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(Hebrews 13:5) “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
(Philippians 4:11-12) “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”
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Being content with your life is the key to enjoying every day to its fullest. Enjoying your job, your children, your relationships, your church fellowship, and of course, your walk of faith with Jesus. How you look at the things you have can determine how you feel about God and your relationship with Him. The worst thing is thinking that you have been handed the wrong cards and that God is unfair to you. This will only bring resentment towards God and it will reflect on everyone around you.
God clearly commands us to be content, that is, truly thankful for what we have and to understand that once we have completely enjoyed what we have, we will get more and more. We have to be completely committed in our walk with Jesus when He gives and when He takes away. There is nothing wrong with wanting more and better things, but God first needs you to be able to enjoy the simple things in life and be thankful for them without comparing yourself with others.
I grew up in a wealthy family and my father was a prosperous, self-made businessman. He could have bought any car he wanted, but he always bought normal brand cars instead of high-end expensive ones. I asked him one day why he does not buy a Mercedes. He answered, “It is very easy to go from a Honda to a Mercedes, but very hard to go from a Mercedes to a Honda.”
I understood that he wanted to make sure we were content with what we had and not to think we were less important or valuable if we did not have branded things to show off to others. This way our personality would never be based on riches and the things we had, but rather on being content in whatever situation we faced in life.
If you seek God first, then contentment is guaranteed.
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(“Contentment is not having what you want, it’s wanting what you have and enjoying it. Life is not built on things; it’s built on relationships.” – Bob Gass.)
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Prayers
• Heavenly Father, Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord You know it altogether. You have given me the tongue of the learned. You comprehend my path and my lying down.
• Thank You that You are more than enough to complete our joy.
• Forgive us for not being content with what You are providing for us on a daily basis.
• Forgive us for chasing the pleasures and things of the world before chasing You as our source of all things.
• We declare that because we have chosen to surrender to Christ and are desperately seeking Him, that all the things needed will be given onto us in Jesus’ name.
• Teach us how to be content with little and with much. How to share and to give to others when we have and especially when we do not have much to give.
• We need You Lord Jesus to transform us today as servants that are grateful for the things we have and not to compare ourselves with what others have.
• We stand firm on the promise that You will never leave us nor forsake us, regardless of the things we have or don’t have.
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• We ask in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen.