The Center of Our Ways and Days (1 Timothy 6:6-7)
- Nate Miller
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
[But] godliness with contentment is great gain, ⁷for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. —1 Timothy 6:6-7
Watching HGTV is trouble for my soul.
I don’t know about you, but when I finish watching, my level of satisfaction with my own home has decreased, not increased. I begin saying things like, “Wouldn’t an open floor plan really make this space more usable?” “What about some crown molding?” “We definitely need to increase the amount of shiplap in this place!”
Paul gives us some wisdom that is helpful for us whether it’s HGTV, Instagram, or a trip to Target that has stirred up discontent in us. In 1 Timothy 6, Paul has just finished giving young Pastor Timothy instructions to guide the church at Ephesus, including how to deal with false teachers who are seeking personal material gain. Timothy’s mindset, and ours, ought to be different:
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
Paul’s core statement is “godliness with contentment is great gain.” This is supported by the reasoning “for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” Our material possessions will pass away. The place I call home is not my true home; it's not my “forever home,” no matter how beautiful, cozy, or shiplapped it is. So where does contentment come from?
Contentment is not about what you have, it is about Who you have.
Godliness is the sanctifying work of Christ. After encouraging Timothy to train himself in godliness, Paul says, “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10, emphasis added). In this way, pursuing godliness means pursuing God Himself by putting our hope in Him as the center of all our ways and all our days.
To pursue godliness “with contentment” is to find your joy, sufficiency, and satisfaction in Christ and not in earthly things. At the end of this letter Paul says, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).
True contentment will never come through what you have—no matter how much you get, there will always be more that you don't have. You will waste your life if you strive after material things in the pursuit of contentment—it can only come through Who you have. Believer, the living God has given Himself to you. That is great gain!
For Reflection
What pulls your heart toward material things? (HGTV, Target, Instagram, etc.)
Do you see the gospel as a means for material gain, or do you see Jesus as the gift of the gospel?
Ask God to awaken your joy in Jesus today through singing, reading the Word, and praying.
Nate Miller is the Associate Preaching Pastor at Revive Church in Brooklyn Park, MN. Nate and his wife, Angela, live in Brooklyn Park and have three children.