Read: 1 Timothy 6:1-11

Godliness with contentment
is great gain. -1 Tim. 6:6

Over the past 15 years, a New Jersey businessman has
anonymously given away more than $600 million to
universities, medical centers, and other beneficiaries.
When a legal complication forced him to reveal his
identity, he explained his generosity by saying, “Nobody
can wear two pairs of shoes at one time, I simply
decided I had enough money.”

A friend of the donor described him as a man who
doesn’t own a house or a car, flies economy class, wears
a $15 watch, and “didn’t want his money to crush him.”

Few people seem able to treat their resources as a
servant instead of a master. It seems so natural and
sensible to grasp rather than to give. Even as
followers of Christ, we may mistakenly believe that
“godliness is a means of gain” (1 Tim. 6:5).

To counter that dangerous mindset, the apostle Paul
wrote, “Godliness with contentment is great gain….And
having food and clothing, with these we shall be
content” (vv. 6,8). Contentment, according to one
observer, “is not an economic quality but a spiritual
attainment. It is not a state of accounts but a state
of heart.”

Are you a confirmed grasper or a contented giver? It
will be demonstrated by what you do with what you have.
-David C. McCasland

Fret not for want of earthly things,
They’ll never satisfy;
The secret of contentment is
To let the Lord supply. -DJD

MONEY IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT –
A MASTER OR A SERVANT.

OUR DAILY BREAD, Copyright 1998 by Radio Bible Class,
Grand Rapids,Michigan. Used by permission.