When we look at the heart of the Gospel, that “God so loved the world that He gave…” we should be struck with the truth that when we were absolutely helpless, broke and impoverished spiritually, when we lacked the resources to do anything about our dire situation, Christ stepped in and generously and lovingly gave all He had in order to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. In light of that reality, we should be able to see that there is nothing on this earth that God could call us to give to or serve that beyond our desire to do so. If we were willing to receive such generosity from our Heavenly Father, then one of the best ways we can honor Him and image Him to the world is to give generously to others as well.

Because worship is inescapably connected to what we value and what we give our time, energy and money to. This is why Jesus talked about money more than any other topic in the Gospel narratives. This is what is meant when Jesus says, “for where you heart is, there your treasure will be also.” And to care for widows and orphans, people who lacked the ability to repay you or do anything as a sign of appreciation, indicates your focus is not on your own comfort, your own reputation, your own needs, but on the needs of those who cannot help themselves. This indicates that you understand the Gospel and that you’re desire is to point people to the mercy and grace of Jesus and the glory of God.

We become stained from the world when we allow the world’s philosophy towards money and power to persuade and influence our decisions. If we, as Christians, are chasing after the bigger house, nicer car, larger paycheck, more powerful position in order to obtain some status or position that improves our standing in life even at the expense of others, then we have been stained from the world. If we consciously or unconsciously just slap Jesus’ name onto the American Dream then we have allowed the world to influence us. Not that there is anything wrong with working hard or making good money, but the question we must ask ourselves is why? What is the motivation behind wanting to make more money? Is it so that others will think more highly of me, or that through my generosity with that money they will think more highly of the gracious and generous God I serve?

Contentment is that state of being where you are at peace with your current situation and standing. It is looking at all that God has done in your life and what He has entrusted to you and saying, “I am at peace with that.” Another way to put it is to be content is not needing more than you currently have, being satisfied with life as it is.

Paul says that his contentment comes from Christ who gives him strength. What Paul means by this is that Christ is the number one, and ultimately the only, need he has, and as long as he has Christ then he can be satisfied with whatever life brings his way. It means that, in Paul’s mind, every situation he faced, be it good or bad, simply provides an opportunity to know Christ more intimately and glorify Him more fervently. It didn’t matter to Paul if he had money or was broke, if he was in prison or free, every situation was a means by which he could settle his own heart in the Gospel and direct other people’s hearts towards the Gospel. You see, when we recognize that our greatest cosmic need, namely being reconciled to God, has already been provided as a free gift, then every other need falls into its proper context as a secondary need, or really just a want.

Because when you recognize your greatest need has already been provided and every other need is simply secondary then you can live life with open hands. When your hope and identity are rooted in the fact that God has called you His own and has promised you eternal life in His presence then money, fame, power, sex, etc. lose their grip on your heart and you can freely give away that which once enslaved you to a false identity.