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If you had to grade yourself on how contented you are, on a scale of one to ten, would you say you are very contented, a ten, or would your grade fall much lower on that scale?
Paul wrote to Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” That’s really what I want to communicate, that we all need to learn to be content with who we are, how God has created us, content with our bodies, our personalities, our gifting, and yes, even our circumstances. And when you are satisfied with who you are, if you then pursue godliness at the same time, you are in for great gain!
What kind of gain, you may ask. The gain of knowing you are growing more like Jesus; the gain of seeing how God is using you in the lives of others; the great gain of knowing that Jesus is pleased; you can hear his “Well done, good and faithful servant.” That is the kind of gain that this world can never give you. No success or money or achievement will ever come close to the gain that, as a Christ-follower, you are walking worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter wrote that “His (Jesus’) divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). When you and I make that the priority of our lives—to live godly lives for the glory of Jesus—and that desire is coupled with contentment, we will have great gain.
So often when our circumstances are out of sorts—we’ve got the wrong job or we live in the wrong place or we don’t have enough money or we don’t have good health or whatever—we are then tempted to waste our lives and squander our opportunities. If that’s where you are, I urge you to pray daily that God will teach you to be content with your circumstances and help you accept what is coming your way. But at the same time, don’t settle for life in the doldrums just because the circumstances are rotten.
Accept but don’t settle; be contented and discontented. You can hold both in balance; you can be more content and appreciative of who you are, just the way God made you, and where your life is right now. But it will also remind you not to let yourself off the hook but always strive to be all that you can be for the glory of Jesus Christ.
