Contentment Beyond Circumstances

These things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.

–John 17:13

A person who is content has learned that inner peace isn’t determined by external circumstances. He doesn’t tie his happiness to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, his children’s SAT scores, or the model of his car. Instead, a content person has learned to look inward for satisfaction in life. He has learned to be satisfied with what God has already provided.

Since the garden of Eden, humans have been tempted to be discontent. God gave Adam and Eve all kinds of trees with delicious fruit, while only one tree was off-limits. What did Adam and Eve do? Instead of focusing on the many trees God gave them to enjoy, they zeroed in on the one they didn’t have. They chose to believe Satan’s lie that said, in essence, “Eat from that tree, and you will be satisfied.”

Satan continues the same lie with us today. He says, “What you don’t have is keeping you from being happy.” The temptation to be discontent sometimes results in overt sins such as sexual immorality, dishonest financial gain, or substance abuse. But other times, our insatiable desire for something more or different than what God has given us manifests as a general sense of unrest.

The life of Jesus Christ demonstrates the possibility of contentment. Jesus had no possessions, no financial margin, and no cushion in every sense of the word. In Matthew 8:20, He said, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Not only that, but Jesus was also constantly dogged by His critics. His family didn’t understand Him. His enemies tried to kill Him. Yet despite His outward circumstances, Jesus had an inward joy. In John 17:13, He said, “These things I speak in the world so that [My followers] may have My joy made full in themselves.” In the life of Jesus, we see contentment in spite of external circumstances.

We also see contentment demonstrated in the life of the apostle Paul. When he wrote his letter to the Philippians, Paul was in prison, awaiting the outcome of his trial. Meanwhile, his enemies were trying to tear apart the Philippian church. Yet in Philippians 4:4, Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” How was Paul able to separate his inward emotions from his outward circumstances? He gave us the answer in verse 11: “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Notice the word “learned.” Contentment doesn’t come naturally, but it’s something we can learn.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Developing a Content Heart” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2008.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.