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Wisdom from the Holy Bible

"In love did He bring the world into existence; in love does He guide it during this its temporal existence; in love is He going to bring it to that wondrous transformed state, and in love will the world be swallowed up in the great mystery of Him who has performed all these things; in love will the whole course of the governance of creation be finally comprised. And since in the New World the Creator’s love rules over all rational nature, the wonder at His mysteries that will be revealed then will captivate to itself the intellect of all rational beings whom He has created so that they might have delighted in Him, whether they be evil or whether they be just." St. Isaac the Syrian

He who is not content with what he has will not be content with what he wants.
Life may seem like a race to accumulate more money, more wealth, more status, and more possessions. Sadly, many people are very greedy and look only for ways to get more for themselves, thinking, "If I could just get this certain thing, then I would be happy."

However, greed is not the path to contentment. Greed is when you always want a little bit more. Yet, greed causes you to never be satisfied, because you always want more and as soon as you get what you want, you want even more. And so you never get what you want, because what you really want is contentment.

The old cliche "money cannot buy happiness" really is true.

It is no wonder Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.

Likewise, Hebrews 13:5 tells us: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." In other words, God is enough to keep any person content and joyful.

The fact that God is always with you and that He will never leave you ought to be a cause of great joy in your life.

The apostle Paul knew how to be content. In Philippians 4:11-13, he said, I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

In other words, Paul said that regardless of his immediate circumstances he could be content. Why? Because he lived his life through Christ and in Christ. In short, Paul knew that the secret of being content is God!

If you don't have peace and joy right now where you are in your life, please understand that getting more things will not give you contentment. Instead, you need to seek God, because He is the source of true contentment. Then, once you have established God as the source of your contentment, you can be content in any and every situation.

Church works and religious acts do not replace spending personal time with God.
Have you ever found yourself so busy working for God that you neglect to spend time with God?

It can be easy to be deceived into thinking that doing religious works is just as good as spending personal time with God. However, you will not grow spiritually if you don't spend time with God.

Good works will not get you into Heaven; you must have a personal relationship with Jesus. In Matthew 7:22-23, Jesus said, concerning Judgement Day, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Those people thought that because they did good things in the name of Jesus they could get into Heaven. Instead, Jesus surprised them by saying, "I never knew you."

Therefore, don't get so caught up in your good works that you forget to know God. Make it your goal to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).

If all of your good works have made you so busy that you don't spend any time with God, then those good works have become bad works, because they are replacing your time with God.