I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13
“On the righteous side, God uses money to bless untold millions and advance the kingdom. On the unrighteous side, the Evil One uses money to corrupt people, to separate them from God and each other, and to sow discord and discontent…
It is important to note that God never, under any conditions, needs money to accomplish His purposes. That said, He does use money in various ways to bless His people and also to test us… Money is singled out by God for special warning. It is the only power having the audacity to go toe to toe with God and challenge Him for ownership…
Here are some prescriptions that might help us gain control of the money issues in our lives and submit them to the control of the kingdom. While individuals can do little to change our economic system, there is much we can do to prevent from being trapped by it. It is no surprise that contentment wishes to play a part in this rescue.
Rx:1 – Base Contentment on God rather than Economics. God promised He would never leave us or forsake us. Money cannot give such a promise…
Rx:2 – Stop Thinking Primarily in Money Terms… This does not mean we are never to think about money, but only that we are to think about money in the proper way. It is a tool. An important tool. A tool that can do much good. A tool that also can cause much harm…
Rx:3 – Pursue Activities That Don’t Cost Money… Reading a good book can offer a literary journey around the world or across the ages. Try going for a walk, tending flowers, sitting by rivers, attending free concerts in the park, watching people (especially kids)… Activities that do not require money, especially community, friendship, and hospitality, nevertheless constitute a rich lifestyle.
Rx:4 – Explore Employment Options… It is perfectly acceptable to look for a better job… But if He does not grant a betterment in our conditions, then our spiritual responsibility is to be content to live within our harvest…
Rx:5 – Do Not Take Orders from Money. People have a tendency to bow to money. They recognize it’s power and decide they will do anything to serve it… This behavior is not for the people of God. We should resist the force of money whenever we feel it…
Rx:6 – Don’t Link Self-Esteem to Money… Sometimes it requires a righteous ego strength to go against the flow of our culture. Then, however, we remember that Jesus walked opposite the prevailing winds years ago and told us to follow His example.
Rx:7 – Go Ahead, Buy the New Sofa, Maybe. If the couch is geriatric, we are not necessarily required to be content with it. If we have the funds and feel God smile, buy a newer one. But if we are repeatedly wanting another couch, a different couch, a new couch, a more fashionable couch, a couch like the neighbors’, a couch that makes us feel good about ourselves, then I doubt God is still smiling.
Rx:8 – Resist Saying, “I Will Be Content When…” Contentment in God, His provision, presence, and providence, is not a postponable commodity… The Bible does not say be content when you have; it says be content with what you have. True contentment is not based on contingencies but on God alone.”
Richard A. Swenson in Contentment: The Secret to Lasting Calm (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2013) 163-174.
Gary Williams of CMA Australia gave me this book and I could not put it down in the quietness of my hotel room. I loved the list of prescriptions for finding contentment in a consumeristic world that calls us to love money. I hope you do too.
Read through the list again just reading the bold-face type. Do any of these seem to resonate with you as prescriptions that may be just what the doctor ordered to help you foster contentment to position you to grow in generosity?
Pick one and ask God to help you lean into that area. Why do this? We must deprogram ourselves from the world’s economic mindset. As Swenson notes, when we hold on to money instead of enjoying and sharing it, our actions reveal our trust is in money.
We send God a message, loud and clear, that we do not trust Him to provide, so we will take matters into our own hands. We rationalize it away as good stewardship, and in so doing, prohibit ourselves from experiencing the contentment He desires for us.