“For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version [ESV], 2001, 1 Timothy 6:7)

As Christians, we are called to be content with what we have, and instead of chasing material possessions, to trust in God’s provision. As followers of Christ in the world today, it can be a struggle to be adherent to a life of contentment as we live under a constant barrage of messaging to seek more for ourselves and to continually chase and hustle to enrich ourselves materially. We live in a society that glorifies greed and has set the ideal of accumulating wealth as one of the chief benchmarks of successful living in our society.

To make the struggle of learning contentment even greater, there are spiritual leaders and churches that promote a prosperity distortion. These leaders portray faith as a formula to gain material wealth, health, and success while ignoring the less glamorous facets of biblical discipleship such as suffering and perseverance. This false interpretation of scripture turns material success into a sign of God’s favor and frames poverty, illness, and a lack of individual fulfillment as signs of insufficient faith and ignores the realities that Christians will endure as followers of Christ.

In reality, the teachings of Jesus and apostolic instruction present contentment as a disciplined reliance on God’s sufficiency in Christ, not a pay-to-play scheme where we can give small to a church and expect multiplied rewards. The Apostle Paul warns Timothy of this exact sentiment within the church, writing, “and constant friction between people of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment” (New American Standard Bible [NASB], 1960/2020, 1 Timothy 6:5-6). The belief that we can buy favor with God shifts the gospel from salvation and sanctification in Christ to earthly material blessing which minimizes the importance of spiritual transformation and Christ’s work on the cross.

Contentment is a theologically grounded posture that enables us to demonstrate faithfulness, generosity, and endurance regardless of material conditions. As Christians, we are called to continually seek to be content in all situations and circumstances while putting our faith in the Lord that we provided for according to His will.

Recognize the Problem

Continuing in his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (NASB, 1960/2020, 1 Timothy 6:10). These verses lay out problem of discontentment which is that when we have a dissatisfaction in our earthy pursuits, we are drawn away from the Lord and the provision that he promises, When we lean into our own knowledge and understanding we do so in direct conflict of biblical wisdom:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (NASB, 1960/2020, Proverbs 3:5-6)

In living in conflict to scripture we sacrifice the very wisdom that the Lord has given us, choosing to chase temporary material possession, sacrificing the eternal wealth promised through righteousness and adherence.

To abandon biblical wisdom and the pursuit of contentment, instead choosing to chase material prosperity and wealth is the beginning of the winding path of greed. I call this the winding path of greed to denote what Paul was expressing about the wandering in 1 Timothy 6:6-11; it is not a straight line to a heart of greed, but rather a wandering path as we continue to seek more and more as “... those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction” (ESV, 2001, 1 Timothy 6:9).

Recognizing this as a problem is key to overcoming the desire to walk the winding path of greed which leads to deceit, hate, envy, covetousness, and other unrighteous attitudes and actions that lead us away from the faith as Paul warned.

Rely on the Promises of God

In Genesis, the story of The Sacrifice of Isaac clearly and starkly demonstrates God’s faithfulness to keep his promises. Like Abraham, we are called to rely on the promises of God, even when the perceived outcomes do not align with our own understanding. The story demonstrates that true reliance on God is not contingent on understanding the outcome, but on confidence in God’s faithfulness to keep His promises, even when obedience appears to place those promises at risk.

From this, we can take that when God promises to be our provider, we should faithfully rely on those promises. Hebrews 13:5 instructs us: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’,” which alludes to the fulfillment of the promise of God leading the Israelites into the Promised Land (Canaan), referencing Deuteronomy 31. Not only did God fulfill his promise to lead the Israelites into Canaan, during the 40 year journey there, He provided continually for all of their needs.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands us to not be anxious about our lives but to put our trust in the promise that God will meet our needs, stating:

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV, 2001, Matthew 6:28-33)

This shows that as believers, as long as we put our trust in God, all that we need will be provided. The phrase “all these things” refers directly to the immediate context of Jesus’ instruction—basic necessities laid out in Matthew 6:25, such as food, drink, and clothing—not to wealth, status, or excess. Jesus is not promising abundance but provision, emphasizing that the Father knows and supplies what His children need for life and faithfulness.

Cultivate Gratitude

Practicing gratitude is a key driver in developing contentment. When we practice gratitude, we become more aware of how our needs are already being met, especially when dealing with struggle. Paul gave us this instruction, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (ESV, 2001, 1 Thessalonians 5:18), while providing instruction on Christian Conduct.

Paul does not write to the church in Thessalonica to only give thanks when everything is going well, rather he calls out to be thankful in all circumstances. While imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (NASB, 1960/2020, 4:11) and then continues to provide his thanks for the support that he had received from the Philippian church. This example is a two part illustration of both the power of contentment and the power of gratitude.

Be Generous

Being generous is another practice that forces us to take stock of all that we have, it also makes us more aware of the blessings that we have received that others may not have the benefit of. When we develop a heart of generosity, we become more aware of not only material blessings, but also of the gifts we have received such as good health, ability to work and provide, the safety that we are afforded, etc.

Though much scripture talks of giving materially, which in a spirit of generosity, we should, but we have more to offer than our wallets as mentioned above. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (ESV, 2001, 2 Corinthians 9:7), and it is interesting the word choice that he uses here for “must give”. In the verse, Paul chooses to use καθὼς (kathōs) which actually translates to something more like “according to” or “just as” (2351a. Kathōs, n.d.), and either of these translations do not denote a monetary gift. Instead, we could roughly translate the beginning of the verse to something more like “Each one, just as he has decided in his heart”, which seems to be beyond simply material.

This word choice, though in direct instruction to take up an offering for the Christians in Jerusalem, seems to be more vague in instruction than Paul could have been. For example, he could have used a word with a root stemming from δίδωμι (didómi) which would have a much stronger connection to the act of giving something more tangible as he did in many other of his writings (1325. didómi, n.d.). I take this to mean that in the sight of God, we have more to offer than simply money. We can be called to show our generosity through our actions such as giving our time, our knowledge and expertise, our labor, etc. as long as we give freely and with cheer.

Avoid Comparisons

Avoiding comparing ourselves to others is one of the biggest hurdles to contentment to overcome. In the time that we live, I think that it is much more difficult than ever to do so as there are whole segments of industry that are focused on driving us to measure ourselves against others. When we begin using others as a benchmark, we open ourselves to the folly of covetousness.

When we begin to desire for what another has, we begin to develop a heart that is in direct conflict with what we have been commanded to do. We have been commanded by God to not covet what belongs to our neighbor be it their wife, their house, their fields, their employs, or anything else belonging to them (NASB, 1960/2020, Exodus 20:17; NASB, 1960/2020, Deuteronomy 5:21). To understand the scope of this, the tenth commandment, it is useful to look at some of the original Hebrew in order to grasp the full meaning of this command. Neighbor in modern English has a connotation of proximity or of community which is not in line with what is meant in either Exodus 20:17 or Deuteronomy 5:21. The word choice for neighbor in both verses is רֵעֶ֑ךָ (re'echa, derived from רֵעַ rea) which expands well beyond our current usage of the word neighbor, in the broadest of usage, it indicate “another” (7453. rea, n.d.). This indicates that to properly adhere to this command, we need to understand that it applies to what belongs to any other person no matter their proximity to us be it community, location, or within the family of Christ.

The second word choice that is important to understand the breadth of this command is “anything”, which comes at the end of both verses. The Hebrew word used in both Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21 is וְכֹ֖ל (vechol, derived from כֹּל kol) meaning the whole (3605. kol, n.d.). This word choice is important in how absolutely broad it is, it is not limiting to property, it is referring to the whole of a person. If there was a connection to simply tangible property, the likely word choice that would have been used to convey it would be some for of derivative of אֲחֻזָּה (achuzzah) that has a direct connection to physical possession or legal entitlement (272. achuzzah, n.d.).

When we compare ourselves to others and begin to desire what they have, we are not admiring them but rather coveting what they have. This often leads to a sense of entitlement to what another has which Jesus directly spoke against in Luke:

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (ESV, 2001, 12:13-15)

The one brother compared his own situation and demanded that which belonged to his brother be given to him. This is not the answer as a Christian, to chase what others have, but rather to work to build our heavenly riches through living a life in pursuit of righteousness.

Practice Humility

As followers of Christ, we are called to be humble. The wisdom of scripture makes clear that pride is a folly and humility is a righteous virtue. In Proverbs, it is stated that, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (ESV, 2001, 16:18), warning us that being prideful is setting us up for failure. I think that there are many instances that we can conjure in our minds that illustrate the importance of this wisdom. In addition to the examples of this that we can think of, I also believe that the guidance to remain humble has two aspects that we do not often think about:

• Acknowledgment of our reliance on God as our provider
• Being wise as to not lead others to a heart of covetousness

Being humble allows us to increase out appreciation for the blessings that we have received from the Lord. It opens us up to accept that God is the provider that gives us all that we need to be content, as David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need” (NASB, 1960/2020, Psalms 23:1). Further, in in Luke 12, Jesus illustrates how God cares to ensure the birds are fed and asks us to consider how much more valuable to him than are the birds and assures us that when we put our faith in him, he will provide. In writing a warning of worldliness and encouraging submission to God, James wrote this to the early Christians, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

We are called to avoid leading others to their fall or causing them to stumble. Paul included a warning of this in his letter to the Christians in Rome, writing “Therefore let’s not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way” (NASB, 1960/2020, Romans 14:13). When we are prideful of the things that we have, we can lead others to a heart of covetousness which is a stumbling block. Jesus further address leading others to stumble stating “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!” (NASB, 1960/2020, Matthew 18:7). He acknowledges the struggles that believes will face in this world, but specifically calls out those that would cause another to fall into temptation that they are denounced.

Additional verses that I meditated on for this section

It is better to be humble in spirit with the needy than to divide the spoils with the proud (NASB, 1960/2020, Proverbs 16:19).

When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom (NASB, 1960/2020, Proverbs 11:2).

The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life (NASB, 1960/2020, Proverbs 22:4).

Find Contentment in Faith

Avoid the lie of the prosperity gospel and rely on faith for contentment. We are provided the wisdom in scripture that “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure, and turmoil with the treasure” (NASB, 1960/2020, Proverbs 15:16) clarifying that it is better to rely on our faith and be content with what we have than to deal with the issues that come with the pursuit of our own wants and desires. In Matthew 6:32-34, Jesus further teaches us that if we seek first the Lord, our needs will be provided and that we should not worry. Paul wrote about life in the Spirit and provided the ways that our faith in Jesus Christ would sustain us, offer us freedom and salvation, and provide us everlasting life. In his writings about all of the blessings of following Christ, he leaves us this warning, “for to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (ESV, 2001, Romans 8:6). He makes clear that with our minds set on the Spirit, we will be at εἰρήνη (eiréné) meaning peace, prosperity, quietness, and rest (1515. eiréné, n.d.) which all are inherent in contentment. Literally, if we are God minded, we will find contentment. Adversely, being discontent and setting our sites on the world will give us θάνατος (thanatos) which is used throughout the New Testament to indicate a spiritual death or a separation from the salvation of God (2288. thanatos, n.d.).

Works Cited

272. achuzzah. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved December 28, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/greek/1325.htm

1325. didómi. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved December 28, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/greek/1325.htm

1515. eiréné. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved December 28, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/greek/1515.htm

2288. thanatos. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved December 28, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/greek/2288.htm

2351a. Kathōs. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved December 28, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/greek/2531a.htm

3605. kol. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved December 28, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/greek/3605.htm

7453. rea. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved December 28, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/greek/7453.htm

New American Standard Bible. (2020). BibleGateway. https://biblegateway.com (Original work published 1960)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2001). BibleGateway. https://biblegateway.com