I Have Learned to Be Content

This Scripture is on the subject of contentment. Paul tells his readers to rejoice always, not in avoiding the gravity of situations in life, but in showing how one lives out a Gospel-defined life. We can’t let the culture define us, but need to let the Gospel define us. Consider your identity in Christ. Contentment and joy are linked. Discontentment comes from misplaced joy. We are instead to rejoice, entirely confident in Christ. We are not to detach ourselves from reality during trials, but not to be anxious for anything. We can be comforted in knowing that we have a Father who knows all things. We are to make our requests known to God, confessing in an honest prayer how we’re feeling, and to do so with thanksgiving of what God has done for us through the Gospel. Peace doesn’t come from the remedy of the situation, but from fellowship with God. What we think about affects our peace and rest. Preach the Gospel to your mind. You are not defined by the way you think of yourself, or by how others think of you. What defines you is how you are in Christ. Contentment is rooted in God, not in self. We are to be God-dependent, not self-sufficient. Nothing is going to be remedied by my discontentment and impatience. We must learn to be content. This is a process, if you are willing. You will have to change your perspective of life. There is more work that needs to be done in your heart and life than you even realize. Measure your life by the Gospel, not by worldly standards, and you will find contentment. We cannot control much in life, but we can ground ourselves in our identity in Christ. In Christ, I can do all things that God has called me to. In Christ, we can be content.


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