Being Content God's WaySample

Contentment Is Not the Same as Happiness

Imagine people sitting on a beach, receiving a promotion at work, having a child, reuniting with a long-lost friend, getting encouraging medical test results, or purchasing something they have always wanted. They might say, “I am so content right now,” but they mean, “I am so happy right now.” Happiness comes from circumstances. If they were not enjoying these experiences, they would not be happy.

Contentment, however, is independent of circumstances. Think of Paul singing hymns in prison. He was content, not because of his experiences, but despite them. We must learn to be content when:

• Instead of being on a beach, we are in a hot, stuffy car stuck in traffic.
• Instead of getting the promotion, we lost our jobs.
• Instead of having a child, we experienced a miscarriage.
• Instead of being blessed by a friend, we were betrayed.
• Instead of receiving encouraging test results, they were terrifying.
• Instead of purchasing what we always wanted, we lost our home in a fire.

In these situations, we would not say, “Oh, I am so happy right now,” but we do not have to because the Bible does not command us to be happy. Ecclesiastes 3:14 says there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Nevertheless, whether we are happy or sad—as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:12, whether we are “brought low [or abounding]”—we are content.

James 1:2 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” The word when (versus if) also communicates the inevitability of trials. Does this mean we should be happy in trials or when “in need, brought low, or hungering” (Philippians 4:12)? No. James does not say to feel joy (or happiness). Instead, he says to “count it all joy,” or some translations say, “consider” or “reckon,” because we must choose to view trials in the opposite way they make us feel. Trials cause us sorrow and sadness; therefore, we must “count” or choose to view them with joy because we know God will produce good from them.

The Greek word for “count” is hēgeomai, meaning “to lead, command, have authority over. Here are a few examples:

• “Bethlehem…out of you shall come a Ruler (hēgeomai) Who will shepherd My people Israel” (Matthew 2:6).
• “[Pharaoh] made [Moses] governor (hēgeomai) over Egypt” (Acts 7:10).
• “Obey those who rule (hēgeomai) over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls” (Hebrews 13:17).

We cannot control our trials, but by God’s grace, we can control how we respond to them. We can rule or govern them by choosing to be content.

Did you enjoy this teaching from Scott LaPierre? If so, check out Being Content God's Way and its accompanying workbook.