Reference: Contentment
Easton
(1) a state of mind in which one's desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be (1Ti 6:6; 2Co 9:8). It is opposed to envy (Jas 3:16), avarice (Heb 13:5), ambition (Pr 13:10), anxiety (Mt 6:25,34), and repining (1Co 10:10). It arises from the inward disposition, and is the offspring of humility, and of an intelligent consideration of the rectitude and benignity of divine providence (Ps 96:1-2; 145), the greatness of the divine promises (2Pe 1:4), and our own unworthiness (Ge 32:10); as well as from the view the gospel opens up to us of rest and peace hereafter (Ro 5:2).
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I am not worthy of the least of all the loving kindnesses, and of all the truth, which thou have shown to thy servant, for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.
O sing to LORD a new song. Sing to LORD, all the earth. Sing to LORD, bless his name. Show forth his salvation from day to day.
Through pride a vain man causes contention, but wisdom is with the well-advised.
Because of this I say to you, be not anxious about your life, what ye may eat, or what ye may drink, nor yet for your body, what ye may wear. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the clothing?
Be not therefore anxious for the morrow, for the morrow will be anxious about things of itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil of it.
through whom also we have access by faith for this grace in which we stand, and we take pride in hope of the glory of God.
And ye should not grumble as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
But piety with contentment is great gain,
The Way of life is to be without love of money, being content with the things that are present, for he has said, I will, no, not leave thee, and also, I will, no, not forsake thee.
For where envy and selfish ambition are, there is instability and every evil deed.
Because of which, the precious and greatest promises have been given to us, so that through these ye might become companions of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption in the world in lust.
Hastings
1. The word does not occur in the OT, but the duty is implied in the Tenth Commandment (Ex 20:17), and the wisdom of contentment is enforced in Pr 15:17; 17:1 by the consideration that those who seem most enviable may, be worse off than ourselves. But the bare commandment 'Thou shalt not covet' may only stir up all manner of coveting (Ro 7:7 f.); and though a man may sometimes be reconciled to his lot by recognizing a principle of compensation in human life, that principle is far from applying to every case. It is not by measuring ourselves with one another, but only by consciously setting ourselves in the Divine presence, that true contentment can ever be attained. Faith in God is its living root (cf. Ps 16:6 with Ps 16:5; also Hab 3:17 f.).
2. In the NT the grace of contentment is expressly brought before us. Our Lord inculcated it negatively by His warnings against covetousness (Lu 12:15-21), positively by His teaching as to the Fatherhood of God (Mt 6:25-32 ||) and the Kingdom of God (Mt 6:33, cf. Mt 6:19 f.). St. Paul (Php 4:11-13) claims to have 'learned the secret' of being content in whatsoever state he was. The word he uses is autark
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Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's house. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.
LORD is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup. Thou maintain my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places. Yea, I have a fine heritage.
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted ox and hatred with it.
Better is a dry morsel, and quietness with it, than a house full of feasting with strife.
For though the fig tree shall not flourish, nor shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no food. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust deteriorates, and where thieves break through and steal,
Because of this I say to you, be not anxious about your life, what ye may eat, or what ye may drink, nor yet for your body, what ye may wear. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the clothing? Look to the birds of the sky, because they sow not, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not more valuable then they? read more. And which man of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span? And why are ye anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, nor do they spin, yet I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. And if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into an oven, will he not much more you, O ye of little faith? Be not therefore anxious, saying, What may we eat? or, What may we drink? or, What may we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, for your heavenly Father knows that ye need all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
And he said to them, Watch, and keep away from greed, because to any man, life to him is not in the abundance of things possessed by him. And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The land of a certain rich man brought forth well. read more. And he pondered within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have nowhere I will store my crops? And he said, I will do this. I will dismantle my barns, and I will build greater, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou have many goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, Thou foolish man, they demand thy soul from thee this night, and the things that thou prepared, whose will they be? So is he who stores up for himself, and is not being rich toward God.
What will we say then? The law is sin? May it not happen! Yet I did not know sin except through law. For likewise I would not have known lust, if the law did not say, Thou shall not covet.
And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my power is made fully perfect in weakness. More gladly therefore I will boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of the Christ may reside in me.
Not that I speak regarding need, for I have learned in what things I am to be content. I know both how to be abased and how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to be lacking. read more. I can do all things in the Christ who strengthens me.
I can do all things in the Christ who strengthens me.
but having food and covering we will be content with these.
The Way of life is to be without love of money, being content with the things that are present, for he has said, I will, no, not leave thee, and also, I will, no, not forsake thee.