Contentment is about resisting the temptation to play the “comparison game” and refusing to define my satisfaction by any measure other than Christ. My happiness is not tied to the material possessions or circumstances I have received, my pleasure and joy are bound up in a person, the triune God, who is sovereign, who has good plans for me, and has omnisciently given me all I have and precisely all I need.

The tenth commandment, found in Exodus 20:17, declares:

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

At first glance, this seems like a straightforward prohibition against envy. But there is much more going on here. Sure, a life of envy is forbidden in the Scriptures. Yes, and amen! But what is commanded here instead of that? What must I replace my envy-loving heart with that would be honoring to God? If I were to think about the polar opposite of envy, what would my life look like if I did that thing?

Considering the matter this way, I would arrive near a life of gratitude, trust, and joy in God’s provision. Biblically speaking, this kind of behavior has a title, and it is called contentment. Thus, more than communicating a mere prohibition, the tenth commandment also puts forward a helpful prescription that the Bible calls contentment, which I am to be doing instead of spending my time consumed with toxic envy. But how do I do that?

The Secret of Contentment

Contentment is elusive, even for the most faithful believers. The Apostle Paul, nearing the end of his life, revealed in Philippians 4:11-12:

“I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am… I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”

Paul describes contentment as a “secret” because it is not natural or intuitive to the human mind, heart, or will. It is elusive and cannot be learned without disciplined faith and faithful discipline. Contentment does not depend on wealth, status, or circumstances but on recognizing the blessings God has already provided are all that I need. I do not need more money; what God has given me is enough. I do not need that new pickup truck my neighbor bought; my rusted-out Honda Civic is enough. Contentment is about resisting the temptation to play the “comparison game” and refusing to define my satisfaction by any measure other than Christ. My happiness is not tied to the material possessions or circumstances I have received, my pleasure and joy are bound up in a person, the triune God, who is sovereign, who has good plans for me, and has omnisciently given me all I have and precisely all I need. There is not a single atom on God’s green earth that God forgot to give me.

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