Contentment
 Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want:
for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

  
   In the above verse, Paul was telling the Philippians how much he appreciated them while he was in prison. Paul always had a spirit of appreciation for whatever state that he may have been enduring. All I can say is WOW! This man received much physical, mental, emotional, and I am sure financial persecution due to his faith in Jesus Christ!  He went
from being one of the top men in the Roman establishment to a humble servant of the Lord! Have we ever thought about what Paul gave up to become a follower of Jesus? His previous lifestyle allowed him to accumulate anything he desired and without any opposition, but as a follower of Jesus, he was faced with one trial after another. And yet he was content with the circumstances that the Lord allowed him to be a part of in every city he visited.

   I can only come up with one reason he was content. Paul’s contentment was based upon his belief that the Lord was the only provider he needed and he trusted that whatever circumstance he was involved, the Lord made it specifically for him and that God would get the glory.  Remember when Paul and Silas were in prison and began singing praises to the Lord? God received praise and the entire family of the guard came to
salvation through Paul and Silas’ contentment. Can we say we would have handled that situation the same? This attitude of contentment is one we should be seeking after for our own daily walk with the Lord. 

   When we wake up in the morning, do we thank the Lord for what we have and give Him praise for allowing us to be where we are in our particular walk while here on earth? Or do we wake up with the possible troubles of the day engulfing our thoughts before we even get started? We should make it a daily practice to immediately give God the praise for who He is and all that he does for us on a daily basis. We receive many blessings that are seen and unseen. Praise Him in every thing!

   1  Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)
 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. 

   Give thanks in every thing. Notice it doesn’t say “for”every thing, but “in” every thing. Regardless of our situation, praise the Lord and give thanks! God is allowing us to grow in Him with every thing in our lives. Are we missing the lessons? Are we focused on the problem and not on the Lord? How will we ever be content when all we have is an attitude of trying to solve the problem ourselves? God has the resources to answer any prayer and solve any problem. We are limited with our own solutions and this causes us to have the discontentment. To be content, we must recognize the Lord is our source in every thing and that He has us in His hands. All He is doing is drawing us nearer to Him in each situation, IF we have the proper spirit of humility and thankfulness.

 Each morning as you awake, began thanking the Lord for anything that may pop into your mind as you praise the Lord. Ask the Lord to give you a
contentment based upon a spiritual knowledge that the Lord is our source and you are His child! Thank Him and praise Him continually throughout the day. Share your praises with others. Talk to others about how God has supplied yours and your family’s needs. Discuss how good God is to us and our families. Our praises to the Lord are music to His ears and when we are praising Him, we will become a humble servant realizing who we are in Christ and we will become content with whatever state we may be in knowing we are in God’s hands!

In Christ Name,
Bobby