Learn to be Content

Philippians 4:11
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

You are your words.

As I tiptoe into 2023 and leave behind a year that tugged on my heart and left me with empty seats at the table, I’ve asked God to lay a word for the year on my heart. For years, I’ve considered 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 my life verse. The one I study to discern how to live my life. Of course, I embrace all the Bible says, but these verses resonate with me.

As I prayed and read Bible verses in the hope God would help me choose a word, the one that caught my attention was “content.” A tall order in this world is to be satisfied with what I have and how I live. In a Bible study of the word content, the leader said, “contentment is a spiritual principle of dependence on the Lord rather than on human help or self.” As I read those words, I read my life verse again. The last phrase “so that you will not be dependent on anybody” struck me as contrary to contentment until I understood, our contentment doesn’t depend on us taking care of ourselves, instead we trust God to provide. In that, I am satisfied with His plan for my life.

The Apostle Paul spoke of contentment in Philippians. He learned to be content even though he lived a life of difficulties. In prison, on the streets, in homes where he was well taken care of, and still he chose to be content and depend on God.

My prayer this year is to be content in my circumstances and trust God to see me through. No doubt, I'll need to keep the word content in front of me and remind myself daily of God's care.

What word will you carry through the year? 

resource:https://dacc.edu/assets/pdfs/PCM/workbook.pdf 

Blessed to Work

1 Thessalonians 4:10b-12
Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

My dad shared his wisdom through actions more than his words. He taught my siblings and me to be responsible and have a solid work ethic. How did he do that? He set the standard by working hard himself. By trade he was a welder. But he was also a man who could fix most anything. I remember when Tim and I purchased a house that needed a lot of fixing, I came home from work and found him and my daughter, Hannah, on the roof repairing the shingles. He was in his seventies. After I finished freaking out a little, he assured me he was fine and not to worry. He went back to his work and patched up the roof.

I'm thankful I learned to work hard. Both Dad and Mom taught us to be responsible and respectful. Not just in our daily labor, but in the work we do for Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4 is one of my favorite passages. I've been a crafter for years, and I work on the computer every day. So I've literally worked with my hands my whole life. In leading a quiet life, I hope I've blessed others as I've labored for Jesus. In Thessalonians, Paul is telling the people not to rest on their laurels, but to continue in their daily work and their efforts for the Lord. I pray we can instill responsibility and respect in younger folks, so that they will learn the value of hard work, both in their jobs and in loving Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.