Sept 30 Devotion: Christ - Our Key to Contentment

6).  Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  7).  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

                                   PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

While in prison, Paul wrote precious words about the sufficiency of Christ. We tend to associate the idea of contentment with beach vacations and mountain retreats, but from an unpleasant place, the apostle asserted we are not to be anxious, because we have the Lord’s peace.

Contentment is the believer’s birthright. Peace is part of the spiritual fruit that is ours when we trust in Jesus; it is an inward serenity that passes all understanding (SEE PHILIPPIANS 4:7). The Lord lived through conflict with a sense of inner quiet, and because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, that remarkable calm also belongs to God’s children.

But there’s a flip side as well: “‘There is no peace for the wicked,’ says the Lord” (SEE ISAIAH 48.22). The wicked are those who willfully reject God’s right to forgive their sins and take command over their life. This means that if you aren’t a believer, you can’t experience true and lasting contentment.

When we are born again (SEE JOHN 3:3-8), we become children of the living God and rightful heirs to every good thing He offers—including the deep inner peace and joy that can withstand any trial. This ironclad promise is a sure blessing for those who belong to the Lord.

-IBC