Wednesday, June 19, 2013

By: Gwen Hitt

Contentment Hinges on Him

Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

I have come to realize (as I get older) that I do not need as much as I once imagined that I did. Am I thinking this way because of my age OR is it because I have become content with what I already have in my life due to my relationship with God? The answer to both of these questions is YES. I wholeheartedly believe that our prior experiences as well as our walk with our Lord are the two most important contributors to our present contentment.

Jesus explains in Luke 12:15 that our lives are not defined by what we have acquired or wish to acquire - "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own". Now, in a world that appears to be driven by commercialism, it is often difficult to control the feelings of envy and desire to have what is being proclaimed to be necessities of life.

I recently read a devotion entitled "The Prison of Want" by Max Lucado. I consider the following statement from this devotion to be extremely powerful....."If your happiness comes from something you deposit, drive, drink, or digest, then face it-you're in the prison of want!" I DON'T want to be in this prison. My desire IS to be content with what I have been given by the Lord!

The Apostle Paul shares his insights on this matter in Philippians 4:11-12 "I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have. I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty." A study of the Apostle Paul's life would reveal a life filled with extreme hardships. How could he utter these words after going through what he experienced?

I am certain that the answer lies in Paul's acceptance of David's words found in today's scripture. He understood that what he HAD in God was greater than what he DIDN'T have in his life. He trusted God to provide what was the necessities.

My challenge to you today is to evaluate your life to determine what you DO have. I believe that you will discover as Paul did that you have everything you need!

Dear Lord, I am so thankful for what You have done in my life - ESPECIALLY the relationship that I have with You. My greatest desire is to always be content in the knowledge that You are indeed my Shepherd and that You will provide what I NEED.

I also thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.