·
Comfort
is an absence of challenges or pressures in life. Contentment is the inner state of our heart
regardless of the circumstances of life.
·
Comfort
can exist without contentment. Likewise,
true contentment can exist apart from comfort.
·
Comfort
can breed laziness, complacency, boredom, and ingratitude. Contentment is motivating, stimulating, energizing,
and tends toward thankfulness.
·
Comfort
is what we naturally default to. Contentment
must be intentionally cultivated day by day.
·
Comfort
can weaken us spiritually. Contentment
is an evidence of spiritual strength.
As we begin a new year, how can we cultivate true contentment
in our lives, while fighting against our natural tendency to want to be comfortable? We must start by looking to the One Who is
Himself the source of true contentment, for He created us after all to be
eternally satisfied in Him! David writes in Psalm 63:5, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth
shall praise You with joyful
lips.” In Psalm 16:11, he says, “You
will show me the path of life;
in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your
right hand are pleasures
forevermore.” True contentment comes
from a right relationship with God and intimacy with Him. We should never allow ourselves to become too
comfortable with where we are at spiritually, but continue to diligently pursue
the goal of knowing Him more fully! This
we do through the daily disciplines of prayer and Bible study. The more we set aside our fleshly desires for
comfort day by day in order to pursue God more earnestly, prioritizing prayer
and His Word in our lives, the more truly satisfying we will find Him to be and
the more true contentment we will experience.
As we seek Him and delight ourselves in Him, obedience to Him will often
require us to do things that are outside of our comfort zone. If we are willing to step out in obedience
and do the hard things, we will be strengthened spiritually.
Lord, show me how I can
grow in the areas of prayer and Bible study this year! Help me to discipline myself daily and invest
the time and effort necessary to truly grow closer to You day by day! Show me where I need to be willing to move
out of my current comfort zone in order to be more fully obedient to You and
grow stronger spiritually!
“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul
thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there
is no water.” (Ps. 63:1)
“My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death… I pursue as my goal
the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:10-14).
