TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Every year, I have a new word. It’s my focal word that I study and reflect on in order to strengthen my faith and relationship with God. Those who have been reading for a while may remember—I’ve brought this up before.
For 2020, my word has been “Contentment” and my verses are 1 Timothy 6:6-8, “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” Y’all, I look at this word ALL the time. It’s my phone and iPad wallpaper… And I have constant reminders set up about the importance of contentment.
I always find it amazing how God puts a specific word on your heart and then uses it so powerfully. This year has been an especially powerful lesson for obvious reasons.
2020—the year of vision and great things has not turned out the way ANY of us expected. And even though we haven’t even reached the halfway point this year, the hindsight of 2020 has already taught us to not get too complacent. We never know what is around the corner.
Even though we still need to look forward and move—we can’t live lives paralyzed by fear—2020 has reprioritized a lot of things for people and even five months into 2020, God has taught me so much about contentment. From my family, my friends, my home, my job, and a stocked pantry, I have everything I need. I miss going to church, but I have Internet and worship from home. I can’t complain.
But as I continue to study and reflect on “contentment,” one of the major takeaways so far is that with a word like “Contentment,” you get a bonus word by default—gratitude. You cannot be content without a spirit of thankfulness that what you have is enough. So, I have a second verse to go with my word and sub-word of the year… “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV).
What about you? Do you have a Word of the Year? How have 2020, Coronavirus, and Stay at Home orders impacted your understanding of your word? Please leave a comment and let me know what God is teaching you!
Today, as you pray, thank God for the countless ways He teaches us. Thank Him for opportunities to learn and understand Him more, even through a Word of the Year. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be content and grateful in your situation. If you have a Word of the Year, ask Him to keep teaching you, and show you what He wants you to learn.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
