Notice, Paul says that godliness with contentment is not just gain, but great gain. If you have godliness with contentment, it will be of huge advantage to you. Why? Paul gives four reasons.

He says, “If getting rich is your goal…”

1. You cannot keep what you gain
“We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out” (6:7). You may get rich, but you cannot stay rich. You cannot keep what you gain in this world.

2. You will encounter powerful temptations
“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. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (6:9-10). If you set your heart on money, you expose yourself to powerful temptations that ruin many people.

3. You may wander from the faith
“It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith” (6:10). In the Parable of the Sower, our Lord spoke about seed choked by thorns. The seed is God’s Word. The thorns are “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things” (Mk. 4:19). Money chokes the fruit of God’s Word in the lives of some people.

4. You will experience great sorrow
“It is through this craving that some have… pierced themselves with many pangs” (6:10). Learn the art of contentment. This rare jewel is not found when you have more but when you have less. Bring your desires down to the level of your possessions. Learn to enjoy what God has given more than you grieve what He has taken away.

When have you experienced one of thesefour dangers in your own life?

The ninth distinguishing mark of a gospel-centred church is gospel lifestyle.

Paul speaks to “the rich” (6:17) and to “those who desire to be rich” (6:9). So there’s something for those who have less and something for those who have more here.

Paul says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (6:6). Contentment is finding joy in what God has given to you. The opposite of contentment is greed. Luther makes the point that greed destroys your capacity to enjoy what God has given.

Contentment grows over time. It does not come quickly, easily, or naturally. Paul says, “I have learnt… to be content” (Phil. 4:11). How did he learn it? He tells us: “I have learnt the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (4:12).

He is saying, “There were times when I had plenty. But then God brought me to situations where I was in need. And through that, I learnt something: I discovered the secret of being content.” God used the experience of loss to produce the good fruit of contentment in Paul’s life.

Jeremiah Burroughs described contentment as “a rare jewel.” How can you find joy in what God gives you, especially when that is less than you had before?

Burroughs says, “A Christian comes to contentment, not so much by way of addition as by way of subtraction.” Contentment does not come by adding to what you have, but by subtracting from what you desire.

The world says that you will find contentment when your possessions rise to meet the level of your desires. Burroughs says, “The Christian has another way to contentment, that is, he can bring his desires down to his possessions.”

Have you discovered the secret of being content?

All of us serve in the light of the coming judgement. God sees all things. Nothing is hidden from Him. But people are not always what they appear to be, and that is why we should exercise caution in appointing leaders.

Paul says, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands” (5:22). Don’t be hasty in appointing people to positions of leadership. Get to know them over time. Here are a few reasons why…

“The sins of some people are conspicuous.” Some people are obvious sinners—you can see the pattern of destruction in their lives.

“The sins of others appear later.” Others are secret sinners—behind what you see is a life filled with all kinds of evil.

“So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden” (5:25). Some good works are immediately recognised and praised. Others are known only to God. But just as God sees and will judge secret evil, He also sees and will reward the hidden good.

William Barclay’s comments on these verses are helpful, “There are some whose good deeds are plain for all to see, and who have already won the praise… of men. There are others whose good deeds have never been noticed… never thanked, never praised, never valued as they ought to have been. They have always been taken for granted.”

If that’s you, remember, God sees what others have missed. Jesus said that even a cup of cold water given in His name will receive its reward. The judgement of God that should bring fear to those whose sin is secret should also bring comfort to those whose good deeds are hidden from view.

Are you feeling unappreciated today? Take heart. God sees and rewards what others have missed.