| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Living with joy” Our Bible verse for today: “I don’t say this out of need, for 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.” Philippians 4:11-12 (CSB) Our thought for today: “There is joy in being content” The lack of contentment is a major problem in the United States of America. We live in a consumer-oriented culture on steroids. We are conditioned to constantly consume at a high rate. Our society is awash in advertisements, all of them designed to make us unhappy with what we have and to convince us that we must have their product or service in order to be happy. But no matter how much you purchase and how much you consume – the message never changes, you still need something else, you must have something more. And so, we are never truly content. That explains why it is that although we already live in the wealthiest nation in the world, with the highest standard of living that any middle-class people have ever enjoyed, most Americans are not content. Most of us believe we need to have more than we have. That also explains why it is that so many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, spending virtually every dollar they earn, and then they go deeply into debt to acquire even more than they already have (and more than they have the money for). I want to paraphrase the great Christian writer from the late 1800’s G.K. Chesterton. He observed that there are two ways people go about trying to have enough. One way is to constantly strive to acquire more and more. The other is to learn to desire less. More is never enough and it never brings you to the point of true contentment. There will always be something new, something bigger, something better, that you could have and which you end up wanting. But if you train yourself to simply be content with less, soon the cravings for more start to subside. You are far more likely to become content when you desire less than when you’re always striving for more, more, more. That’s the point Paul was making in these two verses. Now please note that Paul did not say there is anything wrong with having money or a nice home or plenty of food. In fact, the way he described it here was that there were seasons of his life when he did have all those things. And then there were seasons of life when he was on the other end of the spectrum and he didn’t have much at all. All Paul was doing here was describing different seasons of life – the cycles that most of us go through as well. His point was that his joy and contentment didn’t depend of which season of life he was in at any given moment. As he has been describing throughout this letter of joy, his sense of joy, peace, and contentment was inside of him and radiated out. Because he had the Holy Spirit of God in his heart and because the fruit of the Spirit was growing in his life, he was joyful and content on the inside, regardless of external circumstances. How about you? Are you a content person? If you are, I’ll wager that you are also a joyful person. That’s because there is joy to be found in the virtue of being content. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
| Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571 |
- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Oak Hill Baptist Church 
“We live in a consumer-oriented culture on steroids.” What a profound intellectual statement. You are so smart. I pray the Lord continues to use you in mighty ways.
God bless.
Thank you, Donna. You’re very kind.
You are welcome. Blessings