CONTENTMENT

What is Contentment?

Contentment can be defined in different ways

1. The state or degree of being satisfied.
2. Being Happy in one’s situation.
3. Being at ease in one’s situation, body, and/or mind.

For the purpose of this write up, we will be basing our discussion on the third definition. By that definition, it shows that for one to say he or she is content, there has to be ease in one’s:
– Situation
– Body
– Mind.
When we talk about ease, it refers to being free from worry and concern.

Based on these, are you content?

CAUSES OF LACK OF CONTENTMENT
Let’s take a look at this from the beginning…

What do you think led to the fall of man?

Do you know how Satan was able to deceive Eve?

He sowed the seed of lack of contentment in her as recorded in Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Can you see the trick there?

– He made her question what God said.
– He made her wonder why God had commanded them not to eat that particular fruit from the tree.
And that was what lead to the fall.

Back to us, a lot of times, what leads to lack of contentment in our lives is the question we ask ourselves:
Why I’m I still poor?
Why I’m I still jobless?
Why I’m I unmarried?
Why is my house so small?
Why I’m I so fat?
Why I’m I short? etc. The whys are unending.

Now, the devil knows that the easiest way to bring a person down is to sow the seed of lack of contentment in their mind/heart.

EFFECTS OF LACK OF CONTENTMENT
Lack of contentment is a ticking time bomb. It can lead to several things among which include:

1. Loss of fellowship with God.
We can use the Devil as a case study on this one. He wasn’t content with his position in heaven and that lead to his rebellion and being thrown out of heaven.

2. Depression: A lot of people get depressed because of lack of contentment. Mostly because they feel other people have a better life than they or that they are are inadequate in themselves. This is one of the reasons why suicide is on the increase.

HOW TO ATTAIN CONTENTMENT
In this time and era when a lot of people are seeking for more and more things, how can we attain contentment? Let’s look at some biblical advice on contentmentm

1. Put God first
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. This means that no matter what we do or whatever it is we have, if first, we haven’t seeked God’s kingdom and His righteousness then we are only joking.

2. Learn to appreciate yourself the way you are.
Remember the Bible says we are created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:27), this shows that you are not just a product of some random assembly, but, God took his time to craft you just the way you are.

3. Build friendship and community with people who are content i.e people who are satisfied with what they have and where they are per time.
Apostle Paul understood this concept very well that is why in his first letter to Timothy, he gave him this advice “But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1st Timothy 6:6”.

The thing about contentment is that, we have to consciously continously choose to be content. Being content doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t build on ourselves and improve, no. It rather means that irrespective of where we are, what we have or what we are facing, we still have that peace. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7” and are thankful for this very moment we have.

I hope you choose contentment ALWAYS!

First published on God’s Generals group chat on 4/11/2019