Bearing Fruit-  LIVING AS CONTENTED PEOPLE

"...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

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

"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 6:7-8

Have you ever fantasized what it would be like to win millions in a lottery? If you were a multimillionaire, you could have virtually everything you wanted. The sixty-four thousand dollar question is: "Would you be better off than before you won the lottery?" Does winning the lottery bring contentment? What is the secret of contentment? Is contentment found in satisfying every desire? According to the Apostle Paul, the key to contentment is to be found in God, not in ourselves and what we possess. At times Paul lived with an abundance of things and, at other times, he lived in need. However, he said that he had "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.

If we are not content with what we have now, we will not be content with what we have in the future... We will find contentment when we realize our greatest need is not for more material wealth but a need of the heart, a need for God. Contentment, therefore, comes from God and not from things. We can remain content even in the absence of material things. Only Christ can take away our appetite for things for he fills us with himself. He removes our attitude of greed and replaces it with the spirit of contentment. Jesus fills our lives, filling the inner void that material things cannot satisfy.

Prayer:   Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for providing for my needs and for the promise that you will always provide for me. I pray, Lord, that you will teach me to find my contentment in you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.