Where are you on the contentment scale? Do you have genuine contentment in your life? The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:11, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” The contentment Paul speaks of is the realization of Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” and what Paul proclaims to us in 2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;”
So Paul did not speak from want but understood and experienced genuine contentment. However, Satan is an imitator of light and his tactics have not changed through the centuries. He is the great counterfeiter. And yes, He will counterfeit contentment in your life. I believe a counterfeit contentment exists today which is robbing the Christian of rich blessings and the church of much needed resources to accomplish the work God has called us to do. A counterfeit contentment is lulling many a Christian and the church to sleep and we need to hear the call of the shipmaster to Jonah in Jonah 1:6: “… What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.” The warning in Proverbs 24:33-34 is speaking to our hearts: “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep; So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.” I believe many, unlike Paul, are speaking from want.
It is for this reason I am burdened by the Lord to share this message with you. A wrong perception of contentment can be both destructive and obstructive. It tears us down by distorting our view of ourselves. It and also hinders God from using us because we become closed minded behind to what God wants to do in our lives and our churches. Therefore, we must guard against hiding behind the fabricated walls of a counterfeit contentment.
To identify if such walls of counterfeit contentment exist in your life and the life of others, you must first know how to recognize the real thing. Genuine contentment is first shown by a recognition of our unworthiness of God’s abundant grace and mercy. There is nothing in us to merit anything from God. It comes to us from His character. Jacob learned this truth when he told the Lord in Genesis 32:10: “I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.” The Apostle Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners and proclaimed this same recognition of unworthiness in himself in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 when he said: “Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
Second, genuine contentment comes from an unwavering trust in God. Habakkuk learned this truth and could proclaim in Habakkuk 3:17-19: “Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.” Like Job, Habakkuk could say, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” He had an unwavering trust in God.
Third, genuine contentment comes from a recognition of God’s care. Learning this truth, the Psalmist says (145:14-20), “The Lord sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. The Lord keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.” Likewise, the Apostle Peter in the New Testament writes of God’s care: “casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
Four, genuine contentment comes from a recognition of God’s provisions. It was the Apostle Paul who said “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and assured the church at Philippi: “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19) Finally, genuine contentment comes from an unshakeable dependence on God’s promises. The writer of Hebrews knew of this dependence when he wrote (13:5): “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Knowing how to recognize the components of genuine contentment (A recognition of our unworthiness of God’s grace and mercy, the need for an unwavering trust in God, His care, provision and promises) help us separate the tares from the wheat when it comes to recognizing false from true contentment. So, given the truths let’s make the contrast between the genuine and counterfeit contentment.
FIRST, CONTENTMENT RESTS IN A PERSON NOT A PLACE AND THAT PERSON IS JESUS CHRIST. The fact you are content in a certain place does not necessarily mean you are experiencing genuine contentment. A person may be content, especially as they get older, to stay at home all the time even though they are capable of getting out. Even if not fully capable of getting out, when offered assistance they often refuse the opportunity. When encouraged by loved ones and friends to get out, they reply, “I am perfectly content in staying here. You go ahead without me. I will be fine.” However, the loved ones and friends often feel this is not good for the person yet their best efforts to persuade the person fail. This is contentment based on a place not a person. Remember what Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” not just one circumstance. Genuine contentment transcends circumstances and is not limited by them.
SECOND, CONTENTMENT IS BASED UPON TRUTH NOT FEELINGS. The fact you feel the emotion of contentment does not necessarily mean you are experiencing genuine contentment. The Christian life is lived at the level of the will not in the shallow waters and ever changing tides of emotion. Contentment is learned by walking in God’s truth. Paul said, “I have learned to be content…” Paul learned this by a life of obedience to God’s truth. It is not an immediate and permanent state received at salvation but involves a learning process. Jesus speaks to this learning principle in John 17: “Sanctify them in truth, thy word is truth.” The sanctuary of contentment is found in God’s applied truth to your life. It is not rooted in emotions anymore than it is rooted in a place.
THIRD, CONTENTMENT SHOULD BE BASED ON FAITH NOT FEAR. Contentment can become a defense mechanism to cover up your fear. And yet God’s word says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear…” Genuine contentment is not an excuse for staying in our comfort zone but a reason to step out on the waters of faith. Contentment should cause motivation to move forward not a satisfaction to stay put. We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Our Lord and Savor, Jesus Christ. Do not let fears hidden under the disguise of counterfeit contentment rob you of the joy and excitement of walking through new doors of opportunity. Do not allow you God given gifts to set on the bench. Do not make void God’s grace in your life. The Bible charges us to finish the race not watch it from the grandstands. We must complete the work the Lord has given us to do. There is no such thing in the Bible about retiring from the Christian life.
FOURTH, CONTENTMENT IS NOT FOR SELFISH ENJOYMENT BUT GENEROUS SHARING. Our bodies are not our own; they have been bought with a price. We have been bought and paid for at Calvary. We must present our bodies daily as a living sacrifice to the Lord. The Lord tells us: “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming when no man can work. (John 9:4).” And Jesus said, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” Genuine contentment brings godliness into your life and the Bible says godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). That is what God desires for you.
For most of her life Fannie Crosby was blind, and yet, at the tender age of eight, Fannie wrote: “Oh! What a happy soul am I. Although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be. How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t. To weep and sigh because I’m blind, I cannot and I won’t.”
So where are you on the contentment scale? Are you speaking from want? Have you learned to be content in whatever circumstance you are in? Or is your contentment dependent on a place, your feelings or a cover to hide your fears? If you are experiencing genuine contentment in the person of Christ, are you sharing the gift of Christ with others? The prophet Haggi says in Haggai 1:7: “Think carefully about your ways.” Are your views of contentment consistent with God’s truth? Or do you need to repent and make a change?
