Why Practicing Contentment Can Rob Greed of Its Power

I was in Costco last week to pick up some eyeglasses, which happened to be right next to the TVs. As I was waiting for my glasses, I spotted a 75” TV with a price tag of less than $600! Suddenly, I had the feeling that our 65” TV at home may not be large enough... "It's getting old – probably at least 3 years old. Imagine the possibilities! I’m sure we can afford it, and it seems like something we probably need." Does this sound familiar?

This also makes me think about the first TV my wife and I owned a few months after getting married 43 years ago. With a little help from her parents, she saved and scrimped and surprised me with a 17” TV for my birthday. Imagine that, a 17” TV screen that felt like a luxury at the time.

These TV musings lead me to a paraphrase of verse 12 from the scripture above: ‘Do I know how to make do with a little 17” TV? Do I know how to make do with a larger 65” TV?’

The Contentment Classroom

The focus of Paul’s writing in these verses from Philippians addresses the question “Am I content with what I have?” Paul states that he has “learned to be content,” which means that becoming content is a learning process. Whether we see it or not, every day we are in the classroom of life, learning either to be more contented or more discontented.

Our culture, and our human nature, teaches us to compare ourselves with others and reveals what we are lacking, often leaving us with a feeling that we don’t have enough. One facet of this training ground is advertising. As William Feather said “The philosophy behind much advertising is based on the old observation that every person is really two people - the person he is and the person he wants to be.” The advertising world is oriented around persuading you to be the person you imagine yourself to be. It can cause you to see what you don’t have and persuade you that their product will make your life so much better.

A side effect of this training is to blur the lines between needs and wants, even to the point that most things are seen as real needs. As Lori Thomason states:

“Every person ever created has needs, wants and desires. A need is something required or a necessity. It is a duty or obligation. Food, shelter and clothing are basic needs. Need influences what we want. We need food but we want steak. We need shelter but we want a nice house with a picket fence and good schools. We need clothes to cover our body, but want massive closets of options right down to a particular outfit for a special occasion. Needs and wants are often confused. Needs disguised as wants [can] cause us to make foolish choices.” [1]

It is important to remember that God created us with our natural desires, they are a part of who we are and in and of themselves are not sinful. However, our response to those desires is a key indicator of our priorities and spiritual condition. And Satan loves to use those desires to find ways to speak discontent into our lives.

The desire for something more, different, or better can indicate a longing to fill an empty place in a person’s life. Satan speaks into that empty space, feeding the discontent through the messages “I don’t have enough,” “I’m not enough,” or “My life is not enough.”

Paul’s Secret

So, what is the secret behind Paul’s contentment, unchanged  regardless of his circumstances or financial condition? A footnote in my study Bible answers this question with three P’s. First of all, Paul had the proper Perspective – seeing life from God’s point of view. As Paul states in II Corinthians 4:18: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” This is a great reminder that all of our possessions and circumstances will not last – they have an expiration date. What can I do today to see all through the lens of eternity?

Secondly, Paul had his Priorities straight. His entire life was oriented around serving God – this is clearly stated throughout all of his Epistles and he paid a heavy physical price for his unwavering dedication. Lastly and most important, Paul drew his Power and strength from Jesus Christ, as stated in Philippians 4:13. As believers, we have been given the abundant life that Jesus refers to in John 10:10. Contentment is the fruit of living out the abundant life by tapping into the power and strength of Jesus – contentment independent of our circumstances.

There’s the secret to contentment – simply have the proper perspective, correct
priorities, and plug into Jesus as your constant source of power. It is instructive to be aware of how the issue of contentment relates to our spiritual journey. When one is feeling discontented, this provides several questions to ask: Am I seeing God’s perspective? Am I focused on the right priorities? Am I relying on Jesus as my power source?

This sounds straightforward. However, when we live out our real daily life, with all its unique and often significant challenges, it is difficult to take these broad statements and consistently apply them. Developing contentment requires God’s help and takes daily practice. When you practice, tomorrow’s challenges become today’s routine steps.

Learning To Be Content

Let’s revisit the central question, “Am I content with what I have?” In broader terms, this question is, “Am I content?” Here are some ways that we can practice contentment in our everyday lives:

Tip #1: Focus on What You Have, Not on What You Don't Have

The advertising and comparison messages point to what we don’t have and cause us to measure our life by how much we have. We are warned by Jesus against this mentality in Luke 12:15. Instead, we need to put on “grateful glasses” and see the many things we do have. God is the giver of all good things and He calls us to have thankful hearts.

Tip #2: What You Want Is Not Always What You Need.

God has promised in Philippians 4:19 to meet all our needs, not our wants. Can we trust Him to provide for us and to know what we truly need and what we don’t need? If we are honest with ourselves, there are many times in our lives that we are fortunate we didn’t get what we wanted at the time.

Tip #3: Most Importantly, Ask for God's Help to Learn to be Content

This is a spiritual battle for our minds and the state of our hearts. Satan wants us to be discontented in every area of our lives, including how we view ourselves. Lean into God’s power and put on His armor to battle discontent and replace it with contentment.

[1] Lisa Thomason, Needs Wants and Desires,
(https://lthomason.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/needs-wants-and-desires/, Sep 2015)