HOW TO BECOME CONTENT

How to Become Content

           RBC’s ‘Daily Bread’ is something I have read for more years than I remember.  I recently came across one where it quoted Paul’s comment in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”  It made me stop and look back on my own life and realize the discontentment I had felt in past years.

            When I was a teenager, I always wanted something different than what I had.  I had many a pity party because I wanted better clothes, nicer hair, more spending money, and more excitement in my life.
            Looking back, I should have been content; I had beautiful clothes, lots of friends, good grades and to top it off, I was a cheerleader.  [In those days, your peers voted you in.]  Because I was discontent, I soon began to make poor choices.
            When I was a young wife and mother, I wanted a better home, more respect, perfect children and part of the (In Crowd).  I didn’t appreciate what I had; a nice home, a good car, lots of church friends and four wonderful, very talented children (not perfect, but wonderful).  Yet, I wasn’t content; I always wanted more and more.
            Interesting to note is the fact that the more I got, the less content I was.  I was always longing for something more.  When I came to know Jesus as my Savior, my live began to change.  It wasn’t an immediate change, gradual.  I can honestly say today with Paul, “I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.”
            ‘Bigger and Better’ means little to me today.  I live in a small, unassuming home; it doesn’t really matter what other people think of it; it pleases me.  I don’t have a closet full of expensive clothes like I once had; I don’t belong to the Country Club as I once did, I don’t drive a new car every other year like I once did.  But, ‘Oh”, I am so content.  I don’t keep house as well as I once did, but visitors are welcome whenever they come. 
            I’m sure many of you can relate to some of these things I’ve shared, but let’s move up a bit.  Why is the world in such chaos, because it is in such discontent? 
            The people world-wide are not satisfied to be who they are.  The mid-east hates the U.S. because they want what we have; freedom, places to live, jobs, food, medical help and so much more.  We, as Americans complain that we don’t have more freedom, better homes, and better jobs. 
            Think of some of the things in this country that are caused by discontent.  Let’s begin with abortion; girls and women want to kill their unborn babies because they don’t want to take care of them; they might disrupt their lifestyle, they want to hide their sin or various other reasons.
            Infidelity; adultery, fornication, pedophilia and homosexuality are all sexual sins and can be traced back to ‘discontent’.  These people are discontent with their spouses, life without sex, and have a desire for abnormal sex. 
            Our own government is so discontent with each other that they often undermine others to promote themselves.  They have turned away from a nation under God and stand for a nation that uplifts false religions and puts down anything to do with God and even the Name of Jesus Christ because it might offend someone.
            What about people like you and me who are offended by their attempting to wipe the name of Jesus off everything?  Isn’t that discontentment?  No, it’s called ‘Righteous Anger’.  Even the word ‘Christian’ seems to be an abomination to this worldly bunch.
            It is discontent that causes wars.  As of today, there are 16 different wars going on in the world and rumors of many more to come.  Discontent caused World War I and World War II, as well as the Civil War and war after war before that. 
            How can we possibly find contentment with all this conflict around the world?  We need to look to God for that answer.  I’ll share a few of them.
      

“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”  Psalm 118:6 (NKJV)

              "God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.”    
               Psalm 62:7 (NKJV)

^“ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”   Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)

^“ And he said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;  The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence.”  2 Samuel 22:2-3 (NKJV)

^“The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”  Habakkuk 3:19 (NKJV)
“Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?”              Luke 12:22-24 (NKJV)

I could fill many pages of scriptures that God gives us in his Word so that we might find contentment in life, because He watches over us and protects us.   You can be content, as Paul tells us, if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  He will give you a peace that passes all understanding and with peace comes contentment.