Topic: Contentment Is a Sign of Spiritual Maturity [RICK WARREN Devotional 19 february 2023]
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Contentment Is a Sign of Spiritual Maturity
BY RICK WARREN — FEBRUARY 19, 2023
FROM THE LIFE YOU WERE MEANT TO LIVE
“It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.”
Ecclesiastes 6:9 (GNT)
Instead of being regretful, you need to be grateful. Instead of complaining, you need to remember that everything is a gift from God.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:7-8, “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need” (The Message).
Envy always asks, “Why them? Why does he have better health? Why does she have a job and a husband, and I have neither?”
Gratitude says, “Why me? Why do I get to drink clean water when so much of the world doesn’t? Why am I not under persecution? Why am I not thrown into prison for my faith?”
Envy is based on the myth that you must have more in order to be happier. But it’s just not true. Happiness is a choice. If you’re not happy now, you’re not going to be happy with more. I could give many testimonies of people who have a lot more than you, and it doesn’t make them happier. You are as happy as you choose to be.
Ecclesiastes 6:9 says, “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else” (GNT). This is called contentment—and all of us need to learn it.
Why? Because by nature no one is contented! It is not natural to be contented. But it is mature to be contented. Babies are discontented. Unless everything is going their way, they’re not satisfied. Maturity is learning to be content when things are not going your way. It’s better to be satisfied with what you have than to always want something more.
Let me clarify. Envy is not desire; desire is good. Envy is not ambition; ambition is good. You ought to be ambitious and work for good things in your life. Envy is not a dream; you ought to have a dream in your life. Envy is not setting goals; dreams, ambitions, goals, and desires are all things that God puts in you.
Envy is resenting other people who have something already and believing the lie that you can’t be happy until you get it too. Instead, learn to be grateful for who you are and what you have. It’s all a gift from God!
Talk It Over
- What is something you can do today to practice gratitude?
- When you’re tempted to resent someone because of what that person has or who they are, how can you turn your envy into gratitude?
- Why do you think God makes happiness a choice rather than just making everyone feel happy all the time?
What is your choice about Jesus?
The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).
If you’re ready to commit your life to Jesus, start with this prayer:
“Dear God, you have promised that if I believe in your Son, Jesus Christ, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.
“I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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