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Godliness with contentment is great gain.

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus wrote, “Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.” What would it take to make you content and happy with where you are in life? How much more would you need to gain than what you have right now? The apostle Paul wrote, “If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” Does that seem like setting the bar too low? The problem is that wherever you draw the line today, our fallen human nature will likely find that to be too little tomorrow.

Six centuries before Epicurus, another wise man also reflected on the theme of contentment. After a long and prosperous reign, King Solomon recognized that he had been blessed by God with riches and fame and just about everything else this world has to offer. But what was the meaning of it all, if he was just going to die and leave it all behind anyway? Life is short, and health, wealth, and happy moments come and go. After reflection, Solomon observed, “when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:19). You see, contentment doesn’t come after gain. Scripture flips it around: contentment itself is the gain. Contentment itself is a gift from God.

One more man blessed with wisdom, Augustine of Hippo, wrote this prayer: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” If you feel constantly dissatisfied in life, it is unlikely that you are lacking some material thing. More likely, you are trying to fill a hole in your heart that can only be filled by your Creator. We were made by God to walk with him, to desire to be in his presence, and to find satisfaction in his love. But when we turned our hearts away from our Maker, he came in pursuit of us. His own Son, Jesus, was not content until he had made satisfaction for our sins and won for us a seat by his side in heaven.

Heavenly Father, help me find joy and contentment in your loving presence. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.