DEVOTIONAL: GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT

Bible passage: 1Tim. 6:6-11


The moment a person makes up his mind to focus his passion and mind to seeking after the things of God, he becomes very content with life. There are lots of people who are not enjoying their life because they are being confused with the mundane things of this world. As a child of God, your focus and attention should centre on the word of God which will help you live life with a sense of fulfilment. It is not the abundance of what you have that determines the joy that you get in life. I have been privileged to get close to many wealthy and influential people and I have concluded that the best kind of life is a life of simplicity. There are people who focus on gaining worldly possessions but those who know the essence of life will focus on the spirit and they will not allow the lust of this world to consume their heart.

I know both how to be abased and how to abound : everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need".Phillipians. 4:12

 Paul had learnt how to be content in poverty and in wealth. This should also be the life of every child of God, because it is only in Christ that one understands the purpose of all things. Paul learnt how to be poor without complaining about his circumstances. He knows how to go about his life in situations of want knowing that God was in charge of his life. It is no news that the greatest problem of man is greed. It is also the major cause of underdevelopment in many nations, as those that have been entrusted with the resources  are continually greedily trying to acquire more money. As believers we must know how to possess money without money possessing us. We should not follow the examples of those who have allowed money to become an idol in their lives. Anytime we are in need, we should call on God: it is only Jesus who gives strength to overcome the despair and discouragement of such moments. And anytime we are in wealth, we need Christ to help us exercise full control over wealth. There is nothing we go through that we don't have the power to endure because our strength is of the Lord. We must not become  obsessed with the gains of this world at the expense of our souls,especially since it is not possession that brings happiness. Christ is there source of happiness ,therefore it is the foundation we have in him that determines the extent of contentment we have in life. We must not allow the process of getting rich deny us the ultimate joy and satisfaction in Christ Jesus.

We should not become spiritually bankrupt because we are in a quest to get rich. We should not stray away from the faith because we want money. God is more than able to supply all our needs as we put our trust in him and follow his instructions for our lives.

Culled from the RCCG Open heavens devotional. 

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ARTICLE: WE ARE ALL IN IT TOGETHER

Anchor Passage: But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

-1Corinthians.9:27

Most people deceive themselves by saying that the grass is greener on the other side. They think that preachers can never be tempted with what they preach. Nothing can be further from the truth. The preacher is not superior to his hearers when it comes to temptations and desires. He also struggles more with addictions and bad habits amongst others. He is not superior to his hearers in this regard. We all have our struggles. This is why apostle Paul in Hebrews.12:1 says:

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sun which do easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us".

What the anchor passage also means is that preachers can also be judged by what they preach. If a person gets a revelation from God on a matter or even a solution to a problem, this does not make him totally immune from the problem. If the person fails to apply the known antidote which is the word of God or better still flee completely from such temptation, he will fall flat. The devil chose to tempt Jesus when he was at the peak of power. He had just finished a 40-day fast and was loaded with anointing. He was practically on a spiritual high. Yet that was the best time for the devil to tempt Him. Thank God for the weapon of the Word which He used to defeat the devil.

When a preacher, irrespective of the power and anointing fails to use the weapon of the Word and body discipline, then he is susceptible to falling into sin and being judged and condemned afterwards. May this not be our portion in Jesus name.