The Secret To Contentment

Who shows no partiality to princes nor regards the rich above the poor, for they all are the work of His hands?
–Job 34:19

How can you keep yourself from being consumed with a love for money? The answer to money madness is contentment. That is the conclusion Solomon came to Ecclesiastes 5:18: “Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.”

Let me share with you three principles for experiencing contentment with where you are in life.

One, refuse to compare yourself to other people. In 2 Corinthians 10:12, Paul said comparing yourself to other people is “stupidity”–that is the word used in the Living Bible paraphrase. Why? Because there will always be somebody who has more than you do. Not only that, but you never know the whole story about another person’s life and the pain that might accompany their wealth. Refuse to compare yourself with others.

Two, trust in the sovereignty of God in your life. Job 34:19 says God “shows no partiality to princes nor regards the rich above the poor, for they all are the work of His hands.” God has a plan that covers every part of your life, including your bank balance. That is why there is no room for boasting by anyone. Trust the sovereignty of God in your life.

Three, develop gratefulness for what God has already given you. The truth is, it is impossible to be thankful and discontent at the same time. You cannot be thanking God for what He has already given you and at the same time be envious of other people’s money. One way to experience contentment is to regularly thank God for what He has given you.

Remember, the satisfaction that money promises is only a mirage. In his book “Self-Renewal,” John W. Gardner wrote that if happiness could be found in the comforts and pleasures money can buy, then “the large number of Americans who have been able to indulge their whims on a scale unprecedented in history would be deliriously happy. They would be telling one another of their unparalleled serenity and bliss instead of trading tranquilizer prescriptions.” Solomon said it this way: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money. . . . This too is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Money Madness” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2009.

John W. Gardner, “Self-Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society” (New York: W. W. Norton, 1995), 97.

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.