Devotionals

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Contending for Contentment
By Missey Butler

Don’t you just love it when you happen to get an inside scoop that helps you to save money or perhaps conserve time, or you manage to locate some helpful information that gives you a marked advantage over the competition?

Well that’s exactly what The Apostle Paul gives us in the book of First Timothy. If you have a New Testament handy, follow along with me as I share with you the low down on just how you can make great strides in your spiritual walk and it won’t cost you a thing.

We can find this cutting edge truth appearing as Pauls letter of exhortation when he boldly states: “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world,and it is certain we shall carry nothing out. (1 Timothy 6:6).

Voila! There it is. The inside information of just how to chalk up a lot of extra miles without having to travel very far. Notice the two vital ingredients, Godliness and Contentment. I was thinking about the first one (godliness) and how it relates to my own walk and I really have to admit, that I think I have this one licked.

Now hold on, before you get all religious on me and think things like, “How dare her make that statement and how could she even “assume” that she somehow has the corner on godliness!

The fact is, within the beautiful work of atonement, God not only saves us, but sanctifies us as well! So that, whenever we stand before Him (spiritually speaking) He sees us as, complete, perfect, holy, without sin, blameless…full of godliness! The direct result of the finished work of Jesus Christ! By faith, we stand as the finished product! So Godliness is a settled issue to the believing Christian!

Now comes the contentment part, and that is definitely a horse of a different color. Being content is one of those areas of refinement that God continues to “refine” in me. I have to say though, I am getting much better about being happy with my portion in life. I no longer yearn for the bigger and better, cars, houses, vacations etc... Keeping up with the “Jone’s” has lost all of its’ appeal. I am even quite comfortable wearing the same outfit twice in one week (can you imagine that?). I no longer pay my hairdresser’s mortgage payment with the high cost of professionally highlighting my hair… I have now discovered “Clairol” at $2.67 a box.

I now longer consider my Dad’s nose that I was blessed to inherit, as some kind of family curse, but rather see it as just one more physical feature designed by God to sculpt the masterpiece (the Master’s piece) that is uniquely called…me!

I’ve even managed to look again at my tuna fish sandwich to find that with a few extra ingredients, it’s not so bad…Watch out “Emeril” you might just have to take a back seat!

I share all this with you in the hopes that you too will begin to know how wonderful and liberating it is to realize that God’s ways are not our ways…they are so much better and certainly hold a lot more promise. It’s gloriously when the moment arrives, when we discover that Godliness with contentment IS GREAT GAIN! You have probably heard it said: “Less is more?” Why not try it out for yourself. You may just stumble across the one thing you’ve been looking for all along!

Remember in paragraph two, when I said the part about it not costing you anything? Well, I was wrong. It will cost you something alright, in fact, it will cost you everything! How do I know this? The last part of that verse clearly tells us “We came into this world with nothing and we’re going to leave with nothing.” So, why not settle your account right now and move on to a new level of attainment in the Spirit realm. It will certainly be worth it all in the end.

Be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5) KJV

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