Showing posts with label be content. Show all posts
Showing posts with label be content. Show all posts

Saturday, July 8, 2017

BE NOT PROUD HAUGHTY OR CONCERNED WITH WORLDLY MATTERS

Proclamation:
“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.”  Psalm 131:1 (NIV)

Explanation:
The words of this psalm of ascent were written by David, before he became king, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  David knew that he had already been anointed king but he behaved humbly in King Saul’s court.  He did not concern himself with matters of state or of the church.  He was humble, content with his current station, and not aspiring to anything else. (Psalm 131:2)

Application:
Unfortunately, most of us are not content with our current station in life.  We are not content with that which we already have or have achieved.  We are ambitious and we want something better, loftier, newer, more luxurious, or more influential.  If we came into a large sum of money, most of us would change our standard of living instead of maintaining and enjoying our current status, and sharing more with others.  We need to learn to appreciate who we are and what we have.  We also should not look down upon those who have less than we have.  We have been blessed and we should be thankful for that which we have.  We need to be humble and not haughty, appreciative and not ambitious, pious and not proud, content and not craving.  Like the Apostle Paul learned, we need to learn to be content in whatever state we find ourselves in. (Philippians 4:11)   

Monday, September 8, 2014

Be Content With What We Have

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."  
1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NIV)

While under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul wrote these words in a letter to his protege, Timothy, the young preacher.  Paul told him that it is good to be godly and content.  He said, if they have food and clothing, they should be content with that.

There are people who have a closet full of clothes, and yet they say that they have nothing to wear.  It does not seem to matter how much we have, we still want more of it.  Most of us have not learned to be content with that which we already have.  The desire for material things can cloud our judgment, and negatively impact our priorities.  We need to be thankful and grateful for that which we have, and we need to learn godliness with contentment. (Philippians 4:11)  If we were good stewards over that which The Lord has blessed us with, maybe He would bless us with more without us having to ask for it. (Matthew 25:15-23)  We ought to be content with having the basic necessities of life, or with whatever we have.  There is nothing wrong with having lots of possessions, as long as the desire for them, or the desire for money to acquire them, does not rule us. (1 Timothy 6:10)  The problem is not the things, the problem is our desire for them.  Being self-indulgent can be problematic, if we place it above seeking The Lord God. (Matthew 6:33)  Do not put the creations above, or before, The Creator. (Romans 1:25)


Sunday, September 29, 2013

God Will Never Leave Us Or Forsake Us

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

The unknown author of the Book of Hebrews wrote to the scattered believers during their time of persecution and told them to be content and happy with that which they have been blessed with.  He also told them not to get caught up in the love of money and worldly possessions.  That whatever else that they have, they have The Lord God with them, and He will never leave them or forsake them.

We know that it is not money, but the love of money which is the root of all evil. (1 Timothy 6:10)  The love of money will cause many to sin and turn from God.  Therefore we are advised to be content with that which we have.  The Apostle Paul said " I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." (Philippians 4:11)  It is better to have a little and have The Lord with us, than to have plenty of riches and not have The Lord in our life.  God is omni-present, He is every where all at the same time, (Psalms 139:7-10), so He is always with us.   So, regardless of how we may feel, or how bad our situation is, we are never really alone.  The Lord God is always with us and He will never leave us.  This was His promise to the believers of old, and it is His promise to us today. (Genesis 28:15, Deuteronomy 31:6 and 8, Joshua 1:5, 1 Chronicles 28:20, and Hebrews 13:5)



Saturday, August 31, 2013

Be Thankful For Whatever

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."  Philippians 4:11-12 (NIV)

These are the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the believers in Philippi.  He was thanking them for their generous gift to him and telling them that he was not in need at that time, but if he was in need, he had learned how to be satisfied with whatever his situation was.

This is something which we all should learn.  We need to appreciate what we have been blessed with and not concern ourselves with that which we lack.  Whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, w
e should count it all as joy. (James 1:2)  For whatever happens to us will work out for our benefit. (James 1:3-4)  When life gives us lemons, we should be grateful and make lemonade.  All things work together for good, for those who love The Lord and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)   Be thankful for whatever, God is in control.


Saturday, July 7, 2012

The Blessed Seed Of Abraham

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Galatia that because they believed in Jesus Christ that they were also part of the seed of Abraham, and that the covenant that God made with Abraham regarding his seed also applied to them.

Because we also believe in Jesus Christ today, we are also part of the seed of Abraham and God's promise to him also applies to us. We shall share in the blessings that God promised to Abraham and to his seed.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Being Content Is Learned Behavior

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

In thanking the Philippians for their gifts, the Apostle Paul stated that he was not needy. He has learned to be content "... whatever the circumstances ..." and "... in any and every situation ..." He states "... for I have learned to be content ..." and then repeats himself with slightly different words saying "I have learned the secret of being content ..." His contentment is not based upon his circumstances of his situation, but upon his belief, faith, and trust in The Lord Jesus Christ, who gives him the strength to handle everything that comes his way.

We need to understand that joy and contentment come from God. The world can't give it to us, and the world can't take it away from us. Contentment, like joy, is a gift from God. (Ecclesiastes 2:26) When we truly believe that all things work together for good for them that love The Lord (Romans 8:28), then we too can be content in every circumstance and situation. We must learn that God gives us the strength to handle everything that He allows to come our way. We must learn to believe in Him, have faith in Him, and to trust in Him.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

We Can Handle Anything With Christ

"... For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is stating that he has learned to be satisfied with what he has. He has seen good times and bad times, and he has learned to deal with both extremes, poverty and prosperity. He gives God credit for giving him the strength to deal with all situations.

In this life we need to be able to adapt to ever changing situations and circumstances. With life comes many ups and downs, and we need to pray to God for the strength to handle them and persevere with a positive attitude. We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to whatever. With God's help, we can respond in a Christ-like manner to all of the challenges that life brings our way.

Friday, February 3, 2012

For The Love Of Money

"But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:8-10 (NIV)

There is nothing wrong with money, or having lots of it. The problem is the love of money, the things that people do in pursuit of money, and the things that people do with it when they have excessive amounts of it. Money is a tool to be used for the glory of God. It is the means to an end, and not the end itself. It is not to be horded, but the shared with the less fortunate or used to help them after we take care of our basic needs and the needs of our family.

Some of us will never have a large sum of money because The Good Lord knows that we would not know how to handle it. Most of us have not been good stewards over the few things that God has put us in charge over. We must first learn to be faithful over what we have before we can expect God to give us more. As Jesus taught us in the parable of the talents, "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matthew 25:21

Don't let the love of money ruin your life. Pray for God's help, guidance and direction in all of your pursuits, including the pursuit of money. And pray that you will be a good steward over what He has given you, and over what He will give you in the future.