1 Timothy 6:5-6 this way: “To them,
a show of godliness is just a way to
become wealthy. Yet true godliness
with contentment is itself great
wealth” (emphasis added). When it
comes to lasting gain, true godliness
definitely pays off! But the measure
of such godliness is our contentment,
not our bank balance. And that is the
great gain.
If we say we believe all of God’s Word,
then why waste our lives chasing
more stuff, which only robs us of
contentment? Instead, let’s pursue
more of God. The adventure of the
Christian life comes as we get to know
him better daily. In the process, we
become more like him, which means
being more full of grace and generosity.
When we do, we’ll experience many
magnificent side effects, including one
of the most precious: contentment.
For twenty-five years, Mark and Jennifer
Higinbotham owned a successful
medical equipment dealership. It was
good work that paid well, but eventually
their hearts were no longer in it. They
48 • Solutions
thought, There must be more to life
than this.
Mark and Jennifer felt God’s prompting
to sell their business, along with their
custom-built house. They sold their
expensive cars and ski boat, and
liquidated or gave away most of their
possessions. They traveled for two
years in a motor home, took mission
trips to Russia and Africa, served at
homeless shelters, and volunteered at
their church.
They then sold the motor home and
bought a fixer-upper. When they were
trying to determine what God had in
mind for them next, they heard that
Family Life Ministries was looking for
someone in their area to work with
financial donors. They were longtime
supporters of the ministry, and with
their hearts for marriage ministry and
their background in business, they
could relate to donors. They’ve found
the calling God prepared and wired
them for. And in the process, they’ve
found contentment.
Mark says, “None of those material
possessions were inherently bad, we
had no debt, and we used those things
for ministry. But they were no longer
important to us. We’ve never regretted
or looked back for one moment, and
we’re thrilled to be serving the Lord.” 14
Of course, professional ministry isn’t
the key to contentment either. (Many
are content outside of professional
ministry; many inside are discontent.)
The point of Mark and Jennifer’s story
is their willingness to ask God what he
wanted them to do and how they could
serve him best. That led to them living