True Contentment

Contentment is a great thing to have in life. It was the Apostle Paul who said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4:11–12).

Here in Philippians, Paul makes it clear that contentment is not the idea of having lots of possessions. According to Paul, we are to be content regardless of what we have. Our contentment comes from Whom we know. Experience tells us this principle is true because there are so many miserable rich people in this world today. We read about them all the time. Celebrities and sports figures who have power, fame, and money, but their lives are falling apart. They are not content.

The only place we can discover true contentment is in a relationship with the Good Shepherd. Let’s illustrate this concept by thinking about Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Everything we need is right there in our relationship with God. We shall not want because He is the source of everything we need. He satisfies our spiritual thirst, preserving us and promising us guidance and peace. In Him is where we find true contentment.

Therefore, let us all proclaim, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”