Discontent
Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Korah and his cohorts questioned the authority of Moses and Aaron because they were discontent with their jobs. They wanted what Moses and Aaron had so accused them of arrogance and pride. We might be quick to shake our heads in dismay over their unreasonable jealousy, but their story should give us pause. Do I recognize discontent in my own life? Do you?
I think the great Apostle Paul struggled with discontentment because he says he learned how to be content in every situation:
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
The Greek word for content is “autarkeia” and means:
autárkeia …. ("to suffice, be sufficient") – properly, self-sufficient; used of the Spirit-filled Christian – having all they need within through the indwelling Christ. (Strong’s Analytical Concordance, 841)
Paul uses this word again in Today’s Treasure, 2 Corinthians 9:8:
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.
Paul transparently acknowledges he struggled with contentment and made choices to learn contentment. I believe God used the broken, scary places in Paul’s life as teaching moments where he learned God had already given him everything he needed to walk by faith with contentment. Many of us know how he prayed three times for a thorn in his flesh to be removed. God said no and Paul’s conclusion was that God’s grace is sufficient even when life doesn’t turn out the way we wish. In Ephesians 1:3-14 he describes how God has already equipped us to experience such contentment:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places… that we should be holy and blameless before him…. In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us… In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. …In Him we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14).
These are profound words, especially when life turns upside down. It is perhaps one of the most compelling truths that enabled me to get out of bed each morning after the fatal car accident of our son, Mark. The headlines in my soul screamed, “Mark is gone. He’s never coming back.” God’s Word yelled back, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
This passage coupled with Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” confronted me with a choice. God created me to reflect His glory. Before the foundation of the world was laid, He prepared good works for me to do and if He prepared good works for me to do, then He also has prepared me for them. Within me, the temple of the Holy Spirit, was grace enough to face each minute without our youngest child.
Discontent ruled my heart – I wanted my son. I did not believe I could survive such grief.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
By faith, God enabled me to put one foot on the floor as I prayed, “Lord, I am getting out of bed because You say You have already equipped me for today. I don’t know how to face each minute, but You say You have equipped me to not only survive this minute but to reflect Your glory. This is Your miracle to work. I cannot do this.”
Some days the miracle was that I showered and dressed; another day I prepared a meal or folded a basket of clean clothes. Often tears washed my face every minute of the day, through each task. Wrapped in the promise that I had all I needed because Jesus lived in me helped me believe these were the only tasks God equipped me for that day. Even the tears somehow reflected His glory.
PRAYER
Father, discontentment with Your calling was rooted in the hearts of Korah and his cohorts. Those seeds grew into bitterness, gossip, and chaos. May it not be so for us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Tuesday, 07 June 2022.
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