Welcome back to “Friday Feature!” Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy today’s devotion! If you missed last week’s devotion, you can read it here!
Emily Raynes brings us today’s devotion titled, “Contentment.” Emily & I met through IG last year, and I was instantly drawn to her positive energy. She’s a ray of sunshine! We had the privilege of meeting in person last year, and she is a jewel! Emily, 26, lives in Greenville, SC. She is a Pastor’s daughter, a traveling nanny, and also the Social Media Manager for the Collingsworth Family. Go give her IG page a follow! @emilyannraynes You, too, will be inspired by her positive vibes and super cute fashion!
Contentment
God has been using Philippians 4 to show me how to have a deeper peace and how to be more like Him! I feel like there are so many things in our lives that can cause us to be discontent: regrets in our past, conflict in the present or worry over the future! It’s easy to live our lives saying “When I get out of high school, then I’ll be happy. When I get married, then I’ll be happy. When I have more kids, then I’ll be happy. When I have an empty nest, then I’ll be happy. When we retire, then I’ll be happy”. It’s a “when… then” mindset. Paul says “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” He didn’t write that on a beach somewhere. He wrote it from prison.
Contentment doesn’t come from what we have, it comes from who we know.
We have all heard, “We are what we eat.” Another true statement is “We are what we think.” The word mind is used ten times in Philippians and the word think is used five times. Ultimately, controlling our mind helps us control our life! I think that the secret to contentment is found in these two statements: be thankful, and be giving.
*Be Thankful
I have found that what I focus on, grows. If I focus on something negative, everything seems more negative. Instead of focusing on what we don’t have, we can thank God constantly for everything we do have! Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” When I see Him as how big and great He really is, I find that my problems are actually very small. Christians can often be subtly ungrateful. We fill our lives with things that bring external contentment, but only Christ can bring internal peace that helps us be more effective Christians.
*Be Giving
I’m not going to talk about money, even though that can be a great way to give, but we have so much more we can give away. I heard a quote that said “What you need, plant a seed.” We can apply that to our lives! Need love? Show love. Need friends? Be a friend. A spirit of giving helps us keep our eyes off of ourselves and on others. Get so busy serving Jesus and serving others, by giving your time, your talents, and your love, and you’ll find that you think about your own problems much less! Paul says “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” and that includes learning how to be content! It’s an attitude we learn, not a goal we achieve.
God doesn’t want to help us be content to make us happy, but to help us be brighter lights in a dark world that is looking for true peace. He is our Father, He loves us and will give us everything we need for peace in our heart to live more contented lives here on earth!