Contentment

I tell you.  Living in a "first world" country spoils you.  We have everything at our disposal.  Everything.  We live in super fine comfortable houses.  We drive super fine comfortable cars.  We take super fine comfortable vacations.  We eat rich, unhealthy food.  We pay enormous bills for tv, cellphone, internet- and then complain about the electric or water bill.  We loved to be constantly entertained.  Our kids have no idea what it means to play outside all day with friends, come home to a meal on the table, bathtime and bed.  We have LOADS of food in our refrigerators and pantry's yet we can't find anything to eat so we "go out" to eat.  We get bored easily.  We are tired.  We are anxious.  We are overwhelmed. We live in a driven society.  More more more. 

And we are so entitled= believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

I've been thinking- again, about "being content".  What does that mean?  Does it mean that if everything goes my way, I get everything I want then I will be happy? 

Not according to the Scriptures. 

Paul, beloved Paul- beaten, stoned, whipped Paul- wrote to the church at Philippi: Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (Philippians 4:11-12)

Paul then wrote to Timothy: If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.  For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

The writer to the Hebrews wrote: Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”  so that we confidently say,“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

I love what Paul also wrote to the church at Philippi:  And God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

A beloved Proverb:

Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
9 That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

So what does all this mean?  Let's look at the word "content" in Helps Word Study.

842 autárkēs  self-sufficient, content in the sense of being satisfied because living in God's content (fulness). This inward sufficiency is as valid in "low times" (suffering) as in "high times" (temporal prosperity).

("sufficiency within") occurs only in Phil 4:11 where it refers to positive self-sufficiency (inward adequacy) – i.e. that comes through the indwelling power of Christ.

[842 (autárkēs) comes from autos ("self") and arkein ("sufficient") meaning "self"-sufficiency, which is entirely God-produced.]

To be content is to be satisfied in God's provision.  A positive, inward sufficiency that comes from Christ within, coming from Him.  It comes from trusting, believing- KNOWING that HE is the One that will supply all our needs.  

Why do we need so much?  The more we have the harder we have to work to take care of it.  And if that's so then what (or who) is being left out?  Because I don't know about you but I am not super woman.  I finally came to the point that I couldn't do it all and be the person God created me to be.  I had to come to a choice.  Believing and trusting God for His plan in my life or trying to fill up my self and my life with the things of this "temporal" world.  

 Peacefilled/ful, Joyfilled/ful, Overwhelmed and consumed by Grace= Content.  

And Paul, really meant and knew with all his heart the truth of the words He wrote to Timothy:

But godliness (God-centered) actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.- 1 Timothy 6:6

You want "great gain"?  You want more and more?

Hebrews 12:1-3

...lay aside....fixing your eyes on Jesus...so you will not grow weary and lose heart.  

Jesus is the More.  Jesus is the Great Gain.