Be Content
READ: Exodus 15:22-27
When you were small, do you remember going to the store and wanting everything you saw? You would give your parents or grandparents as many excuses as possible for why you should have that certain toy. If you didn’t get it, you would become impatient and begin to grumble and complain. A situation similar to this happened to the Israelites at the Waters of Marah and Elim.
The Israelites were wandering through the desert when they ran out of food and water. They became impatient and in Exodus 15:24 it says, “So the people grumbled against Moses saying, ‘What are we to drink?’” Moses then took a stick and threw it into some bitter water that was already in the desert and it became sweet. This was just the first test of many that the Israelites would have to go through. Instead of complaining about the things they didn’t have, they should have be thankful for the things they did have.
Sometimes we are discontent and complain about the things we don’t have. But it's important to realize that God provides us with the things He knows we NEED and when He knows it's NECESSARY for us to have them. When we grumble about the things the Lord has given us, it’s the same as grumbling against the Lord. Be content in the salvation found in Jesus and his promise to provide for you according to His will, no matter what may come.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: What are some things we should be thankful for? Why are we not always content with the things God has given us? What are some ways in which we can be content?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Ask the Lord to help us be content. Give thanks to the Lord for what we have. Ask for forgiveness when we have not been content.