We are told in 1John, dear children, don’t set the affections of your heart on this world or in loving the things of the world, because the world is not capable of bringing lasting satisfaction into your life. The world offers us momentary gratification of our flesh, obsession with status and importance, and the allurement into things that will ultimately lead to a life of superficiality, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and restlessness.
Heart contentment begins with a personal encounter and surrender to the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. Through this encounter, we will experience forgiveness, unconditional love, and eternal acceptance. We don’t have to fear death, because His love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts.
Yet in this world, it is so easy to get pulled into feelings of dis-satisfaction and sadness, as we travel through life’s daily ups and downs. To some extent, we all have times where we are tempted to look to this world’s system to find more contentment. Many are lured into the deception that we can arrive at contentment when “things finally go our way” or we believe that the “easy life” with no challenges or pressure will somehow bring satisfaction to our discontented hearts. Yet there are many people who seemingly outwardly achieve this “good life” only to again find them in a meaningless, disgruntled, restless place seeking for something else to fill the emptiness of their hearts and make them feel OK and satisfied.
Yet true, lasting contentment must come from within not from without. Paul stated “I have learned how to be content” and I have learned through experience. He was trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. It was necessary that he humbly experienced and learned how to live in lack. It was also just as necessary for him to experience and learn how to live in overwhelming abundance, without either becoming a spiritual snare to him. He states, “I have learned the secret” of facing every situation and being content whether living in abundance or lacking! Paul’s secret of contentment was founded on his relationship with Jesus Christ! He stated, “I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty”.
Jesus Christ loves us and He longs for us to love Him-He wants us to recognize how valuable we are to Him- He wants us to look within our hearts, to find out who we are through Him and learn to love ourselves, as He does-He wants us to love others-God is Love! He has a plan for ALL of our lives- it is a good plan-He is working out the plan- there is purpose in the plan even though we can’t always see- it is never too late to discover and experience His plan. Believing faith and knowing He has the plan will bring courage and contentment into our lives no matter what our circumstances, because we can trust His purposes and ability to work things out. The remarkable news is HE has the strength and grace which sanctions us to achieve the plan. Walking with Jesus empowers us with contentment because we can trust our lives to Him. He is ready to give strength and power for all we face and He will infuse inner strength into us and make us self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency! The Lord will teach us how to experience contentment, as we journey down the path of Light and Life.
“I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]”(Philippians4:11b-13.
