We alone are in charge of our contentment. That is because contentment comes from our hearts – our foundation. This daily devotional looks at the effect of others on our contentment, when discontentment reigns, and the foundation of our faith.
Nuggets
- We know what makes us content and what doesn’t.
- There are several things that bring us discontentment.
- It matters whether we are content or not.
Devotions in the Contentment Leads to Tranquility series
When we are content, this in our lives go much better. God wants us to get that contentment to the heart level. Let’s take a look at that.
Let's Put It into Context
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines contentment as “an internal satisfaction which does not demand changes in external circumstances.”
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Keeping Our Hearts Content
“The heart knows its own bitterness, and no outsider shares in its joy” (Prov. 14: 10 CSB)
We used this verse a couple of devotions ago in Spiritual Wisdom Leads Us to be Sensible People. We talked about how Spurgeon was describing someone who was self-contained – the private us.
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We were focusing on others not really knowing the real us – only what we show to others. I think that pertains here, too.
We know that private us that Spurgeon was talking about. We know – and work toward – doing what makes us happy and keeping away from what doesn’t.
Others may or may not know what that is. We know who we are. We may not always like ourselves, but we know our strengths and our weaknesses.
Figures – we are with ourselves 24/7/365.
Let’s roost on “the heart knows its own bitterness …” (Prov. 14: 10 CSB) part.
Blair noted that there are two sources of either joy or bitterness in the heart.
- Our own character
- Our connections with others
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We’ve talked a lot about how important our hearts are. We’ve talked before that we have to get things down to the heart level. Obedience has to come from the heart. That makes our character.
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Glossary
Isn’t it sad when, instead of the happiness, we get the discontent because we bring it on ourselves? Maybe we did something stupid. Maybe we really thought it was going to bring us happiness, but it didn’t. Maybe we were feeling guilty about A, and that messed up B.
Oh, did you catch that I said other don’t really make us content, but they are a source of our contentment or discontentment?
When Adam is upset about something, this momma bear is not content. I can give him advise to rectify a situation. I can walk him through scenarios of how he could address something.
In the end, Adam has to make up his own mind what to do and be okay with that. He has to choose to be content with his decisions.
I don’t know about you, but I need my alone time. This was especially true when I had my 100 meetings a month, but it is still true.
Quiet. Reflection. Disconnect from stress. Replenish our reserves.
We don’t know how the Holy Spirit is convicting someone else. We only know how He is convicting us.
Ooo, baby. That can hurt at times!
We all need to take a minute so we can slow down. If we continually go ninety to nothing, we generally block out the soft promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Spurgeon gave us some great advice for those times. He wrote, “And remember that the cure for bitterness of heart is to take it to your Lord at once.”
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When Discontent Reigns in Our Hearts
“The disloyal one will get what his conduct deserves, and a good one, what his deeds deserve” (Prov. 14: 14 CSB)
What causes discontentment in our hearts? How do disciples of Christ deal with discontent?
There are several things that bring us discontentment. We can become discontent when we don’t deal with something that is bothering us. We know that, but how do we apply that to our journey on the sanctification road?
The big thing that steals our contentment is unconfessed sin. Unconfessed sin damages our relationship with God, causing the discontent.
Sometimes, we may not even know we have sinned. “So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8: 12-13 CSB).
When we do know we have sinned, we can become dejected. I don’t know about you, but I really start biting on myself.
Sometimes, I am so busy slapping myself around, I don’t realize Jesus is up there, bending down to whisper in God’s ear to advocate for me. He is there praying for me.
You, too.
Maybe even worse yet is when we become bitter. It is easy to become resentful when things don’t go the way we have planned. We can start blaming God.
We have to remember that God knows exactly what is going to happen every day for the rest of our lives. He has everything planned out based on the decisions we are going to make.
The thing is, God knows us — really knows us. “He knows us far better than we know ourselves …” (Rom. 8: 27 MSG).
We know the verse that comes next. “That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Rom 8: 28 MSG). All things work together for good.
Discontent comes when we don’t feel loved. Loneliness can really mess up our outlook. We don’t see what the purpose is for struggling if we have no one with which to share our lives.
No one could love us as God loves us. He is our Creator.
God loved us so much that He devised a way for our relationships with Him to be restored. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5: 8 NIV).
God doesn’t want us to stay in our melancholy state. He wants us to experience His joy. He will help get us there.
The Foundation of Contentment
“A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit” (Prov. 15: 13 CSB)
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (Prov. 17: 22 CSB)
It matters whether we are content or not. Our whole outlook on life hangs in the balance. In fact, sometimes, so does our life.
Melvill reminded us that “The connection between the mind and the body, though not to be explained, is so striking as to force itself upon the notice of the least observant.” We may think that our mind has complete control over the body, but the body will never outrank the mind.
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Just wait until our world is rocked, and everything shuts down. We can’t focus on our work. We snap at our loved ones. Our blood pressure goes up. Our stomachs are tied up in knots.
We know that mental attitude plays an important role when we are sick. A positive attitude is definitely needed for cancer patients. When someone gives up, the results can be devastating.
Did you see what Solomon said? It all starts with the heart — a joyful heart. That translates to contentment.
Melvill had a lot of great nuggets. Some of them addressed discontent.
- “Mental disquietude tells on the health with corroding and devastating power.”
- “A truly broken spirit is that which is bruised by a sense of sin.”
But some of them reminded us the discontent can be fleeting.
- “There is a power in man’s spirit to sustain his infirmity.”
- “The truth that men have no power of renewing their nature must not be interpreted as implying that men have no power of reforming their lives.”
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But it all comes back to our heart — our foundation. Where does Jesus live? In our hearts. Where is the Holy Spirit? In our hearts.
Making the Connections
Think that sounds hard? Especially given the state of the world these days????
Belfrage told us how to accomplish contentment, he wrote, “By ‘a merry heart’ is meant a heart which has been taught by the Spirit of God to seek its happiness in Divine and heavenly objects, which is disposed to look at the bright side of things under the influence of contentment and hope.”
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Taught by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is going to teach us.
Well, doesn’t it make sense? When our hearts are broken that is usually because we are focusing on the world, not God.
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
Our hearts are our foundations. It is our responsibility to make sure the foundation remains sure. To do that, we need to search for and seek God. Discipline helps us do that.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
How Do We Apply This?
- Remember, God wants us to be even-keeled. He is not looking for us to go from one extreme to another. The key word here is moderation.
- We got to work to get our contentment back when it is stolen. We have to figure out what took it and what we have to do to get it back.
- We have to take care of our own heart. When our contentment is starting to head out the door, we have to determine what we need to do to get it to stay. We have to take care of ourselves.
- We have to take it to God. Put it at His feet. Crawl into His palm.
- Paul told us to be like him. He was content whatever. We need to be like Paul.
- Contentment comes when we pass God’s love to someone else. Be a helper.
- Remember, God has got this. Leave it in His hands.
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I loved the nugget in the Homiletic Review. “Look at your mercies with both eyes; your troubles with only one eye.”
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If we can get contentment down to the heart level, it makes it harder for the discontentment to take over. That is because we are rooted and grounded in God — where He wants us to be.
Father. You want us to be totally focused on You. Unfortunately, we let the cares of this world in — and with that comes discontentment. Lord, help us to keep firmly in Your Will. That will keep us content in Your love. Amen.
What do you think?
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