When true worship gets blended together with amusement, it yields varying types of worldliness and idolatry. In Exodus chapter 32, the children of Israel observed a “feast to the LORD” at the same time that they “rose up to play.” As men begin to grow increasingly cold and indifferent toward the Lord and His ways, they will seek ever more imaginative ways to make spiritual worship appeal to the flesh. This is often accomplished by uniting pleasure and worship. In an effort to keep people interested in the worship of God, churches add comedic relief, drama, carnal music, and a host of other worldly amusements. In doing so, the worship of God gets corrupted and becomes nothing more than idolatry or false worship.
A man’s conversation should consistently exhibit a high level of individual contentment. Defining conversation and covetousness will help to better understand Hebrews 13:5. A man’s conversation in the Bible sometimes refers to more than the words he speaks. It frequently refers to his entire way of life. One who lives covetously desires things not belonging to him. The Bible stresses the seriousness of covetousness by connecting it to the sin of idolatry. Combining these two simple truths shows that man should never live his life chasing after things not belonging to him. Why is it so important for a Christian to live a life of contentment? Since God promises to never leave or forsake His own, a discontented Christian lacks a trust in His Creator. Understanding these simple truths should bring great contentment to the believer.
The words content and contentment infer that one is satisfied with life's present conditions (Genesis 37:27; Exodus 2:21). Living contently is the opposite of wanting (Philippians 4:11) and covetousness (Hebrews 13:5) and is strongly associated with godliness (1 Timothy 6:6). Interestingly, contentment is a learned behaviour that believers must put into practice on a consistent basis throughout life. No one is born into the world content. Yet, once learned and practiced consistently, Christians will experience contentment in spite of any circumstance faced. Unfortunately, far too often, Christians exhibit no more contentment than non-Christians. In fact, believers seem to desire and covet the things of the world more and more with each passing year. This covetousness combined with a lack of contentment amongst Christians results in less godliness and a closer association with worldly pleasures.
