Godliness with Contentment
But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1Tim 6:6)
You are warmly welcome!
In this month we celebrate women a little too much, but that is ok. Only two weeks ago was Women’s Day, and here now is the Feast of Mary the Mother of Jesus. Women in many Churches have prepared special observances in commemoration of this feast. The Women Ministry of Kampala Diocese chose the theme ‘Godliness with Contentment’ for this year, and Mary the Mother of Jesus is an excellent character to bring alive these virtues.
In this generation women seem to be ‘taking over’ – they dominate the markets, leadership in government and in the church, and affirmative action has only made the situation ‘better’ for them: But it is important to realize the character of Mary, which did not strive for high places of power and wealth - trying by human might and power to go up – but she possibly knew that ‘… 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’ (1Ti 6:9-10).
On the other hand, we see Mary’s godliness with contentment being rewarded with favour: she needed to know that it was favour and not merit; the visiting Angel Gabriel had to say it twice: ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! … Mary, for you have found favor with God.’ (Luke 1:28-30). Favour is great, but not many of us will have the faith and patience enough to just receive the favour of the Lord with contentment. It is like leaning on a wall whose foundation you are not sure of – but the Lord is the one who laid the foundations of the earth, and we should never doubt when leaning on his favour. Are today’s women mainly striving for merit and ignoring favour?
The result of Mary’s situation was praise and exultation: ‘My soul magnifies… and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour’. Her rejoicing was not in wealth or land or a powerful position or mere physical beauty – while she may not have lacked these, she rejoices in the ultimate – in ‘God my Saviour’. Her testimony is that the Lord ‘looked on the humble estate of his servant… and his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation’ – this is why we should emulate Godliness with contentment. In the end it pays; in the end there is rejoicing; in the end there is peace. And that is not only in the end but those who discover the secret of godliness with contentment will enjoy the peace and joy both now and tomorrow and in eternity.
God bless you and shower you with His favour.