I lurk but never post on several social media platforms. Many of the people I follow are former high school classmates and most I have not seen since high school, over forty years ago. It has been gratifying to see the directions their lives have taken and to see their families, some of them with grandchildren. However, the most interesting thing I have learned is that some of my former classmates are Christian believers. They openly speak of their faith on these websites and frequently give thanks to God for the blessings in their life. As I read these postings, I attempt to recall what kind of people they were in high school. None of them ever witnessed to me about their faith nor did they openly speak about it, at least not to me. However, I always sensed there was something different about them. None of us were party animals or lived a wild lifestyle. We all struggled in school and had our close circle of friends with shared interests. We all had our unique talents. No, it was something more. It was true then and it is still true today. With the hindsight of decades of walking with God, I believe it can be summed up in one word. Contentment.
Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NLT)
Certainly my friends would complain about pressing issues but they would not rant. On their social media postings, they seek to uplift others rather than to grouse about things they cannot change. They delight in their relationship with God and the blessings that it brings. They witness to the world that there is a difference when one meets a Christian. Contentment can be defined as a sufficiency for the necessities of life. For a Christian, this sufficiency can only be found in a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The great Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, eloquently summarized this attitude. “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
I pray that my life, like my former classmates, can be a similar witness of contentment in Jesus Christ.
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 