True Contentment

In my last post I talked about how "Blue Monday," the first Monday after the Christmas and New Year holidays is the most depressing day of the year.  I mentioned how the Apostle Paul wrote that he was able to be content regardless of his circumstances because he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him.  So just how does this work?  How does a relationship with Christ enable someone to live with peace and joy regardless of their circumstances?  I would like to suggest three reasons how this is true.
When you have a relationship with God through Jesus, you live with an understanding that God is in control.  Things don't happen by random chance accident, things happen because God has a purpose.  And since God is God, nothing can thwart His purposes and His plan.  This means that whatever takes place in my life, God has a reason for it.
A second related truth is that God is a redeeming God.  You see this throughout the Bible.  We typically think of God's redeeming power in relation to our salvation from sin.  And that is the primary emphasis of scripture.  But God not only redeems our sin, He also redeems sinful circumstances.  Since God has a plan and purpose for everything that happens, the good and the bad, God, while not the cause of the bad, is able to redeem it for His plan and purpose.
Third, since God is in control, and everything is His, I am simply a steward of whatever I have.  Nothing I have is really mine, it is God's.  He gives me the opportunity to use it not as an owner, but as a steward.  So if I have a lot, that's great.  And if I have a little, that's great too because nothing is mine. When you combine these three truths, you come away with an ability to be content regardless of your circumstances.  You can have peace knowing that God is in control regardless of your circumstances.  As He declares in Jeremiah 23:11, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. 
Blessings,
Dr. Paul