WORD OF THE DAY: CONTENTMENT

"If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot." ~ John Bunyan

(No pun intended there, but I sure found it amusing -- "gouty foot"...John Bunyan...get it?...bunion...OK, never mind!)

With that aside, after I got my chuckle, I was made aware of how God has been working on me in the area of contentment. He keeps bringing it to the forefront of my mind in different ways: the above quote by John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress; daughter Taylie's literature selection yesterday was a short story by Leo Tolstoy titled, "How Much Land Does A Man Need". In this tale, Tolstoy teaches an important lesson about the Biblical principle of contentment and the consequences of greed. The man in the story was told he could buy, for 1000 rubles, as much land as he could walk around in one day. If he was not back to the starting point when the sun went down he would lose his money and the land. In his greed, he ventured further out than he could make it back from by sundown. When he realized his folly he began to run to try to make it to the starting point before the sun set. He ran himself to death. In the end, six feet of land, from his head to his heels, was all he needed.

God's Word has a lot to say about contentment. "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'." Hebrews 13:5 Our discontent can be with our circumstances, our physical appearance, our talents and abilities, and our material possessions. I have struggled with discontent in all these areas at one time or another. Certain ones are chronic. Even if I do gain these things I covet, they won't last. I brought nothing into this world and it is certain I can carry nothing out. But God promises He will never leave me. God alone should be enough. 1Timothy 6:6 says, "Now godliness with contentment is great gain." This is what I want to covet.