Shame showed on Mesari’s face as she read 1 Timothy 6:6-8: Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
Mesari, who is helping Elli Schlegel translate 1 Timothy into her language, said, “Yes, that is true. When we have food and clothes, what else do we need? We have God, our Savior. He is everything we need to live and die!”
Mesari had just walked farther than usual to help with translation. Her family home’s roof leaked so badly they had to move farther away. She wore the same ripped shirt she had worn for weeks, and her skirt was patched. She’d eaten sweet potatoes for breakfast before coming to help, and when she got home she’d eat sweet potatoes for dinner. The menu for the next day, and the next, and on and on, was the same. Sweet potatoes.
Her focus is not on what she does not have, but on the fact that she has everything she needs in her Savior.
Wow.
In a culture that bombards us with messages about what we “need,” it’s easy to forget …
- We have everything we need in Jesus.
- Having Him, we should be content with food and clothing.
I can’t say it better than Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit:
Godliness with contentment is great gain.
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