"Now godliness with contentment is great gain."


BIBLE READING: 1 Timothy 6

When we are thankful, it means that we have been impressed with a sense of kindness that has been expressed toward us, and we desire to acknowledge it. Essentially, we are grateful. Thankfulness is the actual expression of gratitude. Thankfulness is also a state of mind, an attitude. It does not focus on what we do not have, but rather values what we do have, no matter how basic.
Paul continues this thought in the following verses, explaining that greediness creates many problems, ultimately bringing upon us discontent and unhappiness, just the opposite of the thankfulness that real contentment generates.
A popular bumper sticker from several years ago bore the slogan, "He who dies with the most toys . . . wins." Of course, it did not take long for those whose thinking ran counter to this to reply with their own sticker that read, "He who dies with the most things . . . is dead." It is true that the pursuit of material gain to the exclusion of all else ends in death.
Being thankful is part of being content. Unfortunately, many feel that being content means they have to give up their dreams and goals.  Like thankfulness, contentment is a state of mind. God wants us to be content with and thankful for what we have been given. That does not mean that we cannot want better and work to make our situations better, but it does mean that we should not approach our desires for more with a greedy, covetous attitude.
We also cannot compare what others have and what we may not have with an attitude that we deserve better. Maybe we do deserve it, but right now God has chosen not to give it to us, and we must be content with that and thankful for what we have been given.  How thankful and content we are can be seen in the illustration of water in a glass.  Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Our answer reveals our state of mind.


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