Being content

Paul wrote in his letters to the Phillipians that he knew the secret to being content. He knew what it was to abound, and what it was to be abased, both to be full and to be hungry.

Check out chapter 4: 11-13

What does this mean for us? Well that means we can also know how to be content. If you are married, you will be content with the wife or husband you ALREADY have, you wouldnt be looking to anyone else. If you are single, you are content with being single, you wouldnt be looking for anyone else. If you are pastoring a small or big church, it doesnt matter, you are thankful for the ones you have!

Is this something we can all learn. Yes because we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us, whatever state we are in. Is the grass greener on the other side? It could be, but how about watering the side you are on? God will supply all our needs, and if we lack, we can ask Him, and if we abound, thats an opportunity to share with others. He will bless us in whatever state we are in.
 
I think that being content starts when you are able to look at the glass half full, rather than the glass half empty. If you can begin to count all the things that you have and the things that you are grateful for, rather than what you don't have, then you are on the path to contentment.
 
John the Baptist said to some soliders not to be violent dont accuse anyone falsey but be content with your wages. See Luke 3:14
I dont know how much soldiers were paid back then but lots of people nowadays arent content with their wages, teachers especially go on strike all the time! Of course, if they were paid to cover the cost of living maybe they wouldnt feel the need to strike. So its not always easy. But again, I suppose how do you deal with things like this. Bless your teachers like waiters, who are here to serve, maybe give them tips?
 
Teaching is a vocation. Nobody becomes a teacher thinking they will become a millionaire. But YES I think teachers should be given HUGE tips!!!! I teach teenagers English as a second language. I should be given HUGE rewards, simply for putting up with sulky teens :rolleyes:
 
Being content is a choice as. Brother Siloam has said.
Its right up there with choosing to walk in the joy of the Lord.

Its being the same no matter if you are on top or on the bottom.

Being content is not accepting things but rather joyfully trusting in God.

Blessings
 
But here's the thing, when people (who may be coming to this website as new Christians) want to find contentment, it's not enough just to tell them to do something. To 'joyfully trust the Lord'. If they can start by looking to the things that they have, to make them feel more positive, then they can look to scriptures to reinforce this positive viewpoint. Then they can begin to explore God's word.
 
A lot of people think contentment is something that a special group of people have. Contentment is not something that must be searched for and found. It is an attitude of the heart. Once the attitude has been adjusted and all has been transferred to God, contentment will be evident because you have trusted God to take care of the rest. Meaning, whatever happens in your life, you know that God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be there when you're down and when you're up. Just knowing that you are walking with God and He will direct your path. You are content because God has a shield of protection around you.
 
But here's the thing, when people (who may be coming to this website as new Christians) want to find contentment, it's not enough just to tell them to do something. To 'joyfully trust the Lord'.
Contentment is in Christ and not what we have or don't have.


If they can start by looking to the things that they have, to make them feel more positive, then they can look to scriptures to reinforce this positive viewpoint. Then they can begin to explore God's word.
A lot of people think contentment is something that a special group of people have. Contentment is not something that must be searched for and found. It is an attitude of the heart. Once the attitude has been adjusted and all has been transferred to God, contentment will be evident because you have trusted God to take care of the rest. Meaning, whatever happens in your life, you know that God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be there when you're down and when you're up. Just knowing that you are walking with God and He will direct your path. You are content because God has a shield of protection around you.
Amen and very well said
Blessings
 
A lot of people think contentment is something that a special group of people have. Contentment is not something that must be searched for and found. It is an attitude of the heart. Once the attitude has been adjusted and all has been transferred to God, contentment will be evident because you have trusted God to take care of the rest. Meaning, whatever happens in your life, you know that God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be there when you're down and when you're up. Just knowing that you are walking with God and He will direct your path. You are content because God has a shield of protection around you.

I completely agree with everything you have said. And I think that you have worded it beautifully.

But I also know that there are many people who are just entering 'faith', and what I'm trying to say (which is difficult when typing and not being able to have a proper conversation) is that, when someone is totally new to Christianity, it is not necessarily helpful to them, to just quote scripture at them. Not everyone has read the Bible. Not everyone has experienced going to Church. Many people are entering Christianity at the point of simply being saved. Jesus healed people. They hadn't read anything, they couldn't read. They couldn't quote scriptures. They simply trusted Him. It was by faith they were healed AND THEN, followed his teachings.
 
I fully understand what you are saying. But just hear me out. When a non-believer becomes a believer everyone celebrates even the angels in heaven. But here on earth, the journey begins, the attacks begins, the ups and down days begins. It is the devil who will make a new believer life miserable if they are not feeding on the word of God. Even to the point of making them feel they have done something wrong. When a lost soul becomes a Christian, you are told to get a bible and join a bible teaching church. You need the Bible to start learning about God. About what He has done for you, How to trust Him, How you are not pardoned from going through and having tribulations in your life. If you have Christ in you, He will not leave you, that He is there with you and He will direct your path. That is why we are to Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. If a new christian don't even pick up the Bible at all, how will he/she grow in the knowledge of God?, how will they learn to trust in God?, how will they know how to handle the hard times?, how will they know that God hears them? How will they know what's right and what's wrong according to the word of God? How will they know what thus saith the Lord? Yes, it is good to hear those scriptures whether understood or not. When a new believer hears scripture, they wonder, what does that mean. It is then that the Holy Spirit begins the teaching and encouraging that new baby to open up the word of God and learn for themselves. The worst thing a new believer or seasoned believer can do is to believe everything said to them about the bible and risking it not being true. Then they will go and spread what they think is the truth and it's not. The more you read the word and pray and talk to God, the more a person will learn to depend, trust and start giving their situations to Him. Then they will learn to be content knowing that God is with them. It all starts with opening up our instruction book (The Bible)
 
Infact, I think what you have just written should be put permanently on this site, somewhere, preferably as a welcome, to people who are just beginning to explore their faith.
 
I always encourage those new to the faith to read the Bible.
I think in Jesus day his disciples had an advantage over the Gentiles because they had already been reading the scriptures from childhood. And those who grew up in church, they would have been taught and raised in faith.

But those of us who never had a Bible, were never read the Bible when we were young. Parents never read it. Maybe not even have a copy in the house. Not ever been to church except for a wedding or funeral. This includes me!

I didnt start seriously reading the Bible till I was 33! Then I had to read the whole thing cos I had no idea what people were talking about.
It took me about a year to get through. I would be sitting on the couch reading while everyone else was watching tv. This went on for months. Mum got worried. YOu spend too much time reading the Bible. I just smiled and kept on reading. See I wanted to know everything God had said. It was a lifetime to catch up and I didnt know long I had to live either. Better have knowledge than to perish! Am still reading it and re-reading it. Its the book that never ends.

A peace came over me when I read the Bible. I know if everything I had got destroyed, the one item that would be most precious to me to keep is the Bible. And even if the paper copy got destroyed and there was no internet connection and no phone and no audio bible...I would have enough memorised in my heart that I could recall what God has said.
 
A peace came over me when I read the Bible. I know if everything I had got destroyed, the one item that would be most precious to me to keep is the Bible. And even if the paper copy got destroyed and there was no internet connection and no phone and no audio bible...I would have enough memorised in my heart that I could recall what God has said

AMEN Lanolin....AMEN!!!
 
Teaching is a vocation. Nobody becomes a teacher thinking they will become a millionaire. But YES I think teachers should be given HUGE tips!!!! I teach teenagers English as a second language. I should be given HUGE rewards, simply for putting up with sulky teens :rolleyes:
I rememeber when I was teaching english as second language for nothing. The reward was when a student got what I was trying to teach. And then I remember I had taught them English, they taught me some of their langauge. So I learned some russian words.

The good thing about being a teacher, despite the pay, is they get lots of (paid) school holidays!! Other workers get maybe at most 4 weeks a year, teachers are allowed a whopping 12.
 
Hi Lanolin,
Would you share with us where you came to to this?

Blessings
They were israelites, many were jewish as Jesus was and they knew Torah because their parents taught them from little. He was in the synagogues. Jesus was always quoting the Hebrew Bible (Old testament to us) in deutoronomy one of the commandments was to teach Gods word to their children, from when they got up to when they went to sleep, write them on the doorposts, etc. it was just common knowledge, or meant to be. Over the years sometimes the word got lost and people forgot as they turned away from the Lord.

Of course, Gentiles, not having read the scriptures or only known them in translation, were not taught that as part of tradition until the Bible was more widely circulated and translated. They had copies of church letters and the old testament translated into Greek though.

The Jewish people are the most literate of any population on earth. We have much to thank them as Gods chosen for preserving Gods word in the Hebrew Bible and of course God chose them as His prophets before Jesus appeared on earth.
 
I dont think it was that they couldnt read. I think they just didnt have scripture available to them. This is why we meet in church for many people have to hear the Bible read out loud to listen and understand it. Back before mass printing the Bible was copied out by hand. Not everyone had a copy. It was shared and spread by word of mouth but also meticulously copied word for word. They also had scrolls back then before codexes (what we know as paper bound books with pages) so they were HUGE. And precious. Every week they would read a section, this is standard in many orthodox synagogues and liturgical churches.
 
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
-- Matthew 6:33

When we learn to put our sights on following Him, the things of man's creation mean less.

It's not that there is no need or desire, but that we learn that happiness comes from following Him.

Many are in continuous need who, although they feel the hunger, do not blame society or others (or God), but keep their minds set on higher things.
 
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