Ladies Bible STudy Saturday, October 1st

by | Oct 1, 2011

Philippians 4:11     Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have in whatever state I am in, to be content:

Back in the day when my husband was going to Bible college we had to move from Northern MI to the state of OH.  The ironic thing was that the preacher at my home church and his wife were both from the town we were living in in OH, so they were in my hometown and we were in theirs.  The preachers wife just hated Northern MI because she was amazed at how far you had to drive to get to a mall or larger town and I really didn’t like living in OH at all because I hated living the “city” life.  One day when we were visiting my parents I was talking with Carolyn (the preachers wife) and we were laughing  and teasing each other about the situation and I told her she really just needed to take Philippians 4:11 more seriously and and learn to be content in whatever “state” she is in.  Well, I knew it didn’t really mean “state” like the state of OH, but we really both did need to learn to stop complaining and be our best in that season of life regardless of where we lived and whether or not it was our preference.

How grateful are you for what you have?  I know it can be easy to become discontent always wanting something a little better or a little more here in the USA.  It is great to want to improve yourself, your family and your financial situation but is it leaving you complaining about what you have or is that desire taking you away from more important things like your time with God and or your family?

God wants us to be people who strive to be better but it needs to be done within the boundaries He sets for each of us.  We all have different circumstances and personalities and God sets guidelines based on those differences, He doesn’t just stamp out each person’s life the same as his neighbors.  God gives each of us desires we just need to make sure that we don’t take those desires to a level of destruction instead of blessing.  God has blessed you in some way, take a look around today, what do you see?  There’s always something we can be thankful for don’t let your desires consume you to the point of discontentment.  Be happy where you are and know that God loves you and does want to give you the desires of your heart, just don’t get ahead of Him.  Seek Him first, pray for His desires for your life to become your desires, take a look around and see what you can thank Him for and stop and think about what has been consuming you lately that is making you anxious and discontent and give those things to God.  Happiness and contentment is a choice and without those two things we rob ourselves of the joy of the Lord, nothing is worth that.

Quote:

1 Timothy 6:6   Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

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