Greg Laurie - Friday, March 2, 2018

The Key to Contentment

And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

—Acts 20:35

Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Have you found that to be true in your life?

I’m not just speaking of finances; I’m talking about giving in general. We can go through life saying, “I need this,” and “What about my needs?” Or we can say, “God has blessed me. He has provided for me. I had a meal this morning. I have clothes on my back. I have a roof over my head. What can I do for someone else?”

The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. . . .You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:3, 5 NLT).

Imagine what would happen by simply applying this to marriage. Instead of looking at your husband or wife and saying, “What can you do for me?” esteem the other person above yourself. Ask yourself, “What can I do to bless this person? What can I do to meet my spouse’s needs? Forget about me. I want to focus on my spouse.” When two people are living that way, they will have a blessed marriage.

When you go through life saying, “How can I help that person? How can I bless that person?”— when you start thinking of others instead of yourself—one day you will wake up and realize you’re a happy person. It won’t be because you’ve chased after the things you thought would fulfill you. Rather, it will be because you have your priorities in order.

Have you discovered the joy of giving? If only we would do things God’s way. Then we would be able to say, like Paul, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11).