THIS IS TABLE ROCK FELLOWSHIP – PASTOR RYAN LADEN
Contentment
In our most recent study of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34) we have heard the Lord Jesus call his people to replace their worries and fears with the pursuit of God’s will and ways. In the passage that follows, the Apostle Paul shares with the church the will of God for all who are ready to move away from living a life of self-centered distraction and worry.
“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. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men 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. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Two Great Goals
In verse 6, the Apostle Paul shares with the church of Jesus Christ a message that was inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore worthy of our attention. In this message, we hear that there are two great goals that every truly successful man or woman of God should aspire to reach.
Godliness
To seek godliness is to seek to be more like Jesus today than we were yesterday. As we grow in godliness, we become more mature in our faith, more certain of what we hold to be true from God’s Word, and more expressive of the attributes of God in our daily lives. Anyone, no matter their age, health, wealth, and status in this world can become successful in God’s eyes if they will take up the call of Christ to seek the will and kingdom of God over their own.
Contentment
This is what everyone is after in this life. We seek worldly treasure in hopes that this will finally satisfy our flesh, but we soon find that the flesh is never full. We acquire things and wealth in hopes that our stuff will bring us satisfaction. But the truth, as seen above in verse 7, is that all of this worldly treasure is a dead end. It does not last, and we cannot take it with us.
Contentment without godliness is impossible. We can only find real peace and satisfaction in this life as we learn to rest in the Lord, and be at peace with our calling and place in God’s kingdom.
Love of Money
In verse 10, the Apostle Paul says that the love of money leads to a host of problems, trials and evils in this life. When cash is our king, we will serve this cruel master in hopes that we will one day become content with its cruelty.
Love of money, or the holding of worldly things as our treasure, will invariably lead us into dark and shallow places. We will find ourselves pierced by many pains and griefs in this life. And the unfortunate truth of this issue is that such love almost always leads us away from the things of God, and away from a life that seeks godliness and contentment.
Fight the Good Fight
If you are seriously interested in breaking free from the life of worry and material treasure, then you need to hear the challenge of the Apostle Paul in verse 12, where he tells us we need to fight the good fight.
A life marked by godliness and contentment is a life worth fighting for.
· Where is your next battle to preserve and advance your faith?
· Are you ready to call on the Lord to help you seek out a life marked by godliness and contentment?
In Christ,
Ryan Laden
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