Day 8: Are you content?
Proverbs 13:25,
“The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need.”
Lack of contentment bankrupts our morals and tells us two primary lies. We need (fill in the blank), and/or we deserve (fill in the blank). How often have you witnessed people who should be content, both famous people and everyday people, express how discontent they are? They need a bigger house, more money, a new spouse, they deserve to be happy, they deserve a promotion and on and on it goes.
Believe it or not, even non-Christians know the importance of contentment. According to a five-year study to identify the human emotions that are universal across cultures, contentment is considered the most important emotion for well-being in every culture.
As believers, we must find contentment in God which means seeking first his kingdom and righteousness. Then, anything and everything else we need will be added to us (see Matthew 6:33). As Hebrews 13:5 explains, we can then be joyful with what we have and not desire what others have. When we fail to find contentment in God we can surrender to desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life.
James 4:1
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?”
Action: Give away something valuable to you.