Learning Contentment #2453

16 A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous (Psalm 37:16–17, NKJV).

The Scriptures teach the Lord does not measure wealth in dollars and cents. (The poor widow’s two small coins were more than the rich gave, Mark 12:41-44.) People of the world measure riches by the volume of their material possessions. But these are temporal and do not satisfy the soul (Matt. 6:19; Eccl. 5:10-15). Therefore, Christians learn to “be content with such things as you have” because the Lord said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). The Lord’s abiding assurance of His presence and provisions to sustain life secure our trust while teaching us to value the true riches of  Today’s text gives additional insight into learning contentment (Phil. 4:11-12). Spiritual riches are received and assured by God to those who practice righteousness (v. 16; Acts 10:34-35; 1 John 2:29-3:3, 7). God upholds the righteous, but He will break the strength of the wicked (v. 17). Here are ways to learn contentment with what we have: (1) Trust and use God’s value system of righteousness over earthly riches. Live by faith, not sight (2 Cor. 5:7). (2) Trust God’s power to sustain the righteous and defeat evil (Matt. 6:33-34). Live for things above, not the things on the earth (Col. 3:1-3). (3) Trust God’s power to know and provide for our needs (Matt. 6:31-32). He is always with the righteous (Heb. 13:5-6; Matt. 7:7-11).

Prayers Night and Day #369

Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. (1 Timothy 5:5)

Prayer is the faithful expression of a Christian’s dependency upon God. The woman in our text was really a widow, with no child or grandchild to care for her (1 Tim. 5:4). For her, prayer was not optional, it was life-sustaining. She would not survive without God. How and why do you pray? Do you pray as if your life depends on God? Do you pray knowing that without God you would not survive? Or, do you pray as an occasional afterthought? Do not take God for granted. Let us “pray without ceasing”, knowing our life on earth and throughout eternity depends on God (1 Ths. 5:17).