The Secret to Contentment

Philippians 4:11-12(NASB) 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.

I used to think that I was content with my life until I really felt content with my life. I don’t think I have ever been happier than I am now, and it isn’t because things are so much better than they ever were. It’s because I’ve truly learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I finally have peace with who I am and where I am. What changed?

Earlier this year I had a major surgery to deal with some medical issues that I had been having for a while. There were so many unknowns going into that surgery that I had an emotional meltdown about every week. There were so many tests, scopes, scans, scrapes, consultations and referrals that I didn’t think I would ever be well again. But God! He put me in the right place at the right time to have the right surgeon with the right set of experience and expertise for my unusual case.

Recovery was a long road, but I can testify that right now I feel better than I’ve felt in years! Anytime I feel like complaining about anything, all I have to do is think about what I was going through earlier this year, and I immediately thank God for life, health and strength. The secret to contentment is gratefulness!

True Worship of the True God

“True worship is to be so personally and hopelessly in love with God, that the idea of a transfer of affection never even remotely exists.” – A. W. Tozer

Idolatry is common and rampant in our society. To spend all of our days worshiping the unseen God is dismissed as foolish and short-sighted. To stand amazed before the omnipotent God is considered ignorant and unenlightened. Some in our culture cannot worship God because they are too busy trying to explain away the notion of the one true God.

Some want to believe (and do believe) that there is god in all of us, so that we are justified in worshiping ourselves. Others believe that everyone who believes in a god is worshiping the same god in different ways. Still others believe that there is no god at all and worship science, reason, and logic. It has been said that everyone will worship something. Even agnostics worship their complacency.

Make no mistake; there is one true God. If you love anything or anyone more than Him, you are practicing idolatry. When you come to know God for yourself, you can’t ever go back to the emptiness of your soul without Him. Chasing whatever this world has to offer cannot fill the void of being incomplete. No amount of money, friends, or possessions can give you the kind of peace and eternal security that loving the Great I Am provides.