Hello, this is pastor gary from first baptist church of laplata. God promises joy—not happiness; He promises our needs—not our greeds. God doesn’t promise our contentment, He commands it. Hebrews 13:5 states, “…be content with what you have…” Paul writes in I Timothy 6:8, “…having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.” This same Paul admitted in Philippians 4:11 that he had to learn to be content penning these words, “…for I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content.” What is contentment? Is contentment satisfaction? Is it settling? Max Lucado defines contentment as “A state of the heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than He already has.” Contentment requires us to be thankful to God for all of the blessings He has already provided. Contentment does not mean we never want anything more, it just means we recognize that we don’t need anything more. Contentment focuses on what is—not what isn’t. Be careful: in English, contentment and contention are only a few letters apart; when we are not content with our situation, we may seek to change it by force hurting others in the process. So, let’s be thankful, and we will learn to be content in the process!
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