| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Savor the time” Our Bible verse for today: “… I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content – whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Learn to be content” The other day I was visiting with some friends who live in a tow-behind travel trailer in a mobile home park near a lake. It’s a very nice trailer, pretty large as far as tow-behind traveler trailers go, complete with slide-outs to expand the living space, and with all the modern conveniences. It’s just enough room for two people to live comfortably but modestly, and with no excess. They’re not doing it for financial reasons. They have the assets to live in any manner they would like. But they love the simplicity of their lifestyle and they’re happy and content with it. They don’t need or want more. The great Christian writer G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to acquire more and more. The other is to desire less.” Actually, I think Chesterton was only half right. Learning to desire less and to simply be content with what we have is certainly a key to happiness. But an endless quest to accumulate more and more never leads to true contentment. The fact that the person is still striving for more is evidence enough that the person is not content with what they have. With that mindset, there’s never any such thing as ‘enough”. In Philippians 4:11-13 the Apostle Paul revealed an important lesson he had learned in his own life. He learned to be content. And please don’t miss the fact that he “learned” to be content. In other words, it didn’t come naturally and it required a learning experience for him to get there. From what we know of Paul, it means that he was intentional and disciplined about learning the lesson. He trained himself for contentment. In verse 13 he reveals that it was his continuous focus on Christ that was the key to achieving the contentment he had just been writing about. It’s difficult to truly savor the special moments in life if we have an unsettled spirit that is always striving and yearning for something more, rather than simply being content with and enjoying life as it is in the present moment. I think it would helpful for all of us to ask ourselves, “How much is enough?” and, “Will “more” ever truly become “enough”? The truth is, if we are going to truly enjoy and savor life, we need to learn to be content. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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