The Secret of Contentment

 

“I have learned the secret of being content”

—Philippians 4:12-13

When changes that knock us for a loop hit our lives, we must remember that God uses those changes to set us on a new path.

Just moments ago, after spending 30 minutes writing my thoughts about God setting us on a new path in our lives through the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of our savings, the loss of our health, or the loss of our relationships with a trusted friend, suddenly everything that I had crafted so carefully disappeared in the “poof” of a computer glitch.

I was beside myself. Then, I had to laugh at what had happened. If I believe God uses such events to set us on a new path and to bless us as we obediently yield to His will, then the disappearance of my prose must prompt me to say, “Aha! A new path has opened. Instead of shouting at the computer and lamenting the loss of my written words, I must just start again and follow this new path.”

In Philippians 4:12-13, the Apostle Paul writes these words:

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.

As unpleasant and heartbreaking as loss can be in our lives, God uses loss to set us on new pathways. The King James Version of the last sentence in the passage above reads:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Yes, Jesus gives us strength. His strength becomes a part of who we are. His strength becomes our being. As beings, we become strong through Jesus.

As a result, our being then allows us to begin our doing. Not only does God supply us with strength through His Son so that strength becomes part of our being, but in our willful obedience—in our doing—the strength we have received becomes purposeful. Our being enables our doing.

As you accept whatever change has come into your life and move along a new pathway, receive strength this day from your Savior. And, in your obedience to the new path He has opened, use your strength to do His work in this world. This will bring you true contentment.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}