I've found that true contentment is something you can only really grasp and hold onto when God is at the center of your life. It's about finding that deep sense of satisfaction and thankfulness, no matter what life throws your way.
The Bible teaches us that contentment is a virtue we should all strive for. It's what brings us peace and joy, regardless of our circumstances. It's not always easy, but it's definitely worth pursuing.
There's this passage in Philippians 4:11-13 where Paul talks about his own experience with contentment. He says, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." That's powerful stuff, right?
Paul's words show us that contentment isn't about how much stuff we have or what we've accomplished. It's about our relationship with God and our trust in Him. It's about accepting where we are right now, knowing that in every season, in every situation, we can experience God's love and provision.
Just like Paul, we can learn to be content in both good times and bad. We can find that sweet spot of satisfaction knowing that through Christ, we have the strength to face anything.
I know what it is to be humbled, and I know what it is to have in excess. In any and every situation I have learned both to be filled, and to be hungry, both to have in excess, and to be in need.
For we brought naught into the world, and it is impossible to take any out.When we have food and covering, we shall be satisfied with these.
Not that I speak concerning need, for I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.I know what it is to be humbled, and I know what it is to have in excess. In any and every situation I have learned both to be filled, and to be hungry, both to have in excess, and to be in need.I have strength to do all, through Messiah who empowers me.
But reverence with contentment is great gain.For we brought naught into the world, and it is impossible to take any out.When we have food and covering, we shall be satisfied with these.
Let your way of life be without the love of silver, and be satisfied with what you have. For He Himself has said, “I shall never leave you nor forsake you,”
Not that I speak concerning need, for I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.
Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for the sake of Messiah. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
“Because of this I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you shall eat or drink, or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than the food and the body more than the clothing?Look at the birds of the heaven, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father does feed them. Are you not worth more than they?
And He said to them, “Mind, and beware of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the excess of his possessions.”
Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be proud in mind, but go along with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
O יהוה, my heart has not been proud, Nor have my eyes been haughty. Neither have I concerned myself with great matters, Nor with those too wondrous for me.Have I not calmed, and kept my being silent, Like one weaned by its mother? My being is like one weaned.
“Because of this I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you shall eat or drink, or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than the food and the body more than the clothing?
and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is a gift of Elohim.
Kaph Young lions have lacked and been hungry; But those who seek יהוה lack not any good matter.
My being finds rest in Elohim alone; From Him is my deliverance.Do not trust in oppression. And do not become vain in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them.Elohim has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That strength belongs to Elohim.And loving-commitment is Yours, O יהוה; For You reward each one according to his work.He alone is my rock and my deliverance, my strong tower; I am not greatly shaken.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness,gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no Torah.
Better is a little with the fear of יהוה, Than great treasure with trouble.Better is a meal of vegetables where love is, Than a fatted calf with hatred.
I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a living offering – set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohim – your reasonable worship.In brotherly love, tenderly loving towards one another, in appreciation, giving preference to each other;not idle in duty, ardent in spirit, serving the Master;rejoicing in the expectancy, enduring under pressure, continuing steadfastly in prayer;imparting to the needs of the set-apart ones, pursuing kindness towards strangers.Bless those who persecute you – bless and do not curse.Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be proud in mind, but go along with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.If possible, on your part, be at peace with all men.Beloved, do not revenge yourselves, but give place to the wrath, for it has been written, “Vengeance is Mine, I shall repay,” says יהוה.And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.
For the reign of Elohim is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Set-apart Spirit.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His Name.For יהוה is good; His loving-commitment is everlasting, And His truth, to all generations.
And we know that all matters work together for good to those who love Elohim, to those who are called according to his purpose.
I know that there is no good for them but to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
You show me the path of life; In Your presence is joy to satisfaction; At Your right hand are pleasures forever.
And the Elohim of expectation fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you overflow with expectation by the power of the Set-apart Spirit.
Truly, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up on behalf of us all – how shall He not, along with Him, freely give us all else?
And those who know Your Name trust in You, For You have not forsaken those who seek You, O יהוה.
in all circumstances give thanks, for this is the desire of Elohim in Messiah יהושע for you.
Remove falsehood and a lying word far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me my lawfull bread;Lest I become satisfied and deny You, And say, “Who is יהוה?” And lest I be poor, and steal, And seize the Name of my Elohim.
And Elohim is able to make all favour overflow toward you, that you, always having all you need in every way, have plenty for every good work.
giving thanks always for all to Elohim the Father, in the Name of our Master יהושע Messiah,
And my Elohim shall fill all your need according to His riches in esteem by Messiah יהושע.
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the esteem of Elohim.
“Come to Me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I shall give you rest.“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your beingsand said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”“For My yoke is gentle and My burden is light.”
giving thanks to the Father who has made us fit to share in the inheritance of the set-apart ones in the light,
Dalet Rest in יהוה, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man doing wicked devices.
For יהוה Elohim is a sun and a shield; יהוה gives favour and esteem; He withholds no good matter From those who walk blamelessly.
“See, Ěl is my deliverance, I trust and am not afraid. For Yah, יהוה, is my strength and my song; and He has become my deliverance.”
Why are you depressed, O my being? And why are you restless within me? Wait for Elohim: for I shall yet thank Him, the deliverance of my face, And my Elohim.
Their end is destruction, their mighty one is their stomach, and their esteem is in their shame – they mind the earthly.
For who makes you to differ? And what do you have that you did not receive? And if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
Better is a dry piece of bread and rest with it, Than a house filled with slaughters of strife.
When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
I call upon you therefore, I the prisoner of the Master, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,He who went down is also the One who went up far above all the heavens, to fill all.And He Himself gave some as emissaries, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachersfor the perfecting of the set-apart ones, to the work of service to a building up of the body of the Messiah,until we all come to the unity of the belief and of the knowledge of the Son of Elohim, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the completeness of Messiah,so that we should no longer be children, tossed and borne about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men, in cleverness, unto the craftiness of leading astray,but, maintaining the truth in love, we grow up in all respects into Him who is the head, Messiah,from whom the entire body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the working by which each part does its share, causes growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.So this I say, and witness in the Master, that you should no longer walk as the nations walk, in the futility of their mind,having been darkened in their understanding, having been estranged from the life of Elohim, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart,who, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecency, to work all uncleanness with greediness.with all humility and meekness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,But you have not so learned Messiah,if indeed you have heard Him and were taught by Him, as truth is in יהושע:that you put off – with regard to your former behaviour – the old man, being corrupted according to the desires of the deceit,and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,and that you put on the renewed man which was created according to Elohim, in righteousness and set-apartness of the truth.Therefore, having put off the false, speak truth, each one with his neighbour, for we are members of one another.“Be wroth, but do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down on your rage,nor give place to the devil.Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good, so that he has somewhat to share with those in need.Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for the use of building up, so as to impart what is pleasant to the hearers.being eager to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace –
but those who wait on יהוה renew their strength, they raise up the wing like eagles, they run and are not weary, they walk and do not faint.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the desire of Elohim, you receive the promise:
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not grow weary.
Be still, and know that I am Elohim; I am exalted among nations, I am exalted in the earth!
And not only this, but we also exult in pressures, knowing that pressure works endurance;and endurance, approvedness; and approvedness, expectation.And expectation does not disappoint, because the love of Elohim has been poured out in our hearts by the Set-apart Spirit which was given to us.
And He said to me, “My favour is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, then, I shall rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah rests on me.
My flesh and my heart shall waste away, But Elohim is the rock of my heart And my portion forever.
But seek first the reign of Elohim, and His righteousness, and all these shall be added to you.
And soldiers also asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be satisfied with your pay.”
Do all matters without grumblings and disputings,in order that you be blameless and faultless, children of Elohim without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
And I thank Messiah יהושע our Master who empowered me, because He counted me trustworthy, putting me into service,
and to make it your ambition to live peaceably, and to attend to your own, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light,
The eyes of all look to You expectantly, And You are giving them their food in its season,Opening Your hand and satisfying The desire of all that live.
“For though the mountains be removed and the hills be shaken, My loving-commitment is not removed from you, nor is My covenant of peace shaken,” said יהוה, who has compassion on you.
as His Mighty-like power has given to us all we need for life and reverence, through the knowledge of Him who called us to esteem and uprightness.Through these there have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these you might be partakers of the Mighty-like nature, having escaped from the corruption in the world, caused by lust.
And let the peace of Elohim rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one Body, and be filled with thanks.
Further, when Elohim has given any man riches and wealth, and permitted him to enjoy them, and to receive his portion and rejoice in his labour, this is a gift of Elohim.
And those who are of Messiah have impaled the flesh with its passions and the desires.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,“Thus, when you do a kind deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do, in the congregations and in the streets, to be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward.but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there your heart shall be also.
But thanks to Elohim that you were servants of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of teaching to which you were entrusted.And having been set free from sin, you became servants of righteousness.
My being, find rest in Elohim alone, Because my expectation is from Him.He alone is my rock and my deliverance, my strong tower; I am not shaken.
Blessed be the Elohim and Father of our Master יהושע Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Messiah,
Aleph Praise Yah! Blessed is the man, Who fears יהוה, Bĕt Who has greatly delighted in His commands.
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of Elohim! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
So that esteem might praise You and not be silent. O יהוה my Elohim, I thank You forever.
Many are the sorrows of the wrong; But as for the one trusting in יהוה, Loving-commitment surrounds him.Be glad in יהוה and exult, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
How precious is Your loving-commitment, O Elohim! And the sons of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
if you extend your being to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted being, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness be as noon.
Therefore, having been declared right by belief, we have peace with Elohim through our Master יהושע Messiah,For if, being enemies, we were restored to favour with Elohim through the death of His Son, much more, having been restored to favour, we shall be saved by His life.And not only this, but we also exult in Elohim through our Master יהושע Messiah, through whom we have now received the restoration to favour.For this reason, even as through one man sin did enter into the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned –for until the Torah, sin was in the world, but sin is not reckoned when there is no Torah.But death reigned from Aḏam until Mosheh, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Aḏam, who is a type of Him who was to come.But the favourable gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass many died, much more the favour of Elohim, and the gift in favour of the one Man, יהושע Messiah, overflowed to many.And the favourable gift is not as by one having sinned. For indeed the judgment was of one to condemnation, but the favourable gift is of many trespasses unto righteousness.For if by the trespass of the one, death did reign through the one, much more those who receive the overflowing favour and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through the One, יהושע Messiah.So then, as through one trespass there resulted condemnation to all men, so also through one righteous act there resulted righteous-declaring of life to all men.For as through the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One many shall be made righteous.through whom also we have access by belief into this favour in which we stand, and we exult in the expectation of the esteem of Elohim.
whom having not seen, you love; in whom you exult with unspeakable and esteemed joy, yet not seeing, but believing,
Therefore we do not lose heart, but even if our outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day.
“Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness,
Do not worry at all, but in every matter, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to Elohim.And the peace of Elohim, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Messiah יהושע.
“The one steadfast of mind You guard in perfect peace, for he trusts in You.“Trust in יהוה forever, for in Yah, יהוה, is a rock of ages.
Rejoice always,pray without ceasing,in all circumstances give thanks, for this is the desire of Elohim in Messiah יהושע for you.