All too often, we look at what the other guy has, and compare that to what we have. And we find ourselves longing for something more.

It’s tough to be content. We do not live in a world where this comes naturally. Rather, it seems like it is normal to want more, to desire something beyond whatever we have, to long for something new.

And sometimes, that isn’t necessarily wrong. It isn’t necessarily wrong to desire to better ourselves. It isn’t necessarily wrong to seek out more and better things and experiences.

But sometimes it is wrong.

Paul, in Philippians 4:11, states:

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

And again, in 1 Timothy 6, he says:

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Sometimes it is very wrong to want more and more. It’s wrong when we find ourselves not satisfied with who we are or what we have or where we may be headed. When questions such as these control us, we are clearly allowing worry to overshadow our trust in God to provide.

In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses such worry and lack of trust:

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Basically, Jesus is encouraging us to be content in what we have. In fact, he states clearly that a lack of contentment is actually a sin. That strikes fear in my heart, knowing that my lack of trust in God’s provision sets me alongside those who do not know God at all.

In our culture, we justify our lack of contentment, by trying to fit our desires for more into those categories I listed above, seeking to better ourselves. But perhaps we need to call it what it is, name our discontent as sin, and expel it from our lives.

Paul knew how to be content. Jesus encouraged his followers to be content. The writer of the book of Hebrews understood contentment. In Hebrews 13, he writes:

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

The writer of Hebrews knows that a lack of contentment is equal to a lack of trust in God!

To be content means that our trust and confidence is placed in in God. To be content means that we can be satisfied regardless of our circumstances. To be content means to rest assured that God is in control and is looking our for our good (Romans 8:28).

The opposite of contentment is not discontent; it is worry. Worry means that we are not placing our trust in God. The secret to being content, then, is understanding who God is and how he continues to be faithful to supply the needs of his followers. God has not changed. He has always provide. And he always will.

My job is to trust that. My job is to trust him. My job is to be content.

Question: How are you doing when it comes to trust and contentment? You can leave a comment by clicking here.