Key to Contentment

Ever wonder why you are not completely content?  Notice that I did not ask, “Are you completely content?”  Broken people, living in a broken world with other broken people, coming out of broken pasts and moving into broken futures, inevitably struggle with contentment. 

• We struggle with contentment in our singleness . . . so we marry and find that we still struggle with contentment.
• We struggle with contentment in our current job . . . so we change jobs and find that we still struggle with contentment.
• We struggle with contentment at our current address . . . so we change neighborhoods and find that we still struggle with contentment. 
• We struggle with contentment with our church . . . so we change churches and find that we still struggle with contentment. 

So what is the key to contentment?  It is found in focusing your attention on your Savior rather than your stuff.  You can change the stuff of life and keep on changing the stuff of life and never find contentment.  Why?  Because contentment is never going to be found in the stuff of life!  The stuff of life was never designed to do for us what only our Savior can do for us, and that is both to give us and fill us with contentment.

Hebrews 13:5 instructs us, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”  To be sure, God gives us good gifts in this life.  He gives us family, friends, jobs, homes, and opportunities to put our talents and abilities into service.  The problem is not the things of this world.  The problem is in trying to get the things of this world to do what only Jesus can do for us! 

You see, the stuff of life comes and goes, but our Savior is always with us.  Jesus has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, even when we give Him every reason to do so.  In seasons of great success, as well as times of great sin, Jesus is with us every step of the way.  Jesus is with you in your lonely place and gives you comfort.  Jesus is with you in your empty place and fills you up.  Jesus is with you in your pain and gives you His peace.

The problem with discontent is never going to be solved by acquiring the stuff we do not have.  We are restless and discontented when we fail to find God to be all-sufficient for every season of life.  It is a fact that He is sufficient for our every need, and only when we realize, embrace, and live in this truth that we will experience true and lasting contentment—regardless of the circumstances we face in life.

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!