But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)
Discontent: one of the iniquities of human hearts. This dissatisfaction with life and one’s position poisons the human heart, pushing for a crime and concealed envy. Dissatisfaction turns a compassionate person into an envious one, a regular citizen into a criminal, and a friend into a secret competitor. The root of discontent is the lack of harmony within a person, the absence of wholeness.
What is wholeness?It is the totality of the little that a person needs for a state of peace, harmony with oneself, with the world and the Creator. Wholeness is the minimum required by a person to have genuine happiness within himself. According to the dictionary by Ozhegov, wholeness is indivisibility and unity.
The wholeness of a person is an internal characteristic, something that already exists rather than what he can become through the acquisition of something.
You can be rich yet not holistic, or vice versa, you can be poor yet holistic. You can be married and not holistic. Similarly, you may also be unmarried, but holistic.
Wholeness is more the inner state than the result of external actions. It is a condition of the heart, the inner content of man, his wealth, inner wealth, inner peace, an attitude towards himself, the world and the Creator. This is something that cannot be taken away or stolen because this quality does not exist externally, but in the inner world.
Integrity is the decision of a person to be happy and thankful, in spite of difficulties, needs, problems around, no matter what.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Philippians 4:12)
“People need to think not only about what they should do, but about what they are,” Meister Eckhart – German theologian and philosopher.
- Selfishness is one of the most obvious signs of inconsistent. If a person is selfish it is reflected in his character and behavior.
- an egoist wants to own everything that is a pleasure, to own everything and not to share with anyone.
- Greed and possessions are his natural state, the purpose of life.
- An egoist thinks that the more he has, the more he is.
- An egoist cannot be satisfied, because there is no end to his desires.
- An egoist envies those who have more than he and is afraid of those who have less.
- An egoist is forced to suppress his feelings in front of others, to pretend to smile and appear to be an intelligent, sincere and kind human being.
In a selfish society, people think this way: I am what I have, and if I have little or nothing, then I am nothing and it means that I cannot be satisfied and happy, I cannot be complete.
A stunning example of integrity can be learned from the life of Protestants XIV-XVI centuries, who made a great contribution to the socio-political and moral reformation of their society. They taught and lived by the following principles:
– Equality before God and the value of the person as one,
– The role of labor as an essential factor for human dignity,
– Wages and prices should be based on principles of justice,
– Power should be based on the principles of morality,
– Justice and the law must be guided by Christian values,
– Give due attention to these values: honest business, meeting commitments, hard work, honesty, loyalty, dedication to work and calling,
– The ministry to God must be the work of the whole Christian community, not just pastors,
– Wealth should be achieved legally by means of diligence, reliability and hard work,
– Daily work is as holy as any other service of God.
Signs of an internally defective personality
Discontentis a state of the heart. The majority of Ukrainians are dissatisfied with their standard of living: only 30% of people are happy with their country. Compared with 2006, this figure fell by another 8%. People satisfied with their life in Ukraine are less than in other countries with a transitioning economy. This statistic shows that people are living in constant, chronic dissatisfaction, feeling dull and miserable.
Murmuringis one of the brightest signs of inner inferiority. Murmuring is a form of discontent, expressed by low-volume speech; it is not quite in open form. The cause of murmuring is unjustified expectations about oneself, others and life.
Chronic concern. A chronically disturbed person is afraid to wake up in the morning, because he does not know what is waiting for him each new day. He is afraid to plan anything; fears for the lives of his children, relatives and friends and is concerned about the future because he does not know what to expect. Such a man deprives himself of tranquility and calmness.
Hatred and conflict.The presence of these characteristics indicates that a person allows himself to live at the level of an animal. The carrier of hate wants to “pour” it onto someone, which leads to the escalation of the situation as well as conflicts. Thinking people, reasonable people, homo sapiens, are distinguished by what how well they are able to manage their emotions and feelings. They know how to get rid of low moods and cultivate noble ones.
Envy. There is a category of people who believe that the best belongs to others. The joy of others annoys them, success and other benefits make them feel themselves defective. Envy recipe: 200 g of happiness of others, 100 g of powerlessness and 500 g of reluctance to change anything.
Greed and vanity. People with such character traits are always unhappy with what they have within normal logical limits; they desire to receive where they did not invest; they long for unrealistic profits and fall into foolish and harmful passions.
Aggressionis a vivid sign of an unhealthy heart. Aggression is an emotive, tough, targeted attack; willingness to inflict damage, strike or destroy; behavior aimed at insulting or damaging another person or subject.
The constant search for happiness. For many people, happiness is fleeting, distant feeling which seems to be beyond total comprehension. Such people are always looking for happiness. People do not realize that happiness is near, it is within them. Happiness is a decision to be happy. Here is a good example of a happy man: “I am content with the small, the simple life is enough for me. I do not need much: I have a shirt, shorts, I walk barefoot on the beach, and I’m happy. The more you need to be happy, the more you are wretched, ” Yanni – a world-famous musician, nominated “Grammy” (20 million albums sold, 35 of them are gold and platinum).
To become a happy person, I advise you to study this material on your own, as well as to carefully read and study the book “Personal integrity”. Complete all the tests and practical exercises in it, it will completely change your life.
Constantly enrich and build up your inner man!
Senior pastor of “The Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for all nations”, Sunday Adelaja
For a deeper study of this topic I recommend the book “Personal integrity” by UNIVERSITY OF LIFE.
www.godembassy.com mail@godembassy.org
Translated by Olga Stas
Edited by Kizito Leacock
