The Rules of Contentment (3)

And God is able to make all grace abound in you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Sufficiency – The third rule of contentment is found in this verse. The same Greek word (autarkeia) is here translated “sufficiency” but it might just as well be “self-sufficiency”. What is this third rule? Contentment comes through emptying. God is able for me so that I am able for others. God’s grace abounds in me in order that I may have everything I need for good works toward others. When we give, God gives. When we accumulate, God stops giving. It’s such a simple principle. Contentment depends on how much I give away, not how much I keep.

Now you know why Paul prefaces this remark with the famous verse, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Only people who understand the third rule can have that inner spirit of exuberance in giving. Only third rule people are cheerful when they pass provision on to others. Everyone else lives by the accumulation theory of contentment and in God’s world, contentment eludes them.

Do you really want that soul satisfaction of being completely at peace with your life? Then practice the third rule. Give yourself away.

Do you really want to be free of the bondage to maintain life as it is; the struggle to survive one more round of bills; the pressure to lift yourself up? Then practice the third rule. Give what God provides.

Does that sound scary? Are you confronted with the terrifying thought, “But what if I give it away and God doesn’t provide? What will happen to me then?” Ah, you are feeling the seductive power of accumulation thinking tugging at all those commitments you have made to a world gone mad. Is God able to provide? Or do you need to take care of yourself?

Being sufficient in all things is a matter of letting go of what you think you must have. All that you need is found in Him. Everything else is gifts given to you to be given away. The depth of your trust is determined by the grip of your hand.