This beautiful world the Lord created was for us to enjoy to His glory and to use for His kingdom. It is only when we take our eyes off of ourselves, our fleshly desires, and focus on all the good He has given as coming from His hand that we can truly rest, enjoy and find contentment in His blessings.

Why it is important to learn how to cultivate contentment

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:6-10

We are stewards

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2: 15-17 

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: 'I will never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5

Essentially, we have a job to do here on the earth. Not to be consumed in our love for earth, but to recognize our responsibility here. We are to be utilizing and managing all resources God provides for His glory, kingdom and the betterment of His creation. (Genesis 1:28, Psalm 24:1, Jeremiah 29:4-7, Matt. 25:14-30,1 Thess. 4:11, 1 Cor. 10:31, …)

For this reason, we are not called to just sit on our hands waiting for heaven. We are called to work as unto the Lord for his glory. When we view everything as the Lord’s first, we can  rest in knowing each possession is ultimately His. When we understand that we are stewards, it frees us to receive all things from his hand with gratitude to be enjoyed and used for His kingdom. In light of this, some things we thought we wanted so desperately suddenly don’t seem as important. We were not created to pursue our own dreams, but to live out His kingdom on this earth.

 Something to consider: What has God given  me today I can thank Him for and ask for help to steward well?

God’s Math is greater than our math

In our hustle culture it is easy to think we will gain more when we work more, but what are we gaining? We should look instead at what we might be losing in that striving.

"Do not overwork to be rich;
Because of your own understanding, cease!
Will you set your eyes on that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings;
They fly away like an eagle toward heaven." Proverbs  23:4,5

Yet God’s math is greater than our math.

As our Heavenly Father, God doesn’t measure as we measure. His resources  are not limited as ours are. His is an unending supply. It is in giving that more comes, pouring out that we are filled, through lack that we are supplied, in humility we are honored. For our finite minds this is an impossible concept. We won’t be able to fully grasp how God will supply our every need, but we weren’t called to understand it. Instead, we are called to follow Him.

As believers we are not called to understand fully, but to trust Him and obey. We can only step into obedience in this before understanding, through faith. 

Something to consider: Where have I calculated by my own reserves instead of God's? How can I surrender my "common sense" with His calling and leading today by faith?

Practical ways for how to cultivate contentment

But how can we obey in faith? How can we practically be cultivating contentment in this world?

Trust His love for you

"For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 'Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.'" Luke 12: 30-32

Put first things first. Did you catch that promise? He promises to give you the kingdom! This will not come without work, effort, or challenging times, but we can trust His provision of Himself through all of it. Trust His guidance and equipping through faith knowing He loves you and will use every circumstance to draw you closer to Him- closer to peace, rest and fullness of joy.

Work as unto the Lord

"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." John 6:27

We are stewards here but we are also heirs! God has promised a full and rich inheritance and so we can freely labor, love and serve knowing our inheritance is set! We do not have to strain and strive to earn our place in heaven, it is ours now! I hope you can see how freeing this truth is! We have work to do as we are free to labor and serve for the kingdom, but we don’t have to hustle and strive for the reward. We will be equipped and enabled to follow whatever He calls us to.

Live with less

"I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances." Phillippians 4:1

"Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”Luke 12:15

Because we can receive everything as from His hand, trust Him to provide what we need and equip us for our callings, work freely with a promised inheritance, we can easily learn to live with less. Living with less needs frees us to instead focus our energies on other’s needs and the work He has called us to. When we aren’t toiling and working for more and more, we can sure save alot of time.

When we are happy with less, we become less tempted to covet other’s lives or possessions. This is an easy temptation especially on social media. However, when we are content with less, we are less tempted at wanting more stuff. We see the joy our friend has, and realize we already posses that same joy with what we currently have.

Be generous

"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38

When we choose to live with less, and be content with less, we will have a fuller bank account to give, and fuller time availability to serve as well. More stuff = more time managing it. When we live with less we enjoy a newfound sense of freedom. More stuff can weigh us down and create unneeded stress and wasted time. Instead we can focus on generosity and pouring out more of our time and resources for others.

Make decisions from trust not fear

  “For this reason I say to you,   do not be worried about your   life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? ...Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you." Matthew 6:25, 31-32

There is so much comfort in these words! The Bible is full of similar verses, yet how easily we forget this and become anxious about our own needs, or if we have enough to be generous. We hold back, become miserly and dependent on our own resources so easily. These feelings usually stem from a place of fear. It takes faith to not fear. Faith is what enables us to not withhold or not to worry. This is why cultivating contentment is an ongoing practice. It requires faith, and faith requires practice. We need to reflect daily and ask our Father to help us walk by faith and leave the results up to Him.

Enjoy and use what you have for His kingdom

"These curses will be a sign and a wonder upon you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance, " Deuteronomy 28: 46-47

We can start where we are, with the gifts and resources we currently have available to us and pursue all the good work He has for us all the while enjoying His gifts! The world is full of sweet rich blessings when we open our eyes to them and live into the fullness we were meant to enjoy here. God is not a miserly Father, He is generous and abundant in overflowing blessings. We only miss out on them when we are focusing on selfish and fleshly desires.

Gratitude is the best attitude

” For the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness… But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks? Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:26, 30-31

Finally, we can cultivate contentment by also practicing gratitude. There are a multitude of reasons to be grateful for and keeping our eyes on those things will diminish the lack we were feeling. Our anxiety will dissipate and our stress will subside when we focus on gratitude instead. Hard days and difficulty will be a part of our lives, but even on those days there will be a multitude of His mercies present we can focus on. Look for the fruit He is producing in your heart, in others and in the world and thank Him for it!

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How to cultivate contentment conclusion

To sum up, here are the ways we can put this into practice in our daily lives.

1. Trust His love for you
2. Work as unto the Lord
3. Live with less
4. Be generous
5. Make decisions from faith not fear
6. Enjoy and use what you have for His kingdom
7. Be generous
8. Gratitude is the best attitude

I hope this post was an encouragement to you! It surely was for me, as I worked through all these verses! I was convicted and encouraged once again to walk by faith and not by sight as I rest in my Savior’s love for me.

In His service,

The post How to cultivate contentment appeared first on A Legacy In Days.

Firstly, if you don’t already have a Bible reading plan, I would strongly encourage you to find one! Having a plan will help keep you stay consistent with reading. The word of God is food to our weary and tired souls, and we ought to be regularly consuming it. Whether it’s a quick small meal or a longer richer one, we shouldn’t regularly be skipping meals. My top tip is not to worry about catching up if you get behind. Just start right back where you ended! Here are some links to my favorite free reading plans, if you’re looking to get started with one.

• Gather ‘Round Homeschool Mom’s reading plan
• M’cheyne Bible plan
• To the Word
• Chronological
• You version audio Bible app
• Daily Audio Bible app

Alright, I’m know what you’re here for, so let’s get into the tips!

Ask the Spirit to open and reveal the Word to you

This is a fundamental part of reading that we should aim to do before each reading. The Bible actually tells us that the Spirit reveals the depths of God to us. The mysteries of God! Do you sometimes find the Bible to be a bit mysterious? Well, ask God to open your heart and mind to understand those mysteries and apply it to your life and He will answer that request!

Here are some powerful promises:

John 14:17 

Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:26 

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 16:13 

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

1 Corinthians 2:10,11 

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Romans 8:26-27 

Romans 8:26- 28 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Ask 2 questions of the text

This really doesn’t take extra time at all. You can close your Bible, or turn off your app, and still ask these questions to yourself as you go about your day even. If you happen to have a little more time, you can write your answers down in a notebook as well. I love to do this over the weekend when I have more time. It’s encouraging to look back on what God’s taught me in those moments. Otherwise, just ask the questions and think of answers as you go throughout your day.

Question #1: What did I learn about God from this passage?

Reading is listening to God’s voice, and a way He communicates to us. What does He want to teach us about Himself form the passages today? How was His character revealed? What attributes did you witness of His. This can be a really encouraging thing as the Spirit reveals more of God to us, we can feel His love, compassion, kindness, mercy, severity, goodness….. Who doesn’t want that? It also helps give us a bigger view of God and a smaller view of ourselves. We can all use that perspective shift.

Question #2: What did I learn that I can apply today?

What did you learn form the passage today that you can put into practice immediately? Was there anything you were convicted of you need to repent from? Sometimes the simplest passages can be the most convicting. Simple, but difficult to apply. Ask for the Spirit’s help to put into practice what you’ve learned today, and ask for his equipping to pursue what he’s called you to.

Highlight directives of commands

This one takes a bit more time, but not as much as you would think. Make it a bit of a treasure hunting game! You are going mining for riches and can benefit and gain deeply from helping the text jump out at you. Read with a highlighter in hand and look out for specific commands or directives God is giving to His people in the passage. Sometimes this can be easier to do in the New Testament, but if you’re looking for them, they’re abundant in the OT as, well. An easy way to find them is to look for the commanding action words or verbs- walk, do, go, speak, act, listen, love, etc.

Bonus tip: Use the Pilot Frixion erasable highlighters! These highlighters are a favorite in our home because of the subdued colors, as well as the ease of use. They stay put well but then easily erase when you want to start fresh again. Because they erase by heat- friction caused by rubbing. They will also magically disappear if you blow a hair dryer over the whole text! So easy!

Highlight the names of God

Did you know there are said to be anywhere form 700-1,000 names for God. Some of these names God has chosen Himself, and some are ones His people refer to Him as He reveals his character to them.

When you come across a name of God, underline or highlight it. Take note that some translations in the New Testament of Lord or LORD are different words. You can dig into those differences usually in a commentary when you have more time.

God chose His personal name to be Jehovah. ISAIAH 42:8

Hebrew: יהוה

This name can be found 7,000 times in the Bible!

God reveals more about his character and attributes in the many names he refers to himself as, as well as by what his people call him. You don’t have to look them all up, just highlight any you come across as you read. This will help make them jump out at you and recognize the varied ways God reveals himself. Remember that in the translated text the “name” usually appears as a descriptive phrase- i.e. “King of Kings” or “Lord of Heaven and Earth”.

Meditate

This word actually actually means: ” to think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time.” You can do this quickly, but choosing a verse or 2 that stood out to you from the passage you read to focus on throughout the day or in your small pockets of time.

David was a busy king and yet the Bible says he meditated on God’s word day and night! No wonder He was a man after God’s own heart. We can follow his example by focusing, dwelling and thinking about God’s Word throughout the day. There are a myriad things that call for our attention and distract us. Why not instead let God’s Word be one of the things we intentionally let “distract” us.

Tip: Screen shot a verse or two and add it as your phone wallpaper. Or go old school and write it down on a sticky note on your bathroom mirror or above your  sink!

I hope these 5 tips have given you some motivation to dig a little deeper into God’s word, even in the busy and chaotic season of life you might be in. If you have any tips you have used yourself, please do share in the comments below! As, always, thanks for being here, friend!

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