MEMORISE:
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 1 Timothy 6:8
READ: 1 Timothy 6:6-10
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.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
MESSAGE
Contrary to common belief, satisfaction in life is not a matter of how much you have. Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Luke 12:15:
“…Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth”.
In other words, abundant possessions do not guarantee joy, peace and fulfilment in life. The Lord is asking you today, "Are you divinely satisfied? What is your satisfaction in life dependent on?" The reason why a lot of people are never satisfied in life is due to the lack of contentment. In today's memory verse, the Holy Spirit instructs us to be content with having food and clothing. This is a command and not a piece of advice. To measure up to this heavenly standard, we must endeavour to discover what true blessing is and the source of it. Concerning true blessing, Proverbs 10:22 says:
“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it”.
True blessings from the Lord have three characteristics: they bring riches in all ramifications, they are devoid of sorrow and are accompanied with contentment.
Irrespective of what a man has, if he is not content, he will restlessly pursue satisfaction throughout his life time. The Almighty God, in whose image we were created, is a great example to us on contentment. Genesis 1:31-2:22 says:
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made”.
From the scripture above, we learn that God saw everything that He had made as being very good. In other words, God was content with what He had achieved in six days. This divine satisfaction made Him take a rest on the seventh day! We know that God continued His work after He rested on the seventh day because Jesus Christ said in John 5:17b:
“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work”.
The secret behind God resting on the seventh day even though He still had more work to do is not far-fetched: God was content with His achievements. This is why the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:6:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain”.
This verse shows that one may be godly but not have contentment. Beloved, when we become obsessed with work because we want to acquire more wealth to the detriment of our worship of God and even to the point of harming our body system, then we have fallen into the snare of the devil described in 1 Timothy 6:9. Are you divinely satisfied?
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please grant me the grace to live a life of godliness with contentment.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 7-8, Isaiah 15:1-16:11
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 7: MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS
1 My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.
Chorus:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
2 When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
3 His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
4 When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
In Him, my righteousness, alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
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