Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. Philippians 4:11
Have you ever noticed that our culture is saturated with a spirit of discontentment? Being discontent with what we have creates a vacuum that screams out to be filled! Our materialistic and consumerist culture goes all out to satisfy this void. Our ‘retail therapy’ advisors are all about further inciting our discontentment so that we pay anything, buy anything…. to hopefully satisfy our drug like addiction, to be content.
But, how true it is, as an unknown author once wrote: If I am not satisfied with what I have, I will never be satisfied with what I want.
Christian, are you content with what you have? You need to be, because being discontent is being ungrateful for what God in His grace has entrusted to you. Jerry Bridges points this out in his book ‘The practice of Godliness’ The very first temptation in the history of mankind was the temptation to be discontent…that is exactly what discontent(ment) is – a questioning of the goodness of God.
So what is your contentment level like in our ‘I need more’ kind of world?
Dear brother an sister, take note of this truth which Jerry Bridges again puts so clearly:
Contentment is one of the most distinguishing traits of the godly person, because a godly person has his heart focused on God rather than on possessions or position or power.