Blessings, Contentment, Encouragement, Hope, Joy, Our Identity, Peace, Relationship to Christ, Righteousness, Salvation, Struggles, Thankfulness, Trust

Contentment and Gratitude

As we continue our discussion on gratitude, a main component of living a life of gratitude comes from contentment. Our Bible Journaling verse today says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8 KJV) The Apostle Paul found the secret to true contentment, and that is being grateful for what God has provided. He knew that God would take care of him no matter in what circumstance he found himself.

Paul told the Philippians, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” (Philippians 4:11-12 NASB 1995) Paul was content whether he was poor or if he had all he needed. A large part of that contentment was his gratitude to God for providing every need physically and spiritually.

I’m sure we all know people who don’t seem to be content regardless of what they have. Some people live a modest life and are full of dissatisfaction because their hearts desire to have more of whatever the world offers. What they had was never enough. When I was young my family had some very wealthy Christian friends. They were happy and gave God the glory for all they had. They had come up from humble beginnings, and talking to them face to face, you would never know they were wealthy. They weren’t out to get the next greatest thing or get more of whatever they already had. They were content with what God had provided and it showed in every area of their lives. These scenarios can also be flipped…wealthy people grabbing more and more, never being satisfied, and people who are barely getting by and yet are content with what they have, trusting God to provide for their needs. The key to contentment is being grateful for what God has given to us.

Paul says that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” David Guzik, on the Enduring Word website states that, “It is true that godliness is great gain; but only when accompanied by contentment.” He then quotes William Barclay’s commentary on this verse, “’The word here used for contentment is autarkeia… By it they meant a complete self-sufficiency. They meant a frame of mind which was completely independent of all outward things, and which carried the secret of happiness within itself. Contentment never comes from the possession of external things.’ (Barclay)” True contentment comes from being grateful for what God has done through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.  Regardless of whether we have barely enough to get by or have more than enough to sustain us physically, our gratefulness stems from realizing that Jesus gave us the greatest gifts we could ever receive…salvation, eternal life, and hope!  With that comes His promise to provide for our every need.

Being content with our circumstances also brings a heart of peace. Our goal is to put our trust in God for every area of our lives, and He provides what we need, not necessarily what we want, but what is good for us in the long run. As we trust Him for everything in our lives, He grants us indescribable joy, and we are filled with gratitude, and as we operate in that attitude, we can truthfully say we are content.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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