Holding Blessings with an Open Hand - Stewardship

In summary of 1 Timothy 6:6-7 it says, "There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it.”

Bottom Line:

Serving God does make us very rich, if we are satisfied with what we have. We brought nothing into the world, so we can take nothing out.

What this means to me:

Contentment is being satisfied with what God has given and entrusted me with.  There are huge profits in just being content with what I have.  God is the one who provides what I have.  I came into this world with nothing and will leave with nothing.  Overall, God is more interested in my character than he is with my comfort. He’ll not entrust me with true riches if I haven’t first learned the principle of contentment.  Contentment is not a weak word to be confused with, lack of ambition, or a lack of goals. True contentment means that my happiness in life doesn't not depend on my circumstances.  In order to help eliminate discontent, I need to identify and eliminate any form of comparison in my life.  There is a strong pull in our culture to compare everything.  When I enter the realm of comparison, I’m going to be discontent.  There is always someone with something more.  Paul said in Philippians 4:12, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation” (NIV). Contentment does not come naturally; it is something I have to continually learn and practice. When I do so, God promises to meet all my needs (including financial ones.)  One of the greatest secrets in learning to be content is to realize that I don't really own anything. It's all on loan to me for about 80 years!  I didn't bring a single thing into this world, and I’m not going to carry anything out of it, either. I just get to use it while I’m here on Earth. This principle is called stewardship. I’m the manager or steward of what God allows me to have while I’m here, but it's not really mine.  Understanding that I’m just a manager of the blessings God allows, help me hold them with an open hand.  I don’t need to be uptight about losing them.  God can turn off one faucet and turn on another just as easily. In summary, I want to learn to be content. Things of this world won't last. God is far more interested in developing my character than he is with my comfort.