But Godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Tim. 6:6
Is it possible to be godly, yet not be content? Well yes, because we may be striving to be godly but perhaps we are still not content because we are not perfect. So discontent can easily creep in.
I remember the first time we took our children to Disneyland. Our oldest son at age six was so throughly excited that it seemed to us that he really wasn't enjoying the experience as much as he could have. On every ride he was so eager to know what ride we were going on next, he wasn't enjoying the one he was already on! A writer from WORLD Magazine, Mindy Belz, puts it this way, "...we in American culture... have so much of everything we don't have time to enjoy anything." We are slaves to our schedules, work, responsibilities, family, and a thousand other things that we feel we must do to be the perfect parent , grandparent, employee, wife -- even Christian!
As an over achiever I know I was like that when I was teaching and being a pastor's wife as well as being the
mother of two boys. Even though I am now retired, I still have to fight the discontent I have with myself because I can't do all I used to be able to do and what I can do I don't do perfectly. Some of us are just built that way!
Contentment and Godliness; two things to strive for -- or should it be pray for?
6 comments:
You could be writing my own story here, Chris. Wise and well-chosen words. Sigh...
I think you should call this "Wednesday's Words of Wisdom" on Thursday. Always much wisdom here - thanks!
She got the "slave" part right for sure.
American society is built on debt. You get the debt getting out of college and spend the rest of your life paying it off and all the other debts you create in life.
The only ones who beat the "system" are the homeless and the very poor who don't have any debt and the state, or the rest of us, who pays for everything or for whatever they get or got - from food to dental care and operations at the hospital.
If everyone went by "pay as you go" the country would go bankrupt.
Great words of wisdom. I definitely need to pray for more being satisfied with what I have.
I just received my blog-book. I am thrilled with how it turned out. I now have a copy of the entire 2009 to present blog postings. Thanks for the link. Great workmanship. Totally satisfied.
Next project is 2008.
Sue
I remember those days also when I had three children at home, teaching and trying to have the cleanest house ever! I felt like I was on a treadmill and I couldn't get off! At the time I thought I was doing right, but now I know I should have chosen to let the Lord get us through it all. It is hard to know how much to work and how much to trust. I guess that is what our journey is about.
Thanks Chris; these words spoke to me on a slightly different level. As I wait and pray by my mum's bedside, knowing that she will die any time now, I find it so hard to be content that she does not acknowledge the Messiah and that the opportunities to speak with her about JESUS are gone. I need to be content that God alone knows her heart and to let go and trust Him.Thank you for being faithful in posting a word that I needed to know and at just the right time that I would see it. x
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