What does godly contentment look like in the real world?

Contentment in everyday life is the ability to trust God for my daily needs – and His blessings beyond my needs, rather than trusting in my own abilities and talents, my situations, or the next/new thing to bring me satisfaction, peace, and joy.

Philippians 4:4-13
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

1 Peter 5:8
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Joseph – from slave to prisoner to ruler – Genesis 37, 39, 40, 41
Ch 37 – Joseph’s dreams, brothers scheme, sold into slavery, lies about what happened, Joseph sold to Potiphar
Ch 39 – Joseph in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife’s deceit, Joseph in prison, God prospered Joseph in prison
Ch 40 – Joseph interprets the baker and cupbearer’s dreams
Ch 41 – Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph is made the 2nd in command in all of Egypt

Daniel – life in a tough environment – Daniel 1, 2, 5, 6
Ch 1 – Daniel and his friends are taken from their homes, refuse to eat the king’s food – but God makes them healthier than everyone else, they become better students than everyone else – God gives them His wisdom
Ch 2 – King Nebuchadnezzar gives the “wise men” of his kingdom a dream to interpret. They can’t so he orders everyone who is like them to be killed. Daniel and his friends pray and ask God for wisdom and understanding. Daniel interprets the dream for him.
The king appoints Daniel to be over all the other magicians and wise men of Babylon. His three friends are given rule over the area of Babylon while Daniel stays in the kings court
Ch 5 – King Belshazzar throws a party and everyone “enjoys” themselves a lot!  A hand appears and writes a message on the wall. No one except Daniel can interpret it. He does – the kingdom is going to be taken over and divided. That night, Belshazzar is killed and Darius the Mede is made king.
Ch 6 – The wise men don’t like Daniel having authority, so they convince Darius to make a law that no one can pray to anyone except him. He signs it, then regrets it after he finds out Daniel has been praying to The God.
Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den but is protected by God. Darius has all the others thrown into the lion’s den after Daniel is taken out the next day. They are all killed and Darius wants the nation to only worship God

Peter – experiencing power and usefulness after failure – Acts 2-5
Peter denies Jesus 3 times the night before His crucifixion. He feels like a failure and doesn’t know how to move on.
John 21 Jesus appears to him to restore him. Peter felt unusable but Jesus didn’t see him that way.
God never turns his back on us because of our mistakes, but if we repent, He can still use us.
Acts 2 – Peter preaches and 3000 people are saved. The growing church begins caring for each other’s needs.
Acts 3 – Peter and John heal the lame man at the temple gate. Peter preaches about Jesus. 5000 more men are saved – not counting women and children.
Acts 4 – they are arrested and thrown into jail. Peter preaches again to the rulers, elders, scribes, and high priestly family. He was bold and preached without guilt. They were released and went to the other believers and asked all them to pray for boldness.
Acts 5 – They’re arrested again and told not to preach in the name of Jesus – They tell everyone they don’t care. They continue to preach and are beaten by the Sanhedrin. They leave the beating “rejoicing” because they were found worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus.


What places in my life do I struggle to be content – I need to know where to watch out so I’m not blindsided.

1. Home/Family 

Financially – usually takes the form of spending more than I have trying to keep up the appearance
It can also take the form of feeling like God owes me something because I’ve worked hard, been through a lot, I deserve it.

Right way: be a good steward of my resources. Save for things that matter the most. Anticipate problems before they come.
Budgeting – preset program or helps are available.

Relationships – spouse, kids, pets, neighbors

Work to keep things looking good on the outside – yard, cars,

Siblings/Parents/Others
Different views on the world – political/economic/sanctity of life/creation of the world/

2. Work – work by its nature is competitive – sales goals, safety bonuses, production speeds, productivity tracking. Who is my standard/who am I trying to measure up to?

Salary/benefits – I deserve more than them

Job Security – How could my job be on the line – look at their work/production/

Unethical people/coworkers – It was just a little lie

Lack of help/work force – it’s not my fault we don’t have enough help

3. Church – church should be a place of encouragement, love and acceptance – not a place I feel like I have to measure up to someone else

Dealing with people who I perceive as better off than me

People who seem to have it all together – everyone at church is perfect – right?

People who are more talented/gifted than me

4. Hobbies – what is the purpose of a hobby? To enjoy something – friends, outdoors, 

People who have a nicer/better boat, camper, vacation

People whose kid is a better athlete, student, musician, etc

People who shoot a bigger deer, catch a bigger fish, climb a higher mountain, shoot a lower round of golf, cook a better brisket or pork shoulder