"He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
But 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 raiment let us be therewith content."
1 Timothy 6:4-8
These verses contain the interesting idea that pride gets in the way of our contentment. And since contentment (or at least the godliness + contentment that we are striving for) is pretty much happiness + peace, then pride is really getting in the way of some things that we really want and need in our lives, right?
Alma, after desiring to be an angel, says "I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me" (Alma 29:3). Paul tells us "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Philippians 4:11). In both the good and bad times, we can find contentment through our trust in God--even if we only have food and raiment, right? :) I think the pride comes in when we refuse to be satisfied with what we have, and we keep looking for more. We keep seeking drama *instead* of peace--arguing for argument's sake, not because we really believe it, or we start really believing that "gain is godliness" ... that being rich, or powerful, or famous somehow means that God favors us more than the poor, fragile, and unnoticed. That idea is kind of the opposite of what God actually teaches us about building Zion and relieving suffering. The idea is to lift, and give, and serve, not to say "The man has brought upon himself his misery" when, in fact, we are all beggars before the Lord (Mosiah 4:17-19).
Today, let's strive for some contentment. Let's not let pride get in the way of peace. Let's work on being satisfied with what we have. I don't think that means we can't work for a better life or anything, only that we should be happy *now* and satisfied now, rather than continuing to say, oh, if only I had ____, *then* I would be happy. Let's share our bountiful blessings with others, and recognize God's hand in our lives. Let's work on humility and acceptance of God's will, and where we are right now, and perhaps we'll find more contentment in our lives. :)
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
But 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 raiment let us be therewith content."
1 Timothy 6:4-8
These verses contain the interesting idea that pride gets in the way of our contentment. And since contentment (or at least the godliness + contentment that we are striving for) is pretty much happiness + peace, then pride is really getting in the way of some things that we really want and need in our lives, right?
Alma, after desiring to be an angel, says "I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me" (Alma 29:3). Paul tells us "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Philippians 4:11). In both the good and bad times, we can find contentment through our trust in God--even if we only have food and raiment, right? :) I think the pride comes in when we refuse to be satisfied with what we have, and we keep looking for more. We keep seeking drama *instead* of peace--arguing for argument's sake, not because we really believe it, or we start really believing that "gain is godliness" ... that being rich, or powerful, or famous somehow means that God favors us more than the poor, fragile, and unnoticed. That idea is kind of the opposite of what God actually teaches us about building Zion and relieving suffering. The idea is to lift, and give, and serve, not to say "The man has brought upon himself his misery" when, in fact, we are all beggars before the Lord (Mosiah 4:17-19).
Today, let's strive for some contentment. Let's not let pride get in the way of peace. Let's work on being satisfied with what we have. I don't think that means we can't work for a better life or anything, only that we should be happy *now* and satisfied now, rather than continuing to say, oh, if only I had ____, *then* I would be happy. Let's share our bountiful blessings with others, and recognize God's hand in our lives. Let's work on humility and acceptance of God's will, and where we are right now, and perhaps we'll find more contentment in our lives. :)
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