Thanksgiving is the On-Ramp to Contentment

“… I have learned to be content in any circumstance. I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13 (NET/NIV)

Do you suffer from FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out? It’s a joy killer. It robs you of the joy of the present and all that God has given you now. FOMO feeds discontentment and ingratitude. We want what we don’t have and are never satisfied with what we do have. If you want to experience real joy, you must learn the secret of contentment.  In Philippians 4:11-12 (NET), the apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned to be content in any circumstance. I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.” Did you notice that twice Paul mentions that contentment was a “learned” character quality. It doesn’t come naturally. He had to learn it, and so will you and I if we want to experience joy no matter what happens.

I love the way The Message puts this passage, “I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” Can you really say that as well?  How do we learn contentment like that? Imagine being just as happy in poverty as you are in prosperity, with an empty stomach as with a full one? That sounds so counterintuitive. Is it even possible?

To discover Paul’s secret, we must understand a few things about contentment.

First, contentment is realizing that God has already provided everything I need for my present happiness. In his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. … Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8; 17 (NLT). I love that last part, God gives us all we need for our enjoyment! He’s not putting a premium on poverty or prosperity. Another translation says, “God richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” Are you enjoying all that God has so richly supplied for you? If not, give it to me, and I’ll enjoy it. (Lol)

Second, if I’m not content with what I have, I will never be content with what I want.

Still, knowing these two truths alone is not enough, is it? So, how can we learn the secret of contentment so our joy remains constant, no matter what our circumstances may be?  I believe verse 13 holds the answer. Paul said,  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

In other words, your possessions don’t define you. Jesus said our lives don’t consist in the abundance of our possessions or the lack of them. In an argument over an inheritance, when a man asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide their father’s estate with him, Jesus said, “Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are." Luke 12:15 (TLB) Some of the most discontented people I know are the wealthiest! Think about it. If having more made you ‘more happy’, then those with the most would be the ‘most happy’, but are they? How often we hear of those with so much ending their own lives in self-inflicted misery.

Wouldn’t you like to break free from FOMO? You can! Learn the joy of contentment so that whatever you have, wherever you are, you can make it through anything in the One who makes you who you are in Christ! Find your identity in Him! When you do, you’ve found the secret of contentment.

Third, thanksgiving is the on-ramp for contentment. When your heart overflows with thanksgiving for all that God has done for you in Christ, you experience contentment in who you are in Christ! A. B. Simpson wrote, “Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord; Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word. Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own; Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.”

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To read this devotional online or catch up on past ones, visit https://kerryshook.org/blog.

Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.