Contentment!
“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine (teaching) which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings (constant friction) of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain” (I Timothy 6:3-6).
According to the Apostle Paul, godliness with contentment is free from disputes, arguments, strife, evil suspicions, useless wranglings, and constant friction within us and on the outside.
Contentment is our state of mind where our desires are confined to our position, whatever it might be as opposed to all the things Apostle Paul points out.
Discontentment Brings Envy!
“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (James 3:14-16).
When we are not content, we envy others and what they have and constantly compare ourselves. Self-seeking with envy leads to confusion inviting all evil work to reside in our consciousness. We must seek God for contentment.
Discontentment Leads to Covetousness!
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).
Our contentment results from the assurance of God’s promise that He will never leave us not forsake us. When we are in God’s presence, we are broken, humbled, self-sufficient, and overjoyed with all that God is in our lives.
Strife is a Byproduct of Discontentment!
“By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom” (Proverbs 13:10).
There is nothing worse than pride, even spiritual pride that demands that we ought to be blessed than we are or have more than what we have. Pride leads to strife and contention but wisdom that comes from the fear of the Lord breaks it.
Anxiety Dwells with Discontentment!
“Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:25, 34).
A spiritual person does not worry about tomorrow but builds his/her life on giving thanks to the Lord for all that we have received from the Lord. It is that life of gratitude and thanksgiving that brings us to a life of contentment free from anxiety.
Constant Complaining is a Symptom of Discontentment!
“Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer” (I Corinthians 10:6-10).
A constant complaint is a result of being discontent. The Israelites forgot how God miraculously delivered them from Egypt with signs, wonders, and miracles. They gave into lust and perversion, and they lost their Promised Land. Likewise, if we forget God and how He has delivered us with His gift of salvation, we will also be discontent and never be satisfied.
Here is the proof that we are content. Contentment Arises from the inward disposition of Humility, Acceptance of Divine Providence, Believing and Receiving Great Divine Promises, Living with Acknowledgment of Unworthiness Deep Within our Hearts, and Resting in God’s Peace with the Assurance of Faith and Grace Sustaining us in God’s Love!
Humility is the Sign of Contentment!
“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4). “Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (I Peter 5:5-7).
When we are discontented, we are full of strife and envy. On the other hand, when we are content, we are humble and mutually submissive to one another. Humility leads to exaltation and God will surely lift and validate the ones who have humbled themselves before Him.
Contentment is Worshipping God of His Divine Providence!
“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day” (Psalm 96:1-2). “I will extol (praise) You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:1).
Here is an important sign that we are content – we worship the Lord for His divine providence in our lives. Many go to church but never take part in worshipping God. They hardly worship God when they are all alone in their homes. A contentious heart is a restless and striving heart whereas a heart of contentment is a worshipping heart with godly gain!
Contentment Partakes of the Divine Promises!
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption (depravity) that is in the world through lust” (II Peter 1:2-4).
A heart of contentment knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that:
· God has filled us with divine power!
· God has given us all things about life and godliness!
· God has given us exceedingly great and precious promises!
· God has made us partakers of divine nature!
· Through the divine nature we have overcome the corruption and lust that have filled the earth!
We are content when we know in our consciousness of the divine nature that has set us apart to partake of the great promises and operate with divine power to overcome lust and perversion in the world!
Contentment Acknowledges Unworthiness!
“Then Jacob said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude’” (Genesis 32:9-12).
As Jacob was returning home after over 20 years of separation, he prayed, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant.” God changed his name that night to Israel and made him a “Prince” from his old status of being a “Deceiver/Supplanter.”
A life with contentment is a life lived with unworthiness that we are nothing, but God is everything; we are empty, but God has filled us; God is the source, and we are just the recipient of all God’s blessings; God is the giver, and we are the stewards and accountable to all that we have received. When we do, we are open to God’s abundant and limitless blessing just as Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. We will continue to be content even after such breakthrough blessings in our lives! A heart of contentment has the pathway to limitless blessings!
Contentment is Blessed with Rest and Peace!
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance (endurance); and perseverance, (approved) character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:1-5).
Here are the five powerful benefits of a life of contentment:
· We have the Peace of God!
· We are Faithful to God and Operate with the Faith of God!
· We have been Granted Access to the Manifold Grace of God to Become All that God Has Planned for Us!
· We Rejoice in the Hope of God – Hope is the Earnest Expectation that Believes What God Has Promised, He is Able Also to Perform!
· Our Hearts are Filled with the Love of God by the Holy Spirit! Love is not just a one-time experience because of the Holy Spirit who is a Perpetual Spring that Keeps Springing Love Continuously and Constantly without Interruption!
“Now godliness with contentment is great gain” (I Timothy 6:3-6).
Contentment is our state of mind where our desires are confined to our position, whatever it might be as opposed to disputes, arguments, strife, evil suspicions, useless wranglings, and constant friction within us and on the outside.
Contentment Arises from the inward disposition of Humility, Acceptance of Divine Providence, Believing and Receiving Great Divine Promises, Living with Acknowledgment of Unworthiness Deep Within our Hearts, and Resting in God’s Peace with the Assurance of Faith and Grace Sustaining us in God’s Love!
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, I love You and I thank You for saving me by Your grace through Your Precious Son, Jesus. I am so grateful for engrafting me in and with Your Word, filling me with Your Holy Spirit, and changing my very nature to conform to Your divine nature and to bear fruit in Your kingdom. I thank You, Lord, for You are in control of my life. All things work together for good because I love You and trust in You. I belong to You and You alone. I am Yours and Yours alone. In the Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”
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John Jeyaseelan
Global Prayer Center | prayer | 701 Bill France Boulevard, Daytona Beach, FL, USA
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