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A lot of us want to project that we’re more content than we really are. Somehow we feel that if we say we’re content, or try to feel content, then we will be content.

But as we continue our series on thankfulness, I want to show you the top 3 ways you can develop (and maintain) true contentment.

1.) God Knows Your Needs

In probably one of his most famous teachings about prosperity and abundance, Jesus gave us three very explicit instructions regarding how to confidently have all our needs met by God. He said,

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

Jesus made this statement to contrast what the difference should be between God’s children and people of the world. He stated that pagans “run after” the things they need, like what they’ll wear, or what they’ll eat. Essentially, their time is consumed not only by worrying about how they will acquire these things, but also in actually working to attain them.

Jesus wanted believers to know, by contrast, that God is already aware that we have such needs. This means that we need not spend a moment worrying about how we will acquire our basic necessities, nor will we have to use the world’s system of work (i.e. trading time for money) in order to get our needs supplied.

When we’re distraught and struggling to make ends meet, much of our prayer time can revolve around telling God all of our problems, or rehearsing all the things that are going wrong. And although God is happy to listen, he already knows you have such needs.

Jesus wanted to instruct us, however, that if we want to see God’s resources come to us effortlessly, then we must work more on persuading our own hearts about his kingdom and his righteousness, rather than spending time telling God about all of our needs.

In the spiritual dimension, God’s already given you everything you need to bring about any provision you need, and the solution to any of your problems (Ephesians 1:2, 1 Peter 1:3). This is why Jesus said if we wanted all these things “added” unto us, we needed to seek the Kingdom first.

2.)  Seeking First the Kingdom

So what does it mean to “seek the Kingdom?”

First of all the Kingdom of God cannot be seen with the natural lens (Luke 17:21). So, when we seek out the kingdom, we are actively looking at what is available to us on the inside, in our spirit man, or in our inmost being.

The bible tells us that through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, God not only delivered us from sin, but made us co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). This means that everything God bestowed upon Jesus, now also belongs to us.

“Seeking the Kingdom,” therefore, is about actively pursuing, knowing and understanding the promises God has given Jesus, so that we understand what God has also made available to us. Luckily, this is not a complicated process, or difficult to understand.

Think about it like this. Ask yourself, “At the resurrection, …

…did God give Jesus sickness, or health?”

…did God give Jesus weakness, or power?”

…did God give Jesus poverty, or wealth?”

…did God give Jesus a bad name, or honor and glory?”

…did God give Jesus passivity, or authority?”

We all know the answers to such simple questions. And, amazingly, the bible teaches that if God gave these things to Jesus, then he gave them to us as well, if we are included in Christ.

Whenever we fail to see the realities of these gifts come to pass though, (producing discontentment, I might add), it’s because we are not properly appropriating these gifts through one key element – Jesus’ righteousness.

3.) Seeking His Righteousness

There’s a reason why Jesus instructed his followers to seek both “his Kingdom,” AND “his righteousness,” and then all these things would be added unto us.

So what role does Jesus’ righteousness play in seeing God’s promises come to pass in our lives?

Simply this; you can have all the knowledge in the world regarding the promises God gave Jesus, but if you never embrace Jesus’ righteousness as your own, you will inevitably disqualify yourself from receiving the many promises God has to offer.

Seeking Jesus’s righteousness therefore, is about understanding not only what made Jesus “right” before God, but how his position of being right before God, produced in him right living.

The fact that Jesus not only was righteous, but also lived a perfectly righteous life, actually put a demand on God to faithfully uphold his promises in Jesus’ life. In other words, because Jesus perfectly fulfilled the righteous requirements of God’s law, God was required by his own word to bestow all of his promises on to his son.

Remember, God is just. And although we commonly talk about the justice of God in regard to sin, (or people negatively getting what they deserve as punishment or judgement for sin), God is also just in the sense that he is required by his own nature and word to bestow his promises endlessly unto all his children who righteously uphold all the requirements of the law. In fact, his word OBLIGATES him to do it!

So, when you understand that Jesus’ righteousness put him in a position to literally deserve (and receive) with full benefit God’s very best, that means for those who have received the free gift of righteousness through Christ Jesus, you are in perfect position to receive God’s promises, as well!

And, you guessed it – God is actually obligated by his very own word to fulfill his promises to you. Not because you deserve them by your own merit, but because through Jesus, you now deserve of all the blessings God promised to anyone who lived perfectly according to his law.

Jesus accomplished a life of perfection that was totally and 100% satisfying to God. Now, you and I get to benefit from Jesus work, by simply putting faith in him and receiving vicariously through Jesus, all that God bestowed upon him.

These principles are the KEY to not only understanding true contentment, but to experiencing the ongoing fulfillment of all of our needs for the rest of our lives.