Considering Contentment

“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.” Phil 4:11-12 (NIV)

What are you waiting for? Will it ever be enough? If you have to move one inch to have joy, you will not find it. Happiness is based on happenstance. If the conditions are just right, then you may be happy for a season. However, joy is not connected to circumstances. Joy is the product of living a life of contentment founded upon your relationship with Christ.

Paul experienced the palace and the prison. He knew what it meant to live with much and to live on very little. Paul had experienced popularity and persecution. He knew suffering on a first name basis. Yet, in the midst of shifting circumstances, Paul learned the secret of being content. He did not allow the external realities to rob him of the internal relationship he had with Jesus. Paul had surrendered his life to the Lordship of Christ and yielded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s contentment was demonstrated through the experience of peace in the midst of the storms of life.

What is your level of contentment? Have you learned the secret of being content in any and every situation? Are you waiting for ideal circumstances to develop? Are you postponing your joy until a future accomplishment comes to fruition? Don’t hesitate! Don’t delay your decision to embrace contentment. Stop worrying and fretting over the things you have no control over. Rest in the peace of God and the all-sufficient provision of God.

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell