1 Tim 5:8 (KJV)
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Possessions are a source of enormous stress, distress and disease in our worlds. We buy things to fill up space, occupy time, and somehow things segue into another reality where they become our worlds. When things become our worlds, it is not long before they become our gods. This is idolatry – a situation where we become possessed by things instead of owners of things. It is a crime to take the things of God and place them on a pedestal to the point where they usurp God’s place. Eventually, things can become more important than family, friends, community, city, state, and nation. One of the major problems with addictions is that in the lives of addicts, the addictive substance becomes more important than people.
Having possessions gives us a sense of accomplishment, reward and safety. But the Bible tells us that “the name of the Lord is a strong tower.” He is our safety. Pride is possessions gives us a false sense of “well done,” that is not the voice of God. This is a pathway to be avoided. If we do gain material wealth in life, and we have the chance to obtain material things that we desire, how are we to avoid the temptation of being possessed by things instead of the owner of things?
Today’s verses give us a start in knowing how to keep our perspective with respect to the material world. We are told that:
Godliness with contentment is great gain.
Loss of possessions can cause people to panic. The degree of panic emanates from the extent to which we hold material things dear. If you love your stuff, your panic will be profound. Possessions don’t make you strong. The book of Nehemiah tells us: “the joy of the Lord is your strength. “(Nehemiah 8:10) When you are in panic mode, you are more prone to make bad judgements. People who panic because of material losses sometimes commit suicide. One way to avoid the trap of being possessed by your possessions is to remember that God is the source of our contentment: “In His presence is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11) Godliness with contentment is more than metaphorical gain. The original Greek word that is translated “gain” is poros, which means a “means or a way of procuring or acquiring money.
So if you have little, the way to more is literally being content with what you have. We can own beautiful things, but they are objects of possession only, not objects of adoration. God is to be adored. Family, friends and neighbors are to be loved. Possessions are to be used to the glory of God. When we know that God is the source of our gain, we are more likely to be humble, which means we will are more likely to share and be good stewards of what the Lord has trusted us with.
“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”
Everything we will ever own on this Earth is a gift that is placed into our hands by Almighty God. We enter the world with closed fists, because we have nothing but the breath of life, and air cannot be grasped. We leave the world with empty hands because to leave it means that we have left this world for a place of either eternal rest or eternal damnation. Everything we can ever own will likewise have a point of termination. Our world, however well or poorly it is fashioned, is not our life. God is.
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
It is enough to be able to eat in a way that allows us to continue in health, and to be protected from the elements. These things are provided by the Lord. The Lord’s prayer asks for “daily bread” not storehouses of grain. We must remember that the state of our hearts, not our possessions are an indication of how well we stand in the eyes of God.
Are you clinging to your possessions today? Are you having stress or distress because of threats to what you own? What would you do if you lost your home or car or job today? Remember Jesus died to save your soul, not your bank account. Sometimes the Lord uses loss of material things to give us a chance to gain the right perspective and appreciate the truth: That Jesus alone is Lord of all.
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