Contemplating Contentment

“True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” 1 Timothy 6:6 NLT

Enough said…end of devotional…till next time.

Just kidding.

I struggle with wanting things. I like cars, watches, and guns. I have dreams and aspirations. I am a man with hobbies and goals and there is nothing wrong with that. I suppose you are the same.

But the unsettled spirit behind wanting more and more is a dangerous path. The same path that led Adam and Eve to disobey God.

1 Timothy 6:8-9 NLT Reminds us of the dangers of seeking more than what we need.

“So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.“

Ever get something you really wanted and been like “ok…now what?” That feeling of temporary and fleeting satisfaction?

And this is not just about money or objects, it could be about a job or an achievement. Perhaps you waited forever for that executive title or promotion only to finally get there and still feel unfulfilled.

That new car, it’s exciting for a little while.

Seriously question; Do you really believe if you had everything you ever wanted, you would be happy?

I’m willing to wager you’d be rather unhappy. I personally wouldn’t want that.

I remember one day in prayer about this and Lord speaking in my spirit said “but will you tire of me to?”

This hit hard. I didn’t like what God said…of course I was thinking “No God! Never…” but is that really the case? God was clearly making a point to me.

It should make us pause. Is our faith only superficial? Are we loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul? Or is our faith just another thing we will get bored with?

“I love you God” but people also love their spouses, yet commit adultery.

At the root of all this is contentment issues.

Why is it we are never satisfied? Perhaps it’s because we are looking for the wrong things to satisfy us.

Obviously one can be searching for happiness in material objects, titles, or status only to find disappointment. But what about on a faith level?

Sometimes people seek out “church” or religion for satisfaction but are met with disappointment.

We can worship things of God, over God himself without knowing and that eventually leads to faith fatigue.

It’s important to learn that God is not the church or religion, God is relationship.

I’ve heard people say they “tried church” but walked away discouraged and hurt. This is what happens when your faith is in the institution and not the I AM himself.

And God’s name, Yahweh (I AM) is just that…a statement that He is all you need.

So how do we achieve true contentment? The answer seems to be filling ourselves with God himself. This in turn leads to true godliness.

This means learning to control our desires for the things outside of God.

When we talking about “filling our cup” It’s supposed to be with the presence of God.

The problem is like most of us…it is already filled with other things.