Contentment and Self-control

One of our verses this week says, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." That idea of contentment and its role in self-control has been rolling around in my brain all week. Usually we think of words like discipline and organization and planning and denial in relation to self-control, but it seems to me that contentment does more than all of those to help me put my trust in God rather than in my own desires.

If I am content with what God has provided and confident in his tender, all-knowing care, I don't need to be always looking for more, more, more. If I realize that God has created a safe place for me--a place hemmed in by warnings against unhealthy and harmful things--it's easier to say "no" to those things that God tells me are not for my good. If my worth and sufficiency come from my position in Christ as a beloved, redeemed child of God, I don't need to try to make myself feel good by indulging my ravenous sinful nature. Christ fills me; why would I stuff myself with anything (any excessive behavior) that competes with him for my affection, attention, and adoration? Being content with Christ, the ultimately satisfying "portion" God assigns me, is a key to self-control.