What Does It Take To Make You Content?

1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, "but godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

It is often helpful to distinguish between needs and wants. We may have all we need to live but let ourselves become anxious and discontented over what we merely want. Like the Apostle Paul, we can choose to be content without having all that we want. The only alternative is to be a slave to our desires.

Our desires usually get us in trouble. If we focus on what we don't have, we can never appreciate what we do have. It is easier to look at the cup as empty rather than to look at the cup half full.

Today,I lacked contentment; my spirit was restless and I could not pinpoint the problem. There is no earthly thing that I desired but I kept telling myself that I needed to be doing something else, going somewhere else, and keep wondering what else is left in this life for me?

Here is the problem I finally realized. My focus was on myself instead of God. And the Bible says that "godliness with contentment is great gain." I had forgotten that quickly. I have to let myself decrease and let God increase so that God might receive the glory. My goal is to strive towards godliness so that I might gain the crown that awaits me.

How do I glorify God? I need to seek God's will, even in my thoughts, as our thoughts also can cause us problems.

2 Corinthians 12:9 states, "my grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

I was having a pity party today. No reason, just not wanting to be happy. Not being thankful for all of God's grace. The grace He gives me when He allows me to see another day, to enjoy the niceness of warm weather we had here in Virginia today. I was being selfish and thinking only about myself. Again, the big "i" in sin allowed me to wander and concentrate on myself.

How can you be discontented when you ever need has been provided by God?

Well, no need to desire for riches because the Bible says, "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ( 1 Timothy 6:9)

We can chose to be content without having all that we want, and we have to be careful not to be a slave to our desires. The sad thing about a 'desire" is that it is never enough; you always want more. The "more" is what leads to destruction.

So, if you are like me, and feel yourself starting to feel discontented with your life, look to see if your cup is empty or if it is at least half full.

Thought for Today: God's grace is greater than our sin, and it alone satisfies all our needs.