Morning Devotionals

by Don Emmitte

 

May 6th, 2008

 

"Contentment (Part 4)"

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians10-13 NIV).

I love the way Paul says he knows “the secret.” Paul was familiar with need. He was familiar with plenty. They were his "friends," that's how well he knew them. He was intimately aware of what it was like to be well fed and to be hungry. He also knew what it was like to be beaten, stoned, hunted, shipwrecked, and imprisoned. But something internal sustained him through life's ebb and flow. He had learned something during his rough-and-tumble life that allowed him to have peace. What he found was not easily understood, then or now. It was hidden from the casual observer, thus he calls it “a secret.” There are actually three of these “secrets”:

1.      The first secret is to remember the cross. "For to me, to live is Christ" (cf. Philippians 1:21). The cornerstone of contentment is the cross. Remember what it has done in your life. Because of the cross you are freed from the chains of sin. Because of the cross, your salvation is secure. Because of the cross, your friendship with God is open. Because of the cross, your future is heaven. Isn't that enough? What else really matters? The really big things of your life are taken care of! Much of my time as a Christian counselor is spent sharing these truths with my clients. God has extended grace and mercy to anyone who will believe. That grace is enough!

2.      The secret is to let go of the past. We cannot hope to ever gain contentment while holding on to past failures and mistakes—ours or others'. There's a difference between ignoring past wrongs and forgetting them. Forgetting means that you work through the process of forgiving others and allowing God's forgiveness to cover you. We need to let go of "I should have" or "If only" or "If they hadn't." True forgiveness requires that we see the wrongs clearly (sometimes the hardest part of the process), articulate them, release them to God, and then walk away from them. This process may take a moment, a month, or even longer. It may require the assistance of a friend, pastor, or professional counselor. Don't put it off. Without forgiveness you will never have a contented heart.

3.      The third secret is to take one day at a time. The final element of Paul's secret is to wait on God. We need to surrender our timetable and future to Him. Anxiety builds inside our minds when we look into the future, when we try to manage more days than today. Contentment requires our focus to be in the present. Much of our frustration, tension, and worry would be dissolved if we would practice the words of Jesus: "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (cf. Matthew 6:34). We must live one day at a time, one moment at a time.