“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” -1 Timothy 6:6-7

At the center of many a bitter and unhappy heart lies discontentment. In the midst of the folly of anger and dejection lies a spirit of entitlement.

We believe that nothing bad ought ever to happen to us. We believe ourselves, in practice, to be gods: deserving every pleasure and pleasantness of life. We are entitled to be happy and entertained at all times. There ought not to ever be a dull moment. There ought not to ever be a period of waiting, earning, or any such circumstance that would require a measure of patience.

And perhaps at the heart of discontentment, there is desire: that is to say, lust. We are filled with lust. We want things for ourselves. Lust only looks out at what it doesn’t have, and thinks of ways to take what it wants. Yet love looks out at what others lack, and thinks of ways to give.

When we focus on all of the things that we do not have: all the possessions that we do not own, all the happiness that we see others enjoying, the prestige and honor that others have obtained, and the apparent pleasure others indulge in with a carefree manner, our hearts say, “I WANT.”

It is this “I want” mentality that is a surefire way to be unhappy. We want the rose, but not the thorns. We want the garden, without the weeding. We want the house, without the labor. We want the spouse, without the sacrifice. We want the resurrection power without the cross to crucify us.

When we look upon the things that we lack, rather than on the things that we possess, we think we are being “ambitious for godliness.” We are really just being greedy. We are not enriching ourselves, but are rather increasing our own poverty. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Godliness without contentment is appalling ingratitude and limitless selfishness. Is not the salvation and grace of an infinite God enough for us?

Socrates has said that “he who is richest is content with the least…” in a physical sense, this is true. We ought not to settle and be content in our hunger and thirst after righteousness, until we have found God Himself, and His blessed Son—this is that “godliness,” which, if we are content therewith, is great gain. Yet in this world, we brought nothing in, and it’s certain that we’ll carry nothing out. In this aspect, contentment is very great gain.

A Scriptural Example

Consider king David: filled with wealth, power, and even pleasures. He already had beautiful wives, especially Abigail, whom scripture says was of a “beautiful countenance.” And yet he fell into sin with Bathsheba because of his discontentment: he saw her, and though he had had more than his fill of beauty, he did not have that beauty. He focused on the things which he lacked, even on a married woman that was forbidden to him; his discontentment swirled in his head, until he demanded to satisfy his own selfish hungers.

In this example, we see how even one of the richest men from a material standpoint could still not be satisfied while a spirit of discontentment lingered within his breast. We see that ingratitude for God’s providence leads to a surefire disappointment.

“Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” -Proverbs 27:20

“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” -Isaiah 66:1-2

God does not respect greatness in men, but meekness. Seeing that God has made all things, and sits as King over all creation, is not “wowed” or impressed by skillfulness or eloquence in men, but rather, in lowliness.

Of all the things in creation, the prophet Isaiah prophesies that God will look upon the man that trembles at God’s Word.

When we are confronted with the truth of God’s Word, do we respect it and receive it with trembling, or do we look for loopholes?

Do we see God’s Word as a hammer, that may need to break our sinful pride into pieces, or do we rather make light of God’s Word, and harden our hearts, and seek to find a clever way to avoid His commands?

“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?” -Luke 10:29

Above is a reference to a man that did not tremble at God’s Word, but sought for a loophole to sneak through in order to avoid being changed or broken. He was to love his neighbor as himself, and yet instead of amending his life to fit into God’s Word, he amended God’s Word to fit into his life, and smugly asked, “who is my neighbor?”

Yet, it is this very brokenness—the very brokenness that we spend all our lives avoiding and evading—that God looks upon and blesses. It is only once we are crucified with Christ that we will receive His resurrection power. We must first be brought down to the ground in humility—as a seed that a farmer might plant—in order that we may sprout anew.

Hezekiah, when he heard the grave prognosis that was determined against him, humbled himself, and prayed that God would have mercy, and his voice was heard before God.

“In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.” -Isaiah 38:1-6

And king Josiah, when he learned of all the people’s great transgressions and the forgetting of God’s laws, repented, and sought for mercy from God, and obtained it:

“Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.” -2 Kings 22:19

“And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.” -Exodus 24:13-14

What the people of Israel did not realize in the above verses, as Moses was about to ascend up into the burning and flaming mount of God, was that they themselves were now entering a storm.

The people were now entering a trial: a stormy trial that would try and prove their hearts, and show what kind of people they truly were.

In many instances in life, we as Christians will face storms: that is, tests and difficulties will arise for the express purpose of trying our hearts, and show us what we are truly made of.

Yet we ought to notice a few details of this storm that Israel went through, and learn from it for our own life:

1.) The storm was not announced. God did not tell the people in advance that He was trying them and testing them to see how they would respond. It was up to the people to discern that such difficulties were sent from the hand of God, and act accordingly.

2.) The storm was not scheduled or timed. That is, God did not prescribe ahead of time the duration of the trial, or else the people would be most easily able to endure the hardship. The ending was not revealed ahead of time.

3.) Just before the storm, there were specific instructions that were to be followed. The people could not claim ignorance, but were told how they ought to respond in such circumstances.

Crucial advice for life’s storms

Of the three points listed above, perhaps the most relevant and helpful would be number three. Let’s analyze what occurred with Moses and the children of Israel, and see how they should’ve handled the situation.

First, Moses was to go up to the mount of God and receive the law for the people. “Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them” (Exodus 24:12). While he was gone, there was a very specific command given that is important for us today. Moses told the people these words:

“Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you:” -Exodus 24:14

The people were to wait. Their assignment was to trust in God. “Tarry ye here…” That is, wait. They would be tempted to give up hope, to look to another savior, or another god, and abandon the true God who had delivered them.

Moses did not tell the people how long he was going to be gone for. The people no doubt expected him to only leave for a day or two at the most. They certainly did not expect his extended visit: “And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:17-18).

Falling just short of the finish line

The length of the trial was no doubt part of the very test itself. And unfortunately, just before the end, they gave up hope and failed the test. Since they were hid from the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, they became nervous, and pulled out just before the end was to come. They just fell short of the goal, and instead fell into idolatry.

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” -Exodus 32:1

So they failed. God gave Moses the report card back for the people, and there was a big “F” written on it. But what should we learn from this? How can we avoid such calamity in our own lives?

First, we ought to realize that storms will undoubtedly come, and they will come unexpectedly and without warning.

Second, our trials will not have a little expiration date stamped on the side, showing us how long we must endure before they are over. Part of the trial itself is the unknown duration of the difficulty. This increases our faith, and brings us closer to God.

But lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we have the advice of scripture to wait. We are to weather the storm. We ought to realize that it is a very common and universal inclination to say to ourselves in the midst of storms, “don’t just stand there, do something!” Yet it was this very mentality that got the people in trouble.

We ought to resist the temptations to turn aside to something—anything—other than God. Do not make and turn to that “golden calf” that you are weighed upon and pressed in your heart to create. Weather the storm. Stay the course. The night does not endure forever, neither does the winter continue indefinitely. The storm shall undoubtedly someday pass: but when the clouds part, and the sun shines down upon you, will you be found faithfully waiting, or will you be caught in shameful idolatry?

“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” -Deuteronomy 8:2-3

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” -Matthew 6:5-6

A phrase ought to be noticed and considered in the verses above: that those who pray in front of other people “have their reward.” That is to say, they are only praying to be seen of other people—that they may appear holy or devout. Yet their prayers themselves are empty, and go unheeded to God—they have already received the reward of their prayers, and they have already obtained the goal of their prayers right there on the spot: they simply wanted to be seen of men. No further action is necessary on God’s part.

Yet those who cry out to God in secret, with tears that only God can see, store up for themselves future blessings and answers to prayer. Those that genuinely cry out to God will see their prayers answered by God Himself. Such true prayer is not meant to be seen of men, and the Bible says that God will in turn openly reward and answer such requests in a divine fashion.

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” -Psalm 126:5-6

“Let thy child’s first lesson be obedience, and the second will be what thou wilt.” -Benjamin Franklin

The principle is simple: teach a child how to listen and obey authority, and once this lesson is learned, the parent is free to move forward with more advanced lessons.

A parallel with God

We ought to see how it is with earthly children, and recognize that it is the same way with ourselves as children of God. Our Heavenly Father is trying to teach us to trust and obey Him, and from there move on to many other exciting things that are in His will. Yet it is crucial that we learn obedience: for it is the key to usefulness in the Christian life.

So often we are looking ahead—at all the plans and possible callings that God may have for us in the future—and yet we are failing at the most basic tests and proofs of obedience. God is looking at our everyday life, and our private conduct, and judging and weighing the actions and attitudes of our heart for obedience. If we cannot even follow the simplest and most straightforward of commands—such as “love thy neighbor as thyself”—then how can we ever expect God to entrust us with even greater callings?

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” -Luke 16:10-11

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” -2 Corinthians 7:10

The apostle Paul describes here two kinds of sorrow: a godly sorrow that makes a person face up to their sins and faults, and brings them to a turning point where they are saved; and a sorrow of the world that only focuses on the wrongdoing, and gives no hope for release or freedom.

Two sorrows illustrated

These two sorrows are clearly illustrated in the lives of two of Jesus’ disciples: Peter, and Judas. Both men left Jesus, and in a way betrayed Him (though Judas’ betrayal was much worse).

• Peter denied Christ before men three times, and eventually fled while Jesus was being condemned and crucified.

• Judas led the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus’ secluded prayer spot, and had Him arrested—and He was eventually killed because of Judas’ betrayal.

So here are two men, and after their betrayal, they each had sorrow. Yet we can see the results of their sorrow in how their lives turned out.

The Bible says that following Peter’s backsliding, he “went out, and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62). This is that godly sorrow that works repentance: for the result of his sorrow can be clearly seen on the day of Pentecost, when Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost, and preached perhaps the first ever Christian sermon—confirming not only his own salvation, but also adding unto the Lord about 3,000 other converts.

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. . . . Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” -Acts 2:38-41

In the case of Judas, he also was made very sorry for his sins, and yet it was not the godly sorrow that had worked so mightily in Peter’s life, but it was the sorrow of the world—a devilish sorrow—that works only death, and hopelessness, and despair. “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. . .” (Matthew 27:3-4a).

Yet we see shortly thereafter the effects of Judas’ hopelessness:

“And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.” -Matthew 27:5

“And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” -Luke 14:18-20

In the above verses, we see a series of excuses given by the various people that were originally invited to a great feast. In Jesus’ parable, the feast represents the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and those that are invited would thereafter enter into eternal life.

So, we can see from the parable the various excuses that people might put forth for not believing the gospel and living a life that is consecrated for God. Jesus describes three such types of people:

• First, we have a person that has just bought a piece of land, and he wanted to go and see it. This represents those people who get caught up with material things, and the wealth of this world, and do not treasure the things of heaven. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:20-21).

• Second, Jesus tells of a person who has bought five yoke of oxen, who wanted to go see how capable they were of doing work. This represents those that get caught up in busyness and work, and get distracted by lesser pursuits, and things inferior to the employment for the kingdom of God. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

• Third, there is the person who has just recently been married. This represents those that are distracted by pleasures and lusts and selfish desires, and do not see the eternal value of God’s heaven. “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14).

A common thread

All of these excuses share a common thread, one that afflicts many people even today, and prevents them from believing the gospel, and going to heaven. The common thread between all distractions is simply that those who are invited to God’s heaven do not see the value in His invitation. This is the essence of a lack of faith.

Faith sees what is invisible. If this is true, then those who have faith in God have the ability to see the eternal promises of God, and to act accordingly. If we truly caught an inward glimpse of the goodness of God, and the glory of heaven, all other things in this world would seem empty and vain by comparison. If we truly had a strong faith in God’s words, we would not be so easily distracted or sidetracked with the cares of this world.

Suppose a fire alarm went off: if we truly believe that there is an impending fire, we would immediately move ourselves toward the exit of the building in haste. If we were thoroughly convinced of the urgency of the alarm, we would not be distracted by anything else that could possibly come across our path. Our hearts would be fixed upon the one true important thing that we must do. So too is it with heaven, when we hear the fire alarm of hell, and are convinced of the urgency of pressing instead into God’s kingdom in heaven.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. . . . Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. . . . By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” -Hebrews 11:1, 3, 8-10