From Contents of Thanksgiving
by Pastor Nave on November 15, 2015
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content (Philippians 4:10–11, KJV).
God has given each of us the ability to exercise contentment in any situation—good and bad. Scripture instructs us to be thankful in all things, but in order to be thankful we need to be content first. Contentment comes with being satisfied with the condition we’re in, right at this very moment.
Paul warned the church not to complain or vocalize discontentment because of looming destruction (I Corinthians 10:9–10). Discontentment will always breed bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), so we need to be careful to deal with behaviors that battle our contentment.
Self-Focus
When we constantly look at ourselves, we will create a breeding ground for discontentment. Paul warned Timothy about men becoming lovers of their own selves (II Timothy 3:1–2). If we become so consumed with making ourselves happy, rather than God, we won’t find contentment. Our focus has been misplaced! We need to look upon the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and when we do, we’ll find contentment.
Forgetting God’s Blessings
King David outlined aspects of God’s blessings in His life he did not want to forget (Psalm 103:1–5). We also should remember we are blessed tremendously by the hand of God. We are instructed to enter into His gates with praise and courts with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4) because God is good and has been good to us!
Anything currently in “our” possession isn’t our stuff; it all belongs to God. He’s placed stuff in our lives to be a blessing. But, just as something in our life can help us it can also have the propensity to hurt us. We need to be content with what we have and remember we have a promise in God that is worth more than any material possession (Hebrews 13:5). Stuff doesn’t last forever. We didn’t bring anything into the world and we won’t carry anything out (I Timothy 6:7). We need to be content with how we handle the stuff in-between that God blessed us with (I Timothy 6:6).
Other People
We let other people come into our life and dictate what we should or shouldn’t have, should or shouldn’t do, etc. Other’s comments and attitudes can give us a shortsighted view of contentment. Their comments can be frustrating and can volley the contentment we have in our own life. We don’t have to get upset with others and certainly don’t have to see their viewpoints! We can choose to ignore others and not give them permission to upset our life!
Own Lack of Trust in God
We read the Word of God, but don’t truly believe it. Paul was in Caesar Nero’s prison when he wrote the letter to the Philippian church. Paul couldn’t do a lot for the Kingdom of God when he was bound in chains with no hope for escape, but he decided to do what he could! His letters wound up being the very pages of our Bible. We don’t know how our present circumstances could be a piece of a much larger picture! We need to be content with whatever state we’re in! If we express discontentment, we could miss out on a blessing and an impact to others.
Ability to be Content
Paul told the Philippian church he was able to be content because of the strength of Christ (Philippians 4:13). When we have been filled with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost, we can truly be content because we have His Spirit living inside of us. His Spirit is all that we ever need—Jesus truly is the supplier of our every need (Philippians 4:19). The key to having a content Thanksgiving is Jesus!
