In 2015, researchers at Princeton University found that happiness does not increase significantly after earning $75,000 per year. In other words, more money did not equal more joy; it just bought pricier problems. That sounds a lot like what Paul said centuries earlier: contentment has little to do with possessions.

Paul’s joy was not based on what he owned; it was rooted in who owned him. He had been rich and poor, respected and rejected, full and hungry, and he had learned that satisfaction was not tied to a paycheck. His “secret” was that joy is not found in circumstances; it is found in Christ.

Our culture teaches the opposite. It tells us that contentment is one upgrade away: a newer car, a bigger home, a better job. But the chase never ends, because our souls were not made to be filled by stuff. As C. S. Lewis once wrote, “If we find ourselves with a desire nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Real contentment begins when gratitude replaces greed. When we see what we already have, grace, salvation, and the presence of Jesus, we realize we are already rich.

Reflection Questions:

1. How can you practice gratitude for what you already have today?

2. What is one possession or desire you have been letting control your joy?

Prayer:
Father, thank You for all You have given me. Help me value spiritual riches over material ones and find my satisfaction in You alone. Amen.