Contentment in a Consumer Culture

Track 1 00:00:00

A Quaker grows up in a culture that measures success by

Track 1 00:00:04

accumulation, bigger house, nicer car, and a fuller closet.

Track 1 00:00:08

Richard Foster believed what most of us do, that more would

Track 1 00:00:12

eventually equal satisfied. But the more he accumulated, the

Track 1 00:00:17

less peace he felt. The constant pursuit of the next upgrade

Track 1 00:00:21

wasn't filling him. It was draining him. He began to

Track 1 00:00:24

realize that wanting more was stealing his peace and

Track 1 00:00:28

distracting him from God. In a world that bombards you with

Track 1 00:00:31

messages to upgrade, improve, and never settle, why would

Track 1 00:00:35

anyone deliberately choose to stop chasing

Track 1 00:00:39

more? Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Léger.

Track 1 00:00:45

I've been a pastor for over 40 years, and like most of you, I

Track 1 00:00:49

have times when I struggle with the constant pull to want more.

Track 1 00:00:53

About that, Philippians chapter 4, verses 11 and 12 says, Not

Track 1 00:00:58

that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content

Track 1 00:01:02

with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or

Track 1 00:01:06

with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every

Track 1 00:01:10

situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with

Track 1 00:01:14

plenty or little. Notice what Paul says, I have learned how to

Track 1 00:01:18

be content. Contentment didn't come naturally to him. It wasn't

Track 1 00:01:22

automatic. He had to learn it. And if the apostle Paul had to

Track 1 00:01:26

learn contentment, we shouldn't be surprised that we do too. We

Track 1 00:01:30

live in a consumer culture that profits from your

Track 1 00:01:32

dissatisfaction. Every ad and every feed, every storefront is

Track 1 00:01:37

designed to make you feel like what you have isn't enough. Your

Track 1 00:01:41

phone is too old. Your clothes are out of style. Your house is

Track 1 00:01:44

too small. Your car needs an upgrade. And the message is

Track 1 00:01:49

relentless. More will make you happy. But it never does. At

Track 1 00:01:54

least not for long. You get the thing you wanted. And within

Track 1 00:01:57

weeks, sometimes days, you're already eyeing the next thing.

Track 1 00:02:01

The goalposts keep moving. The hunger never stops. And

Track 1 00:02:05

somewhere along the way, you realize you've been chasing a

Track 1 00:02:08

satisfaction that never arrives. That's the trap Paul escaped. He

Track 1 00:02:12

learned to be content whether he had plenty or little, whether

Track 1 00:02:15

his stomach was full or empty. His peace wasn't tied to his

Track 1 00:02:20

circumstances. It was tied to Christ. That's the secret he's

Track 1 00:02:23

talking about. Not a trick or technique, but a person. When

Track 1 00:02:28

your sufficiency is in Christ, you don't need the next upgrade

Track 1 00:02:32

to feel okay. You don't need more to be at peace. You can

Track 1 00:02:36

hold what you have with an open hand because your identity and

Track 1 00:02:40

security aren't wrapped up in your stuff. Contentment isn't

Track 1 00:02:43

the same as laziness or lack of ambition. It doesn't mean you

Track 1 00:02:47

never work hard or never improve your situation. It means you're

Track 1 00:02:51

not enslaved to the endless pursuit of more. It means you

Track 1 00:02:54

can look at what you have and say, "This is enough," because

Track 1 00:02:58

Christ is enough. In his classic book, Celebration of Discipline,

Track 1 00:03:03

Foster writes about simplicity as a spiritual discipline. Not

Track 1 00:03:08

poverty forced on you, but freedom chosen by This is

Track 1 00:03:10

something you don't want to be written by you. It's an inner

Track 1 00:03:12

release from the tyranny of wanting. Foster discovered that

Track 1 00:03:16

contentment isn't something you stumble into when you finally

Track 1 00:03:19

have enough. It's something you train yourself in day by day and

Track 1 00:03:23

choice by choice. He describes it as learning to say, "This is

Track 1 00:03:28

sufficient." When everything around you screams, "You need

Track 1 00:03:30

more." The Apostle Paul says he learned contentment. The Apostle

Track 1 00:03:32

Paul says he learned contentment. But it didn't come naturally.

Track 1 00:03:35

Neither will it for us. But the secret isn't in your

Track 1 00:03:38

circumstances finally lining up. It's in finding your sufficiency

Track 1 00:03:42

in Christ alone. And that's a lesson worth learning. So how do

Track 1 00:03:47

you actually learn contentment in a world that's constantly

Track 1 00:03:50

telling you to want more? Start by noticing the discontentment.

Track 1 00:03:55

Pay attention to the moments when you feel that pull, the

Track 1 00:03:58

scroll that makes you envious, the ad that makes you feel

Track 1 00:04:01

behind, the comparison that steals your gratitude. And name

Track 1 00:04:05

it for what it is. Then practice gratitude on purpose. Instead of

Track 1 00:04:10

focusing on what you don't have, thank God for what you do have.

Track 1 00:04:14

Gratitude is the antidote to the "more" mentality. And, most

Track 1 00:04:18

importantly, anchor your identity in Christ, not in your

Track 1 00:04:22

possessions. Remind yourself daily that your worth isn't

Track 1 00:04:25

measured by what you own. You are already fully loved, fully

Track 1 00:04:28

accepted, and fully provided for in Him. Here's today's challenge:

Track 1 00:04:33

take an inventory of your want the things you've been telling

Track 1 00:04:37

yourself you need. "chasing the next thing?" Then, instead of

Track 1 00:04:45

focusing on what you don't have, write down five things you're

Track 1 00:04:49

grateful for right now. Pray something like this: "Lord,

Track 1 00:04:52

teach me to be content. Help me to find my sufficiency in you,

Track 1 00:04:56

not in more stuff. Free me from the tyranny of always wanting.

Track 1 00:05:01

Show me that what I have is enough, because you're enough.

Track 1 00:05:06

Lord, we confess that we often chase more instead of resting in

Track 1 00:05:10

you. We let ads and comparisons tell us that we're not enough,

Track 1 00:05:14

that we don't have enough. Forgive us. Teach us, the secret

Track 1 00:05:18

Paul learned, to be content in every situation, because our

Track 1 00:05:21

sufficiency is in you. Free us from the endless pursuit of more,

Track 1 00:05:25

and fill us with gratitude for what we already have. In Jesus

Track 1 00:05:29

name, Amen. If you're walking through a season where

Track 1 00:05:33

discontentment has been stealing your peace and you need prayer,

Track 1 00:05:36

I'd love to lift you up. Leave me a voicemail at

Track 1 00:05:39

dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/voicemail , and I'll pray for you by name.

Track 1 00:05:46

Thanks for joining me on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.

Track 1 00:05:50

Remember, contentment is learned, not automatic, and it comes from

Track 1 00:05:54

finding your sufficiency in Christ, not your circumstances.

Track 1 00:05:58

Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live

Track 1 00:06:01

grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless, and have a

Track 1 00:06:05

great day.