I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not
disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.
~ Philippians 4:11
And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for godliness accompanied with
contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great
and abundant gain.
~ 1 Timothy 6:6
When you were a child, did your mom ever tell you that you suffered from the
disease 'wantitis'? It was something my mom told me quite frequently! We'd
be in a store, and my eye would be caught by all the toys that I saw, and I'd
tell her I wanted this, and that...oh, and that would be fun to have, too! Oh,
and that would make me soooo happy! I'd never ask for anything else if she
got me that!
Sometimes in our walk with God, we do the same thing. We see what other
people have, and we think we need that to be happy or content. 'But God,' we
say, 'if You give me that, I KNOW I'll be happy! I promise I won't bug You
for anything ever again, if you only give me that!'
We forget to look at the blessings God has already given us, and so discontent
begins to grow in our hearts. We start measuring our possessions by looking
at what those around us have, and we become dissatisfied. Envy creeps in, and
soon becomes jealousy. And when that happens, our walk with God falters to a
halt.
We need to take our eyes off those around us, and focus only on Jesus Christ.
It doesn't matter what other people have, or if they have more than you.
Right now, you are right where God wants you to be, and His will for your life
is perfect. Yes, you may not have all the shiny new toys your neighbor has,
but those don't matter in light of eternity. God didn't put us on this earth
to get things...His desire for us is that we grow into the image of His Son,
Jesus Christ, and that we lay aside anything at all that hinders us from
following Him.
And when our eyes are focused on Christ, we discover the source of true
contentment, and we can be content, no matter what state we are in. If you're
poor, you're still richer than the richest man on the face of this earth who
doesn't know God...after all, true riches don't lie in money or
possessions...they lie in a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
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