1 Timothy 6:6 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.
This passage of scripture teaches us the valuable characteristic of being content with such things as The Lord has provided. The passage does not say that we should not aspire to advance in life, what it does say is that there should not be found in us a feverish disposition to be restless and discontented with what we have, for this attitude when harbored, always leads to covetousness, which is idolatry. The tendency to always desire the acquirement of material goods is indicative of a deeper spiritual problem, and as such must be addressed by all Christians who are struggling with this issue.
About twenty years ago, a seemingly devout Christian and father was caught doing the unthinkable in the city of Kansas, where many doctors and cancer patients came to him as their trusted pharmacist, to fill their chemotherapy prescriptions. But it was later discovered that he was secretly diluting their medicines in order to fill out many more prescriptions, so that he could make many more millions. During the time in which this fraudulent scheme was being conducted, very many cancer patients died for lack of the correct dosage of their medicines, and even though the lawsuits and penalties which followed ran into the billions, yet the families who had been adversely affected could never fully come to grips with the fact that their loved ones were lost on account of the greed and discontent of one man.
That's why the Bible makes a profound statement of fact as it pertains to harboring a spirit of discontent, with the hope that we would all take stock of ourselves, to see if we are imperceptibly falling into this common sin. Let's read:
Ecclesiastes 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
Solomon who wrote from the perspective of one who had pursued the acquirement of much material goods, gave us warning on this very point, by teaching us the right attitude we should harbor towards the temporal things of this life. There are certain evils and temptations which always attend the irrational accumulation of wealth, and being one who had pursued this illusive dream for many years, he was capable of giving us good advice as to how our outlook on this issue should be. Let's read:
Proverbs 30:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
In our day, we need to be extremely careful as Christians lest the avarice and greed with which we are surrounded in modern society, imperceptibly invade our thinking, thus causing us to resort to ungodly methods in the quest for pecuniary advantages. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that encourages us to be content with such things as God provides, for we are here on this earth but for a moment, and our desires and aspirations should not be temporal, but rather eternal in nature.
Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
May every Christian be found living contentedly, waiting upon God who provides for our needs according to His riches in glory. "Good night and God bless!