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Authors: Jerry Bridges
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PRACTICING HUMILITY
Here are some practical suggestions for learning humility. Begin by renewing your mind. The best way to do this is to memorize one or more passages of Scripture, choosing those you believe address most directly your areas of greatest need.
As we memorize and then meditate on Scriptures in this way, the Holy Spirit transforms us inwardly, changing our values ; for example, we may begin to place greater importance on putting others ahead of ourselves. The Holy Spirit will also use these Scriptures we have memorized to convict us in specific situations when we fail to live up to our new values.
Confess any prideful ways, as the Holy Spirit convicts you, and pray for sensitivity to see yourself as God does. Also pray for the Holy Spirit to change you inwardly.
Finally, take whatever specific steps are necessary in order to obey God’s direction to humble yourself. We are to humble ourselves before God. The word
humble,
when used in this way, is an action verb. We are to
do
something. It may be a specific act of putting another first, such as in a supermarket check-out line or in an opportunity for a choice job position. It might even be as drastic as telling our friends we have taken the credit for success that rightfully belongs to God. Whatever the area of humility we need to work on, it is important that we do so in dependence upon Him who is at work in us.
humble,
when used in this way, is an action verb. We are to
do
something. It may be a specific act of putting another first, such as in a supermarket check-out line or in an opportunity for a choice job position. It might even be as drastic as telling our friends we have taken the credit for success that rightfully belongs to God. Whatever the area of humility we need to work on, it is important that we do so in dependence upon Him who is at work in us.
NOTES
1
Norvel Geldenhuys, “Commentary on the Gospel of Luke,”
The New International Commentary on the New Testament
(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1977), pages 306-307.
Norvel Geldenhuys, “Commentary on the Gospel of Luke,”
The New International Commentary on the New Testament
(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1977), pages 306-307.
2
William Hendriksen comments on this passage, “What is promised here, therefore, is that our Lord, at his second coming will, in a manner consonant with his glory and majesty, ‘wait on’ his faithful servants!” in his “The Gospel of Luke,”
New Testament Commentary
(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1978), page 677.
William Hendriksen comments on this passage, “What is promised here, therefore, is that our Lord, at his second coming will, in a manner consonant with his glory and majesty, ‘wait on’ his faithful servants!” in his “The Gospel of Luke,”
New Testament Commentary
(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1978), page 677.
7
Contentment
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1 Timothy 6:6
Contentment is one of the most distinguishing traits of the godly person, because a godly person has his heart focused on God rather than on possessions or position or power. As William Hendriksen has observed so well, “The truly godly person is not interested in becoming rich. He possesses inner resources which furnish riches far beyond that which earth can offer.”
1
1
The words that are rendered as “content” or “contentment” in our English Bibles actually mean “sufficiency.”
2
The same word translated “contentment” in 1 Timothy 6:6 is rendered “all that you need” or “all sufficiency” in 2 Corinthians 9:8. When God said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9), He used the same word translated elsewhere as “be content” (see Luke 3:14, 1 Timothy 6:8, Hebrews 13:5).
2
The same word translated “contentment” in 1 Timothy 6:6 is rendered “all that you need” or “all sufficiency” in 2 Corinthians 9:8. When God said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9), He used the same word translated elsewhere as “be content” (see Luke 3:14, 1 Timothy 6:8, Hebrews 13:5).
The contented person experiences the sufficiency of God’s provision for his needs and the sufficiency of God’s grace for his circumstances. He believes God will indeed meet all his material needs and that He will work in all his circumstances for his good. That is why Paul could say, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” The godly person has found what the greedy or envious or discontented person always searches for but never finds. He has found satisfaction and rest in his soul.
The idea of contentment in the Bible is most often associated with possessions or money, but there are other areas of life in which we need to be content. After possessions, probably the most common need is to learn contentment with our place in society or in the body of Christ. Still a third area that demands our practice of contentment is the providence of God in such varied circumstances as physical limitations and afflictions, privations, unpleasant neighbors or living situations, trials, and even persecutions. These circumstances often cause the natural man to murmur and complain and to question the goodness of God in his life.
The very first temptation in the history of mankind was the temptation to be discontent. God had provided for Adam and Eve far beyond all they needed. Genesis states, “God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” God withheld only one tree from Adam and Eve as a test of their obedience to Him. And Satan used that one tree to tempt Eve by sowing seeds of discontent in her heart. He questioned the goodness of God to Eve, and that is exactly what discontent is—
a questioning of the goodness of God.
a questioning of the goodness of God.
Satan tried the same strategy with Jesus in the wilderness. He sought to make Jesus discontent over His lack of food and covetous for position and power over the kingdoms of the world. If Isaiah 14:13-15 is a veiled reference to Satan, as many scholars believe, then we can conclude that Satan’s own downfall was occasioned by his discontent—his unwillingness to accept his God-ordained position in the hierarchy of angelic beings.
We should note these incidents carefully Discontent is one of the most satanic of all sins, and to indulge in it is to rebel against God just as Satan did.
CONTENTMENT WITH POSSESSIONS
To be content with one’s possessions is one of the most strongly worded exhortations in Scripture. God deemed it important enough to include a prohibition against covetousness together with prohibitions against the more abhorrent sins of murder, stealing, and adultery (Exodus 20:13-17). In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus dwelt more extensively on the principle, “You cannot serve God and money,” than on any other subject. While later addressing a dispute over an inheritance He said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). His double warning to us—“Watch out! Be on your guard”—alerts us to the extreme danger of being discontent with our possessions.
Paul has a similarly strong warning for us in his first letter to Timothy as he urges us to be content with food and clothing, because the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. He warns Timothy to “flee from” this love of money and discontentment with possessions (6:11). The writer of Hebrews frames his admonition in the form of encouragement as he urges us to keep our lives free from the love of money and be content with what we have, because God Himself has promised never to leave or forsake us (13:5). So Scripture both warns us of the dangers of discontent and encourages us to pursue contentment on the basis of God’s promise to provide for us.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that everything written in the past was written to teach us (15:4). The historical events recorded in the Old Testament, then, are not merely interesting anecdotes. They were written that we might learn from them. With this truth in mind, we need to give careful heed to the result of covetousness in the lives of Achan and Gehazi, as recorded in Joshua 7 and in 2 Kings 5. Achan’s covetousness at the battle of Jericho resulted in the defeat of the army of Israel at Ai and his own untimely death by stoning. The covetousness of Elisha’s servant Gehazi resulted in the affliction of the dread disease of leprosy on Gehazi and his descendants forever. In the New Testament, covetousness was the root of sin that brought down God’s judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).
It may be true that God’s judgment upon covetousness and discontentment is not as severe or obvious in our day as it was in the days of Achan, Gehazi, and Ananias and Sapphira. Yet God’s
attitude
toward discontentment has not changed, and the spiritual danger of loving the things of this world is far more serious than the judgment of a dreaded disease or an untimely death. John says very plainly that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. In other words, he is not a Christian! John makes it clear that a craving for possessions is being in love with the world.
attitude
toward discontentment has not changed, and the spiritual danger of loving the things of this world is far more serious than the judgment of a dreaded disease or an untimely death. John says very plainly that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. In other words, he is not a Christian! John makes it clear that a craving for possessions is being in love with the world.
In view of such strong biblical warnings against covetousness and the earnest exhortations of the New Testament writers to be content with what we have, we must take seriously the need to earnestly pursue contentment as a dominant character trait in our lives. It is not a spiritual luxury. Contentment with what we have is absolutely vital to our spiritual health.
How then can we pursue an attitude of being content with what we have? What are some practical steps we can take? As with every other character trait, begin renewing your mind by memorizing and meditating on one or two passages of Scripture you find especially helpful in this area. You may want to use Luke 12:15, 1 Timothy 6:6-8, or Hebrews 13:5, or perhaps some other passages from your own personal study. As you meditate on these verses, ask God to bring to your mind any specific areas in your life in which you are discontent with what you have. Decide on what definite steps you can and should take to deal with that area, and begin to take those steps.
Keep in mind, however, that only the Holy Spirit can work a lasting and fundamental attitude change deep in your heart, so make contentment a matter of regular, earnest prayer. I often pray as David did in Psalm 119:36-37, “Turn my heart toward your statutes and
not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
renew my life according to your word.”
not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
renew my life according to your word.”
Prayer and meditation on Scripture passages are essential to developing contentment about possessions. I’ve also found the following scriptural principles especially helpful in this area.
Our focus should be on the true values of life.
In Mark 8, Jesus teaches that eternal life is more valuable than all the world. David declares in Psalm 19 that the word of God is more precious than gold. Solomon tells us that wisdom (an understanding and application of the moral principles of God) is more profitable than silver or gold or precious jewels (Proverbs 3:13-15). These statements all reflect God’s value judgments about what is truly important in life. We have to decide whether we will accept them and make them our own values. To the extent we do, we are well on our way to experiencing contentment about possessions.
In Mark 8, Jesus teaches that eternal life is more valuable than all the world. David declares in Psalm 19 that the word of God is more precious than gold. Solomon tells us that wisdom (an understanding and application of the moral principles of God) is more profitable than silver or gold or precious jewels (Proverbs 3:13-15). These statements all reflect God’s value judgments about what is truly important in life. We have to decide whether we will accept them and make them our own values. To the extent we do, we are well on our way to experiencing contentment about possessions.
Service to God through service to mankind is the only motivation acceptable to God for diligence and hard work in our vocational calling.
We must avoid selfish ambition (the desire for more money or prestige), and instead make it our ambition to please God in all of our work. We should, therefore, look at our job or our business not in terms of larger salaries, greater commissions, or increased sales, but in terms of how we may best please God. Vocational success should not be measured in terms of one’s bank account or material possessions but in terms of service to others that is acceptable to God. Such an attitude, rather than fostering indifference to work, should promote greater diligence. Paul told the Colossians that slaves were more accountable to God for their work than they were to their earthly masters. This principle obviously applies to employment relationships of today.
We must avoid selfish ambition (the desire for more money or prestige), and instead make it our ambition to please God in all of our work. We should, therefore, look at our job or our business not in terms of larger salaries, greater commissions, or increased sales, but in terms of how we may best please God. Vocational success should not be measured in terms of one’s bank account or material possessions but in terms of service to others that is acceptable to God. Such an attitude, rather than fostering indifference to work, should promote greater diligence. Paul told the Colossians that slaves were more accountable to God for their work than they were to their earthly masters. This principle obviously applies to employment relationships of today.
All that we have comes from God as a result of His grace.
As David so wisely acknowledged, “Wealth and honor come from you ... in your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:12). As in developing humility, we can learn contentment by remembering that it is God who gives anyone the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Humility toward God and contentment toward possessions, in fact, are handmaidens of each other. If I accept all I have now as a gift of God’s grace and am thankful for it, I will not be secretly feeling that I deserve more and longing for greater possessions.
As David so wisely acknowledged, “Wealth and honor come from you ... in your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:12). As in developing humility, we can learn contentment by remembering that it is God who gives anyone the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Humility toward God and contentment toward possessions, in fact, are handmaidens of each other. If I accept all I have now as a gift of God’s grace and am thankful for it, I will not be secretly feeling that I deserve more and longing for greater possessions.
God in His sovereign good pleasure has seen fit to give some people more wealth and possessions than others;
consequently we are not to envy them. In an effort to teach that all reward is of grace, Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard. He described the situation of workers who labored for only the last hour of the day receiving the same pay as those who labored all day. Those who had worked all day became envious of the generous treatment accorded the workers who came later, and they began to grumble. But the master of the vineyard silenced them with the statement, “Don’t I have a right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” With this parable Jesus teaches us that God, who owns everything, has a right to dispense the material possessions of this world as He desires, and we are not to question Him or envy the recipients of His favors.
consequently we are not to envy them. In an effort to teach that all reward is of grace, Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard. He described the situation of workers who labored for only the last hour of the day receiving the same pay as those who labored all day. Those who had worked all day became envious of the generous treatment accorded the workers who came later, and they began to grumble. But the master of the vineyard silenced them with the statement, “Don’t I have a right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” With this parable Jesus teaches us that God, who owns everything, has a right to dispense the material possessions of this world as He desires, and we are not to question Him or envy the recipients of His favors.
For those whom God has blessed with wealth or an abundance of possessions, with privilege comes responsibility.
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). Paul told Timothy to “Command those who are rich ... to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). Paul told Timothy to “Command those who are rich ... to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
This principle applies to most people who will read this book, because we are in fact wealthy in terms of the vast majority of the people of the world.
We’ll find that contentment comes when we share what we have with others. It is in this context of sharing with those in need that Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 9 that God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that we will feel sufficient-or content—in every respect.
Some may feel that we should encourage one another toward a “simplified lifestyle,” or one as unencumbered by material possessions as possible. This subject can easily degenerate into legalism, however, in which we begin judging one another by perhaps arbitrary standards of what is and is not acceptable in the way of material goods and possessions. Instead, we should concentrate on being content in all our circumstances, and on living lives that are pleasing to God. The result of this kind of focus will be that our lifestyles will be the kind that God wants us to live.
BOOK: The Practice of Godliness: Godliness has value for all things
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