CONTENTMENT AND CONFIDENCE. Hebrews 13:5-6 An ongoing desire for more material possessions leads to covetousness, which is a moral sin because it is “as idolatry.” When material things become our “treasure on earth,” it cuts us off from happy fellowship with God. It also implies a lack of faith in God to supply all our needs. “The love of money” is a snare to the growth of our souls and the contentment of our spirits. We need money to live ordinary lives, with a home to live in, food to eat, and to raise our children, so how can we be free from the “love of money”?
Believers in Christ have to learn how to live with their fellowmen and to love the one person of the opposite sex they are married to. They also have to learn how to live in the world, surrounded by temptations to buy new products we don’t need, fads that quickly come and go, and pleasures that promise much but do not last. The world system is blind to God, righteousness, and contentment. Advertisements are designed to make us discontent with what we have and with what others say we are missing out on. That system appeals to pride, self-centeredness, self-exaltation, an insatiable desire for pleasure, and fear of pain. The money God allows us to have and use for our needs and His glory brings a sense of contentment rather than the covetousness that the love of money brings.
If we allow the love of money to continue, we will soon shift the focus of our lives from responding to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to the ungodly spirit of the world. Money is not the tempter; in itself, there is no sin. When God allows us to have money, it is a gift from Him to help us fulfill His purposes. The covetousness that characterizes the love of money is sin that we must not allow.
By reading the scriptures, studying the teaching of the word of God, and learning and applying what God says, money can be a means to lay up treasure in heaven. Being rich in good works is evidence of being rich in God, who blesses the riches He allows when they are used to accomplish His will. Living in the love and will of God will produce heavenly riches in character, Christlikeness, and hearts sensitive to the needs of others.
All of this brings contentment, relieves us of anxious care, the love of money, and sin. The person who is content with God can be trusted to use by faith what God entrusts to them. A person who is content with what God gives is conscious of the nearness and favor of God that lifts us above the world system.
With confidence that God is guiding and using us to do what He has entrusted to us, we can say, “The Lord is my helper; I shall not fear what man can do unto me.” Faith in the heart, courage in life, and patience in waiting for God’s timing open our hearts to the power that overcomes the love of money and rests on God’s promises and presence with us. We can be content with what God gives us.
The love of money is a serious sin to avoid. Our manner of life must be free of the love of money. Idolatry is placing anything in the places that belong to God alone. Money can quickly become an idol. The possession of money is a trust from God, but there is always the danger of trusting it rather than God. Having a full pocket and forgetting God are often linked in scripture and in experience. If we look to money instead of God to meet our needs, we are not in the right state of mind. This is what leads to covetousness.
Contentment is an attitude to cultivate. How can we learn to be content? Learn to live with less. Relish what you have; don’t resent what you’re missing. We become content when we realize God’s sufficiency. Trust Him to meet your needs. Stewards are required to be faithful. Contentment is also a promise to claim and a confidence to confess.
The life of those who have a living faith by which they live is a demonstration of Christianity in all areas of life. Our lives have two parts: the part that involves our contact with the world and the part that links us with believers in the body of Christ. Our social life, family life, business life, school life - even our sex life - is a reflection of our faith. An open home and an open heart cannot be hidden and are evidence of our commitment to Christ. Open eyes to avoid temptation and an open mind to avoid materialism, when controlled by the Spirit of God, give proof of our testimony that we have found our joy in our Lord Jesus Christ.