On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your level of contentment with what you have? 

In Hebrews 13:5-6, we receive a very convicting command. “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear, what can man do to me?” Long-term contentment is one of the greatest challenges most of us face in a world that is constantly encouraging us to want more. I confess I often dream about how things could be better if this or that were different in my life. I struggle to believe that as long as God is with me, everything will be okay. I don’t struggle with this concept intellectually; I really believe it, but I struggle with it practically. 

If I were to be honest, I often think that I could help God a little if He would just listen to me. I try to bend His will to match my desires when in reality I should be surrendering my will to match His desires. On my best days, I truly long for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, but far too much of the time, I’m not as content as I should be (or could be) if I would live with the moment-by-moment realization that as long as God is with me, everything will be good. 

What have you been wrestling with God about lately? Are you disappointed in Him because deep down you feel like He hasn’t met some need in your life? If you were to be totally honest, would you have to say that you think maybe the Lord has let you down in some way? I have discovered in my 35 years of walking with Jesus that when I am disappointed in what He has provided in my life, it’s always because I want something that He knows I’m not ready for or something that is not good for me. There have also been many times when I have lacked something, and God has shown me that it was a result of my lack of discipline or understanding of God’s good design in that area that has held me back from flourishing. 

I encourage you today to re-center your focus on Christ and His love and provision for you as His child. Would you hold anything good back from your children? No! Have you given them everything they asked for from their earliest days? No! Sometimes, you just knew better than they did, but you never withheld from them what they really needed. As we live in a fully trusting and obedient relationship with Christ, we can rest assured that He will be with us every step of the way in this life and forever in an eternity where the effects of the fall will disappear and all of our ultimate hopes and dreams will be realized. I’m not sure if you grew up with this song, but it almost brings me to tears every time I hear it. “Christ is not a disappointment! Every longing in my breast finds in Him complete fulfillment; He has brought me into rest. I have tested Him, and proved Him, more than all I dreamed He’d be; Christ is not a disappointment; He is all in all to me.”