Randy’s Nine Personal Guidelines for Contentment (1 Tim. 6:6):

1. Pursue the gold, not the tin – Remember only Jesus Christ is sufficient to bring the fullness of joy that my heart desires. Anything less is not built to bring me the highest satisfaction. God is not in the business of creating idols (Mt. 13:45-46).

2. Be thankful for what you have – Anything beyond hell is a gift of God’s grace (1 Thes. 5:18).

3. Tame those tastebuds – I won’t want what I don’t know is out there (1 Cor. 9:27).

4. Be wary of commercials – The goal of advertising is to breed discontentment to get me to want something I never thought I needed (1 Tim. 6:9).

5. Prioritize your needs, not your wants – Pursue that which God promises, not that which is seldom received or breeds a desire for more. What does God want me to want (1 Tim. 6:7-8).

6. Know when enough is enough – Does a bigger income always need to translate into a bigger lifestyle (Phil. 4:11-12)?

7. No U-Hails behind hearses – The temporary things don’t last in this life and are definitely not transferred to the next. Pursue what I’ll cherish for an eternity (Mt. 6:19-21).

8. The two greatest commandments – The four sins of discontentment, doubt and complaining against God and jealously and coveting against people, will end when I love God and love others (Mt. 22:38-40). 

9. Who’s the boss? – Do I own my stuff or does my stuff own me (1 Cor. 6:12)?