In the previous section of this passage, Jesus had warned his disciples to keep clear of covetousness. He told the parable of the Rich Fool who had stored up treasures for himself but was not rich toward God. If you want to avoid the fate of the Rich Fool, you must store up treasures in heaven. You much be rich toward God.

In keeping with those remarks warning us against covetousness, today’s passage gives us the alternative. Instead of being covetous, we should be content. Instead of being greedy, we should be generous.

What is contentment? The Bible uses a couple of different words translated as “be content.” Both words basically mean “to be sufficient, to be enough; to be satisfied.”

In a culture like ours, one thing that we struggle with is being content with what we have. Or to put it in other terms, not to worry about what we don’t have.

.22  When Jesus says, “Take no thought for your life,” what he’s talking about is worry. The word “thought” (μεριμναω) means “to be anxious, troubled, or careful about something.” One writer (Lenski) translates it as “don’t be distracted.” So “take no thought” doesn’t mean that we neglect our responsibilities or don’t work to provide for our families. It means that we should not worry or be anxious or obsessed about the necessities of life. We should trust God to provide for our needs. We should strive to be content with what God provides.

Jesus instructs us here that, instead of worrying about the necessities of life, we should concern ourselves with God and his program for the world. God will pr ovide everything we need when we put him first.

Note several things we learn here about contentment.