On Being Content

"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment..." 1 Timothy 6:6

I was watching Phineas and Ferb with my kids this morning, and there was a bad guy... Khaka Peü Peü... who was trying to make Phineas have a bad day. Toward the end of the show, Phineas said, "Nothing can stop ME from having the best day ever!"  I chuckled at that because another more serious "bad guy" is always trying to make ME have a bad day, too.  But by the grace of God, I am making his job harder and harder by the second!

On any given day, several things happen that could very easily steal my joy.  It's the same for all of us.  We all have occasional issues with marriage, children, family, and friends.  We all sometimes deal with sleepless nights, illness, and back-to-back crazy busy days. The list of things that come at us on a daily basis is endless. 

Think of what life would be like if we never worried about any of that.  If no matter what happened in our normal everyday living, we were happy.  I haven't quite achieved that perfectly yet, but I can boast in Christ Jesus, because He is teaching me the secret to that very thing... and it's called, "I can do ALL things through Christ..."

The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 4:11-13, said:

"...I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me..."

He's not just talking about money and provision.  This verse can be applied to ANY sort of lack or problem.  Have you ever experienced "going hungry" in a dry marriage?  Or "suffering" the "need" of loneliness?  Have you ever suffered lack in parenting when you just didn't know what to do to help your kids?  Or even the bitter despair of divorce, serious illness, or losing a loved one?

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul says:

"Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea... I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm..."

And still, he preached contentment in Christ, who always, unfailingly gave him strength in every situation. Just think what our lives would be like if we tapped into that kind of contentment no matter what we were going through.

Contentment in Christ is a weapon.  If I'm content with my circumstances... if I KNOW that no matter what, God has my back... there is nothing for the devil to steal. There is no lie he can tell me that I will believe.  There is no place where he can get a foothold.  True contentment in Christ closes all the doors and windows, and seals up all the cracks.  Then we can look forward to challenges that come our way because we know they will make us stronger, build us up in new ways, and help us to stand when it seems like all hell is breaking loose.

I pray for us all to see ourselves daily as warriors in Christ, and that we would know that no matter what, His strength has arrived and we hold VICTORY in our hands!