesus and his followers.

The call to live simply and with contentment is not easy. I am not there. But I’m trying. I’ve been trying for many years. I have made some progress. I have fewer boxes in my garage and less stuff in my attic. I’m trying to be content with my iPhone 7, and I still drive a 2007 Toyota Highlander with almost 250,000 miles on it. I’m trying to live simply and with contentment, but I’m not where I want to be.

You may share a similar battle. Don’t give up. Live simply. Be content with what you have. Trust the Lord to show you the “great gain.”

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