Be Content in Everything - Crosswalk PLUS Marriage Devotional
Be Content in Everything
"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 all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13
In our first years of marriage, we traveled across the country from a small town in Connecticut to a Bible College in Alberta, Canada. We were far away from our parents, on our own, and ready to take on the world. That was until financial woes started to kick in. Because we both had work Visas, we could work only a certain number of hours. The limited number of hours we could work prevented us from having too many possessions. We had a small apartment on campus and paid a small amount for rent, which left little for groceries and other frivolities. We began to get creative with our food choices. My husband opened a can of tuna fish, combined it with a box of macaroni, and made what we called tuna noodle casserole. It tasted great at first. I was less than impressed when I came home one day and saw my husband making it for the fourth week in a row. I choked down that horrible concoction. To this day, I still can't eat tuna noodle casserole because we ate it so much in those first years.
During those beginning years of marriage, the Lord began to teach us what it truly meant to be content. This is the same lesson Paul wanted the people of the Philippian church to understand. Paul experienced moments of great healing and divine intervention. He even experienced a personal transformative moment with God. But Paul also experienced his share of trials. He was persecuted, flogged, beaten, and jailed. He wrote this verse in jail because he wanted the people to understand that no matter what situation he was in, whether he was in jail or God was using him in public, he was going to learn the beauty of contentment.
Just like we need to learn to be content with the same food choice every week, we can choose to have contentment in every area of our lives. As couples, it is easy to get caught up in the spirit of comparison, wanting what everyone around us has: a good house, a good job, children, and a white picket fence. However, that may not be what God wants for us. Possessions are not on God's radar. He wants us to live a life yielded to him, ready to preach the gospel at any time. We need to learn to be content with whatever God has for us. Whether this be a paycheck, a home, or a blessing of children, etc. God chooses to give what he wills. When we choose to yield our lives to Christ, we choose to give up any luxury or comfort for the sake of the gospel. True contentment means exuding joy even when the paycheck is thin, the house is small, or the pregnancy test is negative.
Contentment is a gateway to joy. We are content in our circumstances. No matter what we are suffering through, we can have the joy that Christ intended for us to have. We can choose to be content in every circumstance, no matter what comes our way. Instead of complaining or wishing a tough circumstance away, we can instead be content, knowing that God is in control and that we have different seasons in our lives. When we choose to give over every season of our lives to God, trusting that he is in control of it all, we can experience true contentment. Then, we can choose to have joy, which will attract unbelievers because they will question why we have such joy during difficult circumstances.
Father, help us to achieve contentment in every circumstance. Whether we are in a difficult season or a blessed one, we pray for contentment in everything. Help us have contentment, which is the gateway to joy. Help people see the joy we exude in difficult circumstances. Allow people to be attracted to you and the gospel message because of the joy and contentment we choose to have each day. Amen.
Application Questions:
How can you choose contentment today?
Contentment often means getting rid of competition and coveting possessions. Is this hard for you? Why or why not?
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