Paul reminded us that contentment does not come naturally, but it is a learned behavior and attitude. To remain content, we also need to maintain a certain lifestyle to guard the contentment we have gained.
Maintaining Contentment
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Matthew 8:33
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these thingsis acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17
When we were first saved, our new relationship with the Lord became the most important thing in our lives. We cherished the new found joy and peace, and we could not imagine life without it.
God also began his sanctifying process. We allowed Him to prune our lives of those things that hindered our walk with Christ. We also took on new habits and relationships. We studied the Word everyday, and we joined a church and began serving.
However, over time, things changed. Nowadays, we can be cynical of church and Christians. We can also take for granted what God has provided for us. We don’t necessarily want to let go of our relationship with the Lord, but there are a lot of other things that are important to us as well.
Tasks, activities, and demands of life seem to choke the joy out of our lives. We don’t have the peace we used to have anymore. When it comes to serving in the church, we cannot commit because our children are involved in competitive sports.We are even too busy to go to church because we are season ticket holders for our favorite team. Life is too busy, and we can’t remember the last time we studied our Bibles. We find ourselves talking more about truth than living the truth we have professed.
Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. Matthew 13:22
When Jesus spoke about the condition of hearts, he gave the parable of the seed and the sower. In one of those environments, the cares of the world choked the life of the plant. Our lives are also continually challenged with various cares in the world. We should not ignore them, but we cannot give them power.
How did Paul handle the cares of this world? I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
