HAPPY EVER AFTER

HAPPY EVER AFTER

Eccl. 2:26 God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God.

Contentment is a great but elusive gift. All of us have experienced the rat race of striving after contentment in this life. As a child it may have been a new toy, that joy would last a few hours. For the teen age boy it may be the latest video game (maybe content for 1 or 2 weeks). The young woman may be looking for those special jeans or those must have new shoes. You catch the drift, the compulsion gets more and more expensive as we get older. For some, its alcohol or drugs, for others it may be a car, a motorcycle, new watch; the list is endless. Solomon knew a little about this hopeless obsession, he said it was “all vanity and striving after wind”. Martin Luther explained this dilemma that even faced his congregation in the 1500’s.

“Whenever someone is able to feel content with what they have, it’s a gift from God. God gives those who please him contentment without having to strive for it. Besides the gifts he gives to all people, God gives wisdom and discretion to the faithful. On top of that, he adds joy. The faithful are content with what they have and are not tormented by the same kind of thoughts and desires sinners have. On the other hand, sinners are always troubled. They are preoccupied with gathering and storing up wealth, but they’re never satisfied. Even if they’ve been given wisdom and skill, so many difficulties are mixed in with these gifts that they feel more like punishment. Sinners don’t enjoy their work, whether it’s farming or building—even though others enjoy doing these things and find happiness in them. What sinners produce cannot be used in the right way by anyone except those who have God’s approval. So whatever sinners accumulate belongs to those who have God’s approval. The faithful know how to use God’s gifts with joy and thanksgiving, even when they have very little. Sinners don’t even use what they have, in spite of all the trouble they go through to accumulate their possessions. In the end, faithful people truly own the whole world because they enjoy it with happiness and contentment. Even when they possess a lot, sinners have nothing.”

The point of the whole matter is this, nothing but The Lord Himself will satisfy our hungry hearts. Paul said he had learned the lesson of being content. He said he was content with plenty of possessions and content with nothing ( he wrote about this contentment from prison). Paul was content because Jesus was his treasure. So whether you are rich or poor, married or single, young or old; rejoice in The Lord! He is your treasure and your contentment is found only in Him.