CONTENTMENT
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Being satisfied with what you have.
Bryce was making out his birthday list. At the very top he put “bicycle”, but not just any bicycle. He wanted an Astro 4200. It had all kinds of fancy features and it came in really cool colors. He wanted it to be bright red. The only thing is, Bryce already had a really nice bike. He had gotten it last year for his birthday and it was the fanciest one then, but now it was “old”.
When his birthday arrived Bryce got lots of nice presents, awesome games and a new pair of roller blades, but he did NOT get a new bike. Not only was he disappointed, he was actually mad about it. He promised that he would never ride his old bike again and he made quite a fuss. Bryce’s dad and mom weren’t too happy by his reaction and the birthday party wasn’t much fun for anyone after that. Bryce’s friends went home sad because of what had happened. Some of them didn’t even have a bike.
You see Bryce hadn’t learned to be content. Many people are that way. They have nice things, far more than most of the people in this world, yet they continually want more. They are never happy unless they have the latest gadget or the best of everything. The Bible tells us that those who strive to be rich will only have troubles and that being content is great gain.
The Bible tells us of a king who was not content. He had a wonderful palace and everything he needed, but that wasn’t enough for him. One day as he was looking out of the window in his palace, he noticed a beautiful vineyard right next door. It belonged to his neighbor, Naboth.
King Ahab went to Naboth and offered to buy the vineyard or trade it for another one in the land, but Naboth refused. You see God had made a law stating that each family had to keep their land and pass it on to their children. This brought stability to Israel. Naboth wanted to obey God, so he refused to sell the land to King Ahab.
Do you know what King Ahab did? He went home and pouted. He lay down on his bed, turned his face to the wall and cried. That’s no way for a grown up to act, but he did all because he wasn’t content with what he had. He wanted that vineyard.
When evil Queen Jezebel heard that her husband wouldn’t eat and that he was lying in his bed, she asked him if he was sick. “No, I’m just mad because Naboth won’t sell me his vineyard.” Queen Jezebel told Ahab to eat his supper. She would take care of it. The queen, who truly was wicked, wrote a letter to the town leaders. In it she lied about Naboth saying that he had said bad things about the king and had even cursed God. Then she signed it with the king’s official ring and had it delivered. What she said was not true at all, but the leaders, wanting to please the king, believed it.
The punishment for such actions was death. The leaders called Naboth to appear before them, had a quick trial and then had him stoned to death. His sons also were killed so that they wouldn’t be able to inherit their father’s land. When Jezebel heard that Naboth was dead she told Ahab to go and take possession of the land, which he did with joy.
His joy didn’t last for long because God knew what Ahab had let Jezebel do and he wasn’t going to get away with it. God sent His faithful prophet Elijah to proclaim judgment on this wicked couple. Ahab and Jezebel both died in dishonor and shame, all because they weren’t content with what they had.
The opposite of contentment is coveting. Coveting is, strongly wanting something someone else has. You want that thing so much that you think of it all the time and begin to plot how you can get it. Coveting leads to all kinds of sin and hurt. One day a boy wanted a special toy car his friend owned so badly that he stole it and hid it in his garage. However his friend found out and their friendship was hurt. Was a toy car worth it? No, it was not.
So being content with what you have will save you from much hurt and trouble. Be happy for your friends when they get something nice and be thankful for all you have as some boys and girls have nothing or very little. The Bible says that learning contentment is great gain.
There is ONE thing that you should NOT be content with. That is your spiritual life. We can always be closer to God. We can always do more for Him. We can read and study our Bible more and we can spend more time speaking to God in prayer.
The Apostle Paul, one of the world’s greatest Christians, said that he was not content with his spiritual life. Although he had written many letters that became books in the Bible and he had established many churches and led many to salvation in Jesus, he said, “I have not arrived yet. I must keep striving to win the prize”.
Thank God for all you have and then seek to walk more closely with Him each day!
Curriculum by: Mark Redka (CBM)