More, faster, better: Our world thrives on the fact that we are never quite satisfied. The Bible offers a counterpoint. Paul writes that he has "learned" to be content—so contentment is something that can be practiced. Here you will find 19 Bible verses about contentment: verses about learning to be content and about what is truly enough in life.
Learning to be content
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Not that I say this out of want; for I have learned to be content with what I am. I can be lowly and I can be exalted; I am skilled in all things and with all people, both being full and hungry, both having plenty and enduring want.
Philippians 4:11-12WeaknessMaterialism
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I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13WeaknessBaptismal verses
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But great is the gain of him that is godly and content. For we brought nothing into the world; therefore it is evident that we shall bring nothing out. But if we have food and raiment, let us be content.
1 Timothy 6:6-8Money
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Let your change be without covetousness; and be content with what you have; for he hath said, I will not leave thee nor forsake thee.
Hebrews 13:5MoneyFaithfulness
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It is better a handful with quietness, than two fists full of labour and grasping after the wind.
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It is better to be a little with the fear of the LORD, than great treasure with much uneasiness.
Proverbs 15:16Reverence
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It is better a dry morsel with contentment, than a house full of meat with sorrow.
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The little that the righteous hath is better than the great substance of many wicked.
Psalm 37:16Righteousness
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He that loveth money shall not be satisfied with money; and he that loveth riches shall not prosper. This also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:9MoneyCovetousness
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The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1Good ShepherdBaptismal verses
Having enough
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Ye shall not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures above, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break in nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:19-21Precious thingsMoney
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And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from covetousness; for not by plenty of goods shall any man live.
Luke 12:15CovetousnessMaterialism
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Give me neither poverty nor riches; give me only my daily bread.
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Give us this day our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11Our FatherFood
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But the LORD is my substance and my portion; thou art my inheritance. The lot is fallen unto me in pleasantness; I have received a goodly inheritance.
Psalm 16:5-6Blessing
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Yea, I have set my soul and and have been still; therefore my soul is at peace within me, even as a little child with his mother.
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Therefore I have known that nothing is better than to be merry, and to do good with one's own hands. For every man that eat and drink and is in good cheer in all his labour, that is a gift of God.
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For one day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Psalm 84:11God
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But God can make all grace abound toward you, that ye may abound to every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8ProvisionCare and Medicine
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
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You Can Learn Contentment
The key verse about contentment is found in Philippians 4:11-12. Paul does not say that he is naturally content, but rather: “I have learned.” He has known both hunger and abundance, and both have taught him that his life does not depend on them. Immediately afterward comes the famous verse 13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Read in context, this is less about achieving great feats than about the strength to live well with little and with much.
What Is Enough
The Bible is not against possessions, but it warns against the feeling of never having enough. Ecclesiastes 5:9 describes it plainly: He who loves money will never be satisfied. Jesus summarizes it in Luke 12:15: Life does not depend on possessions. A beautiful prayer is found in Proverbs 30:8—neither poverty nor riches, but what I need. In the Lord’s Prayer, it is the request for daily bread. You can find more on the topic in Bible verses about money, Bible verses about gratitude, and Bible verses about happiness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Bible say about contentment?
That it can be learned (Philippians 4:11-12) and is a “great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). The foundation is the trust that God will not leave us (Hebrews 13:5)—just as in Psalm 23:1: “I shall not want.”
Where does it say, “I have learned to be content with what I am”?
In Philippians 4:11. Paul writes the letter from prison and thanks the church in Philippi for its support.
