True Contentment
If you’ve ever thought about all the things you’d like to do before you ‘kick the bucket’ then like it or not, you’ve made a ‘bucket list.’
This expression might seem new, but the idea is old: trying to make the most of life before you no longer live.
For some people, it’s about visiting as many cities and countries as possible, putting pins on a giant world map.
For others, it’s about collecting certain items, learning particular skills, or even experiencing certain thrills.
The ironic thing about bucket lists is that we spend our time filling up our lives, only to die without bringing anything with us to the grave.
Or, as the Apostle Paul puts it, “…we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.” (1 Timothy 6:7)
So, what should be our aim in life? To keep filling the bucket with experiences and possessions that will only fade away?
It’s far better to pursue that which will bring true contentment in this life, and the next.
So where do we get this contentment? As the Apostle says in the verse before, it’s from godliness, which comes with contentment, which is itself great wealth.”
And a few verses before, he writes to say that “the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ… promote a godly life.” (1 Timothy 6:3)
So, the contentment we desire will not come by pursuing wealth but by pursuing Christ, as we encounter him in the healthy teachings of the Bible, which lead us to the godliness that brings contentment.
If you want to be content in life, look no further than Jesus… and pursue him and his godliness.
For this is something you can take with you as you leave this life for the next!
JODIE McNEILL