5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The solution to covetousness is contentment with God’s presence in our lives. He knows our needs and problems even more than we do.
be content with such things as you have.
Covetousness is the opposite of contentment. Some of the readers of Hebrews lost their possessions, but they had “a better possession and an abiding one” (He 10:34). The word “content” means to suffice, to be satisfied. The idea is to be satisfied with what we have and not seek excess (Php 4:11-13). We find the noun in Philippians 4:11.
PRINCIPLE:
Discontent is sinful.
APPLICATION:
Discontent casts aspersions on God Himself. It denies His goodness and rejects His wisdom about what is important. It places our will against His will. It quarrels with God’s sovereignty and where He placed us in life.
The opposite attitude is composure in God’s provisions, which rests in the Lord. This person is satisfied with the lot God gives him in life. He does not complain about his circumstances in life. He gives thanks for “all things” (Eph 5:20). He rests in God’s providential will (Ro 8:28). God is entitled to our trust in His will.
Contentment is an attitude that does not complain about God’s actions upon our lives. People who are content do not envy others with wealth. Neither are they concerned with their needs for the present or future. These are people who trust God in any circumstance.
