Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. —Hebrews 13:5
We study to learn science, math, and other languages. We practice to learn new skills. But somehow we expect contentment to be something God simply downloads into our hearts. Contentment is a muscle we must practice flexing. It isn’t a spiritual gift, given to only a few, but a choice based on what we know to be true about God.
The writer of Hebrews gives contentment as the what, “be satisfied with what you have” (13:5), but he doesn’t leave us guessing on why: “for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We may lose money.
We may lose friends. We may lose opportunities we desperately want. But we can never lose Jesus.
Paul lays out an important equation for us. Godliness (being like God) + contentment (valuing God’s presence over our circumstances) = great gain (1 Tim. 6:6–8). When we refuse to allow our circumstances to dictate our mood but choose contentment because Christ is always with us, the gain is great indeed.
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Erin Davis, 30-Day I Choose Truth Challenge
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
What’s one promise from Scripture you can hold onto tightly to remind yourself that God is better than your circumstances?