CONTENTMENT - Verse 6: "Godliness with contentment," (the latter word is antarkeia in the koine Greek text), is an interesting construction; "contentment" was a favorite word of Christianity’s two rivals-the Stoics and Cynics. Both understood autarkeia as "self-sufficiency" and "contentment." The word was also cherished as a virtue because it suggested a simple lifestyle and calm acceptance of whatever life dealt.

VERSE 7: A PROVERB - The saying about godliness plus contentment is structured like a proverb.

for we brought nothing into the world,

so that

we can take nothing out of it;

The wisdom saying suggests that contentment is found in life not things, and values sufficiency over extravagancy.

connections

What wisdom of life do you bring to this text? What have you discovered about your own attitude (or others’) of things, stuff, and wealth as you’ve walked through life? Have you noticed any changes from earlier views vis-à-vis later life views?

If God were to speak to you about contentment-something you would need to adjust in your knowledge, character, or actions-what would that be?

gambits

USING CINEMA - You might explore film to come up with a post-modern analogy for the text that we have today. A number of years ago I found American Beauty (starring Kevin Spacek as Lester Burnam) as a possibility.

Lester Burnam is a man who has lived a meaningless, almost trite life. He strives to recover whatever it is he has lost in his marriage and family over the years. In one poignant scene he comes close to experiencing the dynamic, joyful quality that he and his wife shared in their early years. The scene takes place in their living room. Lester(referring to his wife when they first dated): "You’ve lost your joy . . . Whatever happened to that girl? . . . have you forgotten about her, because I haven’t. They sit together in silence and then he sidles up next to her and begins to kiss her neck tenderly, caressingly. She receives his tenderness and shuts her eyes to take it in. Noticing, however, that Lester has a bottle of beer in his hand, she suddenly reverts back to the present.

Wife: "Lester, you’re going to spill beer on the couch."

Lester: (Backing away from her and the couch): "So what? It’s just a couch."

Wife: "This is a four-thousand dollar sofa. Upholstered in Italian silk,. This is not just a couch."

Lester: "It’s just a couch. [Long pause] This isn’t life. This is just stuff. And it’s become more to you than living."