THURSDAY, MARCH 21
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say,
‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”
Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
LEARNING CONTENTMENT
Two old friends met each other on the street one day. One looked sad and almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, “What has happened to you, my old friend?” The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, my uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars.” “That’s a lot of money,” said his friend. “But you see,” the sad man continued, “two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand dollars, free and clear.” The friend replied, “That sounds like you have been very blessed.” “You don’t understand!” the sad fellow interrupted. “Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million from her.” The friend was really confused and said, “Then, why are you so sad?” “This week I didn’t get anything!”
The word “content” means to be satisfied with what you have or where you are. And it’s something that we all struggle with on occasion. The author of Hebrews teaches that we need an attitude of contentment to combat a character that is driven by a love of money. Contentment is not something that we are born with. Babies and children are born wanting more by nature. Contentment is something that we have to learn and grow into as a result of our relationship with Christ.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” What does Paul’s words teach us about the situations he had learned to be content in? What was Paul’s secret to finding contentment? In what circumstances would you benefit from learning from Paul’s example?
