POWERHOUSE DEVOTIONALS: THE MYSTERY OF GODLY CONTENTMENT

By Pastor Erland De Vera Palean

Contentment is an issue of the heart. For Christians, it reflects how we see God in our lives. If there is one New Testament character who personified contentment, it would be the Apostle Paul. While in prison, he wrote to the church at Philippi and expressed how he learned contentment in his life.

“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” -Philippians 4:11b-13 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul learned that God is sufficient in any circumstances. Contentment in God, he expressed, is finding our sufficiency in Him because He is enough. Contentment then is anchored on the truth that God will provide in any circumstance and that He cares even in sorrow or in pain.

We ought to realize that our happiness and our peace should not be dependent on our situation but must anchored on the fact that God is with us and that He will provide regardless of our situation. Contentment in God is the key to a peaceful life  — wherever you are, whatever the circumstances.

In Phil. 4:12, the original translation in Greek of “I have learned the secret” was μεμύημαι (pronounced as memueimai). This word is related to μυστήριον (pronounced as musterion) where we got the word “mystery” in English. For people who do not understand the Apostle Paul saying that he has learned the “secret” of being content, contentment will remain a mystery.

The truth is, CONTENTMENT IS A MYSTERY. It is only possible in our patient submission to God’s provision in abundance and in abasement, in triumphs and tribulations, even in successes and failures.

© EFCPOWERHOUSE.ORG, 2024 (All Rights Reserved)

---