Contentment in a Consumer Culture
October 18th, 2007
(By John MacArthur)
This is a continuation from yesterday’s article on biblical contentment from Philippians 4.
2. Satisfaction with Little
Here is another secret to contentment from Paul’s life: “Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity” (Phil. 4:11–12).
He appreciated the revived generosity of the Philippian church, but wanted them to know he hadn’t been coveting it. He kept his wants or desires in check, not confusing them with his needs.
“Not that I speak from want” is another way of saying, “I really don’t have any needs that aren’t being met.” Our needs as human beings are simple: food, clothing, shelter, and godliness with contentment. Scripture says to be content with the bare necessities of life.
That attitude is in marked contrast to the attitude of our culture. People today aren’t content—with little or much. My theory is that the more people have, the more discontent they’re apt to be. Typically, the most unhappy people you’ll ever meet are very wealthy. They seem to believe their needs can never be met. Unlike Paul, they assume their wants are needs. They’ve followed our materialistic culture’s lead in redefining human needs.
You’ll never come across a commercial or ad that tells you to eat food, drink water, or go to sleep. Mass media advertises items that are far more optional and discretionary, but you’d never know it from the sales pitch. The appeal isn’t, “Wouldn’t you like to have this?” but “You need this!” If you expose yourself to such appeals without thinking, you’ll find yourself needing things you don’t even want! The goal of this kind of advertising is to produce discontentment and make a sale.
To protect yourself, pay careful attention to whenever you attach the word need to something in your thoughts or speech. Edit any use of it that goes beyond life’s bare essentials. Paul did, and you can too. Thankfully regard any surplus as a blessing from God. You will be satisfied with little when you refuse to depend on luxuries the world redefines as needs.
I’ve heard it said that Jesus spoke more about money and material possessions than He did about heaven or hell.
He says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
It seems to me that Money(material possessions) has become the Almighty here in America. Even within the church we find the grip of greed and discontent. Churches are being organized and run like for Profit Corporations.
The question Jesus was asking in Matthew 6 was, who is your God? Where are you putting your faith? For the majority of American’s it’s in their 401k and house(s). Our faith should be in God, who provides even for the birds and smallest creatures.
Bottom line… It’s a heart issue. It’s about trusting God to provide for our needs. Storing up treasures in Heaven, not here on earth.
I recently gave a sermon on this subject and passage. God had prepared the listeners because it seem to drill a pretty big hole in our hearts. We do not have an affluent church and Paul was writing to just such a church in Philippi. This personal peace and affluence doctrine has not only caused christians to be uncontented; but it also drives a wedge in congregations and between churches. Folks without money or means are sometimes looked down upon even though they maybe spiritual giants.
“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”
An amazing contrast to a society in which we think that everyone deserves to have a home, healthcare, education, and on and on. Our selvish desires have actually enslaved us to a government of our hearts. Envy has produced a king who taxes the people, not the Lord but a lord, to provide what the people want. In return we need only surrended our freedom. While we clamor about the loss of the ten commandments, we heartily agree with the ever expanding welfare state. All the time we forget that the thrust of the commandments man-ward is the love of neighbor. Two of those forbid coveting and theft. Both of which are the reason and the means of government largesse
granted to the people because of envy.
“Fight the good fight of the faith.”
This was Paul’s caution to Timothy. It was in the context of men who began to believe that godliness, not even the Gospel, was a means to gain. Both can be manipulated to gain riches. Paul makes the incredible statement that godliness should be contentment. And, simply the pursuit of it for its sake is the same as having it.
“Let all who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.”
This is the greater context of Paul’s statements on contentment. Could you imagine instructing the American Christian Consumer to honor those who own them? To exhort them to consider themselves less than others is not even on the radar screen. And in fact, we believe ourselves deserving of the honor of princes. We are to consider that those who are rich and are believers are our brothers and to show them the same respect as any. In other words to love them as ourselves and beyond, as those deserving more honor than ourselves.
With what sorrows we have pierced ourselves through when we neglect the Word of the Lord who says that these things the world seeks after. We should know better. We have the testimony of Israel and how, when she was delivered out of Egypt and became rich, she lost her vision, forgot her Lord and love the things of the world more. God help us, because we are going down the same path.