Learn to be content

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”

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”

I remember once visiting with some friends who lived in a travel trailer in a mobile home park near a lake. It’s a very nice trailer, complete with slide-outs to expand the living space, and with all the modern conveniences. It had just enough room for two people to live comfortably but modestly, and with no excess. My friends were not living like that for financial reasons. They had the assets to live in any manner they would like. But they loved the simplicity of their lifestyle, and they were happy and content with it. They didn’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.” 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 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. 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 be 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 enjoy and savor life, we need to learn to be content.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are 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

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