JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is godly contentment.
A reporter once asked the richest man on earth, “how much is enough?” His reply was “just a little more.”
Godly contentment can prevent us from always craving more than what we have or coveting what other people have.
Godly contentment is a state of the mind and heart that is at peace with God and finds sufficiency in His grace.
First Timothy 6:6 says, “godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” In Philippians 4:13, Paul the Apostle shared his secret to contentment. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Godly contentment is a vital step to a radiant faith that makes a difference in our world.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Matthew 1:23.
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means, “God with us.)
God’s love is seen in the birth of Jesus. Recognizing that God is for us and with us will make a huge difference in how we approach life.
We can live with courage, just like Joshua, who heard these words from the LORD before entering the Promised Land, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
We can also live with godly contentment. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
And we can live with confidence in God’s love for us. I John 4:16 says that we know and rely on the love God has for us.
This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to approach life with the awareness that God loves us in the Year of Relationship.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is Contentment.
To be content is to be satisfied with what we have in our current circumstances.
In Philippians 4:11, the Apostle Paul said he learned to be content whatever the circumstances. He had learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
He also said in First Timothy 6:6 that “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
The secret to godly contentment is finding our source of help and strength in God. Through Jesus Christ, we learn that His grace is sufficient for our needs. That means that our happiness does not depend on the stuff that we own or how much money we earn. Our heart is greatly encouraged by the assurance that God knows us as His beloved child.
Find encouragement in the contentment of being in a day-by-day relationship with Jesus in the Year of Endurance.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
John Shirk – In the Year of Redemption, today’s Freedom Phrase is based on First Timothy 6:6.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Materialism is not just a spiritual battle in our culture today. It was a struggle in the early church too. Paul the Apostle pointed out that “some people, eager for money, wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Then he turned to Timothy and said, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”
It will be much harder to say “No” to something that is bad for us unless we say “Yes” to something that is good for us. The pursuit of godliness helps us to overcome an unhealthy attachment for material things. We will learn to find our ultimate joy in knowing Jesus and developing the qualities of His character.
Through Jesus, we are set free from materialism to enjoy godly contentment.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on Exodus 20:17.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
This is one of the Ten Commandments. It is not always apparent when this commandment is broken because it is a sin of the heart. However, it can lead to actions that bring much harm to others and ourselves if we feed thoughts of coveting.
We can easily go down this slippery path when we start to compare ourselves with others. The cure for coveting is godly contentment, which enables us to find joy and fulfillment in the sufficiency of God’s grace. This can happen with us when our focus is on the blessings that Jesus offers us rather than what we can take from our neighbor.
Walking in godly contentment is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
