Today's Devotional Thought
September 11, 2009 by Wendy Foreman
Contentment
This scripture was written by the apostle Paul while he was sitting in prison. How many of us would write a letter from prison telling everyone how content we are in prison? He knew what true contentment is. You see, we look at our lives and find so many reasons to not be content. We WANT a bigger house, more money, nicer clothes, nicer cars, more land, a boat and the list can go on and on.
This is wrong thinking.
Contentment does not come from what we have or want; it comes from within. We spend so much time trying to control people or situations that are around us and then we start to talk about how unhappy we are with our lives. Oh, believe me, I have done this on many occasions. As long as we continue to blame everyone and everything around us for our discontentment then we will never understand what it is that is happening inside of us, which is where true contentment is.
Contentment should be based upon needs not wants. God knows what we need and
don’t need. He also knows what we can handle. And, most of our discontentment is coming from us not getting what we want.
The scriptures tell us later in Philippians 4:18 “God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.??? Notice this verse didn’t say He shall supply all your wants. When your peace and joy depend on your wants, you are going to continually feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster.
My question to you then is: Is God supplying all your needs? If He is, then stop and thank Him. Don’t go on that roller coaster ride because He didn’t give you something you wanted.
Contentment is also a matter of trust. If we really trust God and believe that he loves us and knows what is best for us, then when things do fall apart all around us things don’t need to fall apart inside us. So, contentment is really trusting God and knowing that he is in control and knows what we need. And, discontentment is a lack of faith in God’s love for us and control over our life. We are basically telling God that He’s lost control and doesn’t really care about us. I don’t know about you my friend but I don’t want to be telling God that. I have had many amazing things happen in my life and in most cases it has been in the midst of terrible circumstances.
So, my question to you again is: Is God supplying all your needs? If He is, then thank Him today and be content in knowing that God knows what you need.
December