2-24-22 Today in the Word

The Art of Contentment Thursday, February 24 | Philippians 4:10–13 On the Go? Listen to Today's Devotional When my son Jarred was little, he liked to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings. The commercials were mostly aimed at children and usually promoted a new toy. After each one, he would say, “I’m going to get that.” Proverbs 27:20 says that human eyes “are never satisfied.” No matter what we have, we always seem to want a little more. Marketers depend upon this and try to stir our discontent by promising more than their products can deliver. On the other hand, Paul had “learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (v. 11). The Greek word that is translated as “content” means to be self-sufficient, but Paul is not saying that the secret to contentment is to depend upon oneself. The word conveys the idea of being independent. Paul did not rely on his circumstances for happiness. Due to this, he was just as able to be content when he had little as when he had much. What was his secret? He had learned to depend upon God (v. 13). The key to contentment is not positive thinking or mind over matter but the power of God. He knew that God would give him the strength necessary to meet his circumstances, whatever the situation. Not only did this enable Paul to endure difficulties like hunger and limited resources, but it also kept him from bitterness when others who might have helped him did not (v. 10). The mindset Paul describes is not stoicism, nor is it a fatalistic acceptance of his circumstances. The correct word for the kind of thinking Paul describes is faith. It is the same conviction expressed in Hebrews 13:6: “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” >> Are you facing difficult circumstances today? The Lord has promised to be your helper. You don’t have to be a match for the difficulties you encounter. God will come to your aid. Pray with Us It isn’t true that You’ll never give us what we can’t handle. It is true that You’ll never give us anything You can’t handle. We look to You for all our needs; Your strength is perfected in our weakness.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t...
Read more

9-25-23 The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas

The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas :: By Bill Wilson Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad’s birthday. And my Dad was well-loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling, and the wind and snow were whipping across the barny...
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th...
Read more