Sunday June 22, 2025 | Greg Boyd
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
God calls us to live in contentment, which comes in two forms. First, there is basic lifestyle contentment, where we are at peace when our basic needs are met and we are not driven to pursue unnecessary things. Second, there is radical contentment, where we are living without anxiety, when we are facing a situation that could cause it. In this sermon, Greg offers us direction in how we can grow in both kinds of contentment.
In this second sermon of the series entitled “Walk the Way,” Greg explores what it means to live in contentment, of which there are two types. The first is lifestyle contentment, and the second he calls radical contentment.
Lifestyle contentment refers to being content when our basic needs are being met. This is not about being okay with the status quo of the ways of the world. Instead, this is about being satisfied with what we have, when we have food, shelter, and clothing. It is about being free from the restless, ungodly desire for more. When we live in contentment, we are free from jealousy and envy because we are not trying to have what everyone else has.
The second type of contentment is radical in nature. In Philippians 4:6 we read, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” With this kind of contentment, we have the potential to live without anxiety no matter the situation. Paul is writing this from a prison cell, likely facing the threat of execution. He tells us that when we offer up petitions with thanksgiving, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
In verses 11-13 of this chapter, Paul says that he learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. He is content because he is living in gratitude even in the midst of a less than favorable circumstance. Paul could do all this because he derived all of his strength from Christ, which is rooted in the fact that Paul got all of his life from Christ. His non-negotiable need for love, acceptance, worth, security, and purpose came from Jesus.
To grow in these two kinds of contentment, Greg offers three practices. First, we must renew our minds through meditation and prayer. Second, there is power in imaginative prayer, that is encountering Jesus in a personal way by the power of the Spirit. Third, practice contentment prayer, where we offer thanksgiving for what we have been given.