Weekday Devotionals
Contentment – Devotional by Steve Grigg
Verse: Ecclesiastes 6:9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless – like chasing the wind.
Thoughts:
Contentment. What a devotional theme for me to deal with! Contentment is not one of my strong points, but it has been a God work in progress over the last few years.
I am one of those people who thinks, “If only I had made a different choice.” / “What if…?” Or “I wonder how things would have been if…?” In the past, I would have pondered these questions. Could I have promoted and made more money? What if I had chosen a different career? How would things have been different if I had moved my family to another state. And so on, rarely content with my current situation for very long. Eventually I accepted that I could not change the past, and moved on with life. Even with this realization in mind, I have struggled the most with past sins. Again, can’t undo it, can’t change it, hopefully learned not to repeat it.
During Sunday’s message Pastor Pete gave us a “Secret to Contentment” – “I am who he/God wants me to be at this time”. I first heard Pastor Pete give a similar statement during a Thrive Leadership Academy. “All is well between myself and the Lord, I am who he wants me to be at this time.” Those words hit me, solidly. I went from looking at my past as only something I was ashamed of, something for which Jesus had to pay the price. It became that which has brought me to this point in my growth and understanding of who God is. As a result, I have found greater contentment in my relationship with God. I am better able to accept his love, grace, and mercy.
(1Timothy 6:6-8) But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
Another “Secret of Contentment” from Pastor Pete, “I am okay with the life God has given me”. This made me think about dealing with my “If only…” thoughts. I like this verse –
Ecclesiastes 6:9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless – like chasing the wind.
Contentment does not mean to stop trying. To me it means taking time to appreciate what God has provided. The third “Secret to Contentment” is, “I have what my provider wants me to have”.
Here is King Solomon’s words.
ECC. 2:24-25 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?
Challenge:
I know that life is busy. Even as a retiree I can load my day up with so much that I forget to “stop and smell the roses”. God’s blessings are around us everywhere. Sometimes we are not looking and sometimes we are not looking in the right direction. Case in point. About 2 hours before completing this devotional, my wife and I were in a parking lot. I was watching for vehicles to be backing out. Even so, a vehicle lurched out in front of me. All I could do was slam on the brakes. The take home container of food slipped off my wife’s lap and hits the floor. God moment? May not seem like it, but it was. No one was hurt, no vehicle damage, and only two french fries hit the floor. Biggest thing was that I was not upset about the incident. God gave me peace and safety, so I am content. Here is a favorite verse shared with me by my mom.
Psalm 37:3-4 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
<*///>< SKG
Verse: Ecclesiastes 6:9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless – like chasing the wind.
Thoughts:
Contentment. What a devotional theme for me to deal with! Contentment is not one of my strong points, but it has been a God work in progress over the last few years.
I am one of those people who thinks, “If only I had made a different choice.” / “What if…?” Or “I wonder how things would have been if…?” In the past, I would have pondered these questions. Could I have promoted and made more money? What if I had chosen a different career? How would things have been different if I had moved my family to another state. And so on, rarely content with my current situation for very long. Eventually I accepted that I could not change the past, and moved on with life. Even with this realization in mind, I have struggled the most with past sins. Again, can’t undo it, can’t change it, hopefully learned not to repeat it.
During Sunday’s message Pastor Pete gave us a “Secret to Contentment” – “I am who he/God wants me to be at this time”. I first heard Pastor Pete give a similar statement during a Thrive Leadership Academy. “All is well between myself and the Lord, I am who he wants me to be at this time.” Those words hit me, solidly. I went from looking at my past as only something I was ashamed of, something for which Jesus had to pay the price. It became that which has brought me to this point in my growth and understanding of who God is. As a result, I have found greater contentment in my relationship with God. I am better able to accept his love, grace, and mercy.
(1Timothy 6:6-8) But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
Another “Secret of Contentment” from Pastor Pete, “I am okay with the life God has given me”. This made me think about dealing with my “If only…” thoughts. I like this verse –
Ecclesiastes 6:9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless – like chasing the wind.
Contentment does not mean to stop trying. To me it means taking time to appreciate what God has provided. The third “Secret to Contentment” is, “I have what my provider wants me to have”.
Here is King Solomon’s words.
ECC. 2:24-25 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?
Challenge:
I know that life is busy. Even as a retiree I can load my day up with so much that I forget to “stop and smell the roses”. God’s blessings are around us everywhere. Sometimes we are not looking and sometimes we are not looking in the right direction. Case in point. About 2 hours before completing this devotional, my wife and I were in a parking lot. I was watching for vehicles to be backing out. Even so, a vehicle lurched out in front of me. All I could do was slam on the brakes. The take home container of food slipped off my wife’s lap and hits the floor. God moment? May not seem like it, but it was. No one was hurt, no vehicle damage, and only two french fries hit the floor. Biggest thing was that I was not upset about the incident. God gave me peace and safety, so I am content. Here is a favorite verse shared with me by my mom.
Psalm 37:3-4 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
<*///>< SKG
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