Today’s
scripture:
“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I
have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:” (Phil 4:11 NKJV)
“Now godliness with contentment is great
gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry
nothing out.” (1 Tim 6:6-7)
There
is such a joy when you consider that Jesus is all you need in life. I remember
in my old life before I gave it to God, I was running after things of this
world that I thought was going to satisfy me. I have tried so many things that
this world has to offer… money, sex, fame, even power in the demonic world.
Do you
have that type of contentment in your life? Do you have that type of closeness
with Jesus? Every morning when you wake up, is Jesus on your mind? Do you think
about Him in the shower? I don’t mean to get weird about this but the point is,
is He always at the forefront of your mind? Do you consider Him in all things
that you do?
In my
marriage, from an earthly standpoint, my wife is one who I think of a lot. She
is the one who I consider talking with when I want to make a fairly big
decision. In our relationship with Christ, that is a marriage. It is a holy,
eternal, heavenly marriage so, how much more would we be in constant fellowship
with our heavenly husband?
Lets
look at the tenth of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house…” – The
word house here isn’t just talking about the physical structure of a persons
house, rather it is meant that anything that belongs to your neighbor. Oh, and
by the way, neighbor doesn’t just mean the person next door to your house or
down the street. Neighbor is anyone who is near to you. When your walking
downtown or in the grocery store, the person you pass by that is near to you. In
other words, anyone in the world.
Have you ever known what it means to be truly content? To be
honest, there are times that I get caught up in the greediness and sinful
desires of my own heart, but I’m talking about overall, do you still have
desires of things that this world has to offer… money, bigger house, nicer
landscape, nicer car, a big boat, a better job, or even a different spouse?
You know, if I can use the phrase “the grass is always greener
on the other side of the fence”, there is a lot of truth in that. If you’re not
content now, having a better job or more money won’t bring you joy. Let me
clarify… It won’t bring you lasting
joy! When Christ got a hold of my heart, I had received a peace and a joy that
still exists years later! Do I have problems? Of course! Do I wish I had other
things? Yes! But I am very careful not to let them rule me because I have
something in me that fills all voids in my life and that is a relationship with
my creator Jesus Christ!
See, the mercy here is finding contentment. When you have
contentment, there is no room for anything else because it is the Lord that
fills you up, Psalm 23:1. Jesus is the answer to all problems everywhere. It
can’t be that simple…. Well, it is that simple its just not that easy.
Reflection:
Until
you surrender your life completely to Jesus, you will continue on searching for
things to satisfy your hunger for more stuff. Paul was content because Jesus
inside of him took the place of any hunger!
Challenge:
Take a
look at your life. Are you content with what you have, but not being content
where you are spiritually? Beloved, won’t you please let Jesus fill up what’s
lacking in your soul?
-Doug
McGowan
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