Tag: Contentment

Are You Content This Thankgiving

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-8.

Paul is certainly on the Mt Rushmore of the greatest Christians. But we can’t forget Paul was a regular human being, with access to the same not-so-super-secret Christian tools (the Holy Spirit, prayer, the Bible) as you and me. Through the soaring highs and devastating lows of his life, God taught Paul to keep his eyes on the prize: the salvation of Jesus Christ.  Nothing else mattered.

Contentment is confidence in God’s providence and learning to be satisfied with relatively little, and equally important, it’s a sense of independence from circumstances.  Contentment and a spirit of thanksgiving have less to do with getting what we want, and more to do with wanting what we already have. The promise is not that God will make you wealthy, but that He will give you strength.

So where does that leave us? Frustrated? Often disappointed? Worried? Lacking joy? But, if you can look past all that you can have, you can be content. The forgiveness God provides for our failures and transgressions gives us a deep and lasting peace, contentment, and happiness. Resting in the security of Jesus allows us to turn our focus away from how much we can accumulate for ourselves and toward how much we can serve Him and further His kingdom.

Paul tells us as much in Philippians 4:11-13: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Thanksgiving is a season of being content. Thanksgiving reminds us of all the things to be grateful for. One reason that we fail to thank God now for what we have is that we want more – we want the next step. We fool ourselves into thinking that when we get more or when we get to the next step then we will stop to thank Him. But that suggests we should not be grateful for what God is doing in our lives as part of His plan for each of us. And that means being thankful even when we are facing setbacks.

We should be thankful because God is worthy of our thanksgiving. It is only right to credit Him because “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father…” (James 1:17). Expressing thankfulness helps us remember that God is in control. Thankfulness, then, is not only appropriate; it is actually healthy and beneficial to us. It reminds us of the bigger picture, that we belong to God, and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

All of us have a lot to be thankful for this time of year. But not only should we give thanks during the holidays, but we should also give thanks to God every day of the year.

This Thanksgiving, leave your worries about tomorrow with the Lord and you will accept every situation as God’s wise classroom for your growth and development. And when this happens, you will find that in good times or bad, pleasant or painful . .. . you will be content.

Discussion Questions:
1. What is the difference between joy and contentment?

2. What is the secret of being content in every circumstance?

Contentment And All That Stuff

Posted on by Wes M. Ward

“The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment,” – Doug Larson

The quest for happiness seems endless. Many people have made it their primary goal in life. In the search for happiness, men and women have indulged every whim, desire, aim, passion, goal, and pleasure. Yet, how many people have found the happiness they seek? Decade after decade, we attempt to uncover the secret of happiness.

Charles Spurgeon said that “it is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” Somewhere along the way we have equated getting more and then more again with happiness. The commercial and materialistic nature of today’s advertisements reinforce that viewpoint. They have become very adept at convincing the consumer that their product will make the purchaser happy. Or popular. Or cool. I don’t care how much Armani cologne I put on, however, I will never be irresistible to women.

Here’s what I know. From our earliest days, people reinforce and live out the saying we all know to be true: more is never enough. And deep inside we know that the hunt for happiness will never be entirely completed through acquiring more material things and more success. I believe there will always be something lacking when we continue to pursue greater and larger “toys” in an effort to manufacture a sense of purpose, security, well-being, and happiness.

So where does that leave us? Frustrated? Often disappointed? Worried? Lacking joy? But, if you can look past all that you can have, you can be content. The forgiveness He provides for our failures and transgressions gives us a deep and lasting peace, contentment, and happiness. Resting in the security of Jesus allows us to turn our focus away from how much we can accumulate for ourselves and toward how much we can serve Him and further His kingdom.

Paul tells us as much in Philippians 4:11-13: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Do you really want to know contentment? If so, you must start by making Jesus the ruler of your life. Believe His promises and trust His providence in your life. And when that happens you will begin to enjoy more of the “moments of life.”  You will leave worries about tomorrow with the Lord and you will accept every situation as God’s wise classroom for your growth and development. And when this happens, you will find that in good time or bad, pleasant or painful . .. . you will be content. And when you are content, you will find joy.

Discussion Questions:
1. Examine your “contentment quotient.” Are you satisfied with what you have? Are you growing in your contentment?
2. Do you rob yourself by wishing your life was somehow different?
2. What is the difference between joy and contentment?
4. What is the secret of being content in every circumstance?
5. Meditate on Psalm 4. What verses stand out to you? What does this show you about your own search for contentment?

Learning Contentment

Posted on by Wes M. Ward

“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” – Socrates

Contentment does not come easy for me. Accepting everything in my life, both the good and not so good, as a gift from God, is a slow gradual process. I’m sure that is true of most people. Why? Because for God to be in control of my life, and remain in control no matter where life’s currents may take me, means that I recognize that I have all I need in Jesus.

The question is how can we learn to be content. Paul answers that question in Philippians 4:10-11. ”I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

Paul is the model for contentment. There are not many people who would be content with his circumstances. I wish Paul had offered a magic pill for contentment. I wish there were 12 steps to contentment, or Cliff Notes or a class I could enroll in college. But there is not, because contentment must be learned over time.

Nor will contentment come easy, but it will come if we lean on God and work at the lessons God gave to teach us contentment. Paul takes the opportunity to teach by example. The teaching was that he had learned in whatever situation he was in to be content. What a powerful statement. Paul was content in prison and was content amidst all the uncertainly in his life.

There are many examples of those who learned contentment in the Bible. Think of Joseph. He was sold by his brothers, wrongfully imprisoned, and mistreated. He learned that God works all things together for good and was content in his God. Remember Daniel. He was righteous but was taken into captivity by the Babylonians and even thrown into a lion’s den. He affirmed that God rules over all and that all are beneath his sovereign rule.

Do you wish you could say that in any circumstance? The idea is in Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” Paul speaks to this issue in 1 Timothy 6:6: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” Again Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians 12:10: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Contentment begins to grow when we learn and then embrace the fact that our greatest asset in this life is our relationship with the Savior. “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” Paul could face and know joy in any and every circumstance because of the strength he found in Christ. So can we.

Discussion Questions:
1. Are you content? Would you like to be content? Do not think contentment changes when circumstances change? If you are struggling with health, finances, relationships, employment, etc., do you believe you can be content in those circumstances?
2. Make a mental list of the times that you are content and when you are not. Pray that God will teach you through those life experiences how to be content.
3. Is there someone in your life that has learned contentment in tough times? Ask questions and see what you can learn from them.
4. Above all, be in prayer. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Pray that the Lord through His Spirit will teach you contentment.