May God Bless You with Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6-10 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. 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. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.


How often I have strived with all my heart to me successful. I went to school, during my undergrad years, trying to learn all I could to be an effective supervisor. I wanted to be the best in all I did. I wanted to get others to do what was necessary to accomplish our goals. I wanted to be the best supervisor I could be. My ultimate goal was to be successful and well paid.


You know I was fairly successful, and well paid, but something was missing. I had a great house and always had great cars. My daughters went to an outstanding Christian school. We never were without. Trouble was we were always wanting. I do not think we were ever in a position of truly being needy though, except in one area.


I do not think we were ever content. Being content means that I am satisfied with what I have. Being content means that pleased and happy with my life. Being content means that I am in comfort. I lived so far away from being content.


This past year I took a new job. I left the business world. I left the well paying job and became a youth pastor. The hours are just as long if not longer. I still have deadlines and goals to meet. I still try to be the best, but it is for a greater purpose than for my self. I think I am learning more everyday about being content.


I don’t own that great home anymore; rather I rent from my in-laws. I have two nice cars. One daughter is in a nice community college and the other is finishing her year at a good public high school. Not the luxurious life I imagined I was going to live. But it doesn’t bug me; I am learning to be content.


God tells us to be content and that He will supply our needs, not our wants. As we approach Christmas I am learning to be happy, to be content. May God bless you with the gift of contentment.


Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."


Matthew 6:25-31 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?'