contentment with life and being satisfied

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R

respectfully

Guest
#1
#1
before I get into my topic I ask... is there a difference between contentment and satisfaction....is being content more like I am happy with what I have and satisfaction mean I am looking for more? or are they the same in meaning?

well I chose this topic because we all tend to want life to be a certain way....

Christians we are to be a light to the world and in that sense Christians make life brighter at the cost of being persecuted. rejected...abandoned...ignored...mistreated...neglected...and other things but we preach teach witness and love our enemies and all the hurt for the sake that Jesus died for all creation.

now I wanted to enlighten us to the fact that although
people kill...steal...cheat...lie...and do all manner of evil

we shouldn't complain that life is hard...because great is our reward in heaven if we humble ourselves and serve God and do His will...with a pure heart (Blessed are t pure in heart for they shall see God) and if we sin...to repent and ask forgiveness to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord that God may forgive us our sins...
e
...and yet sometimes we just with life were very easy...rather having to deal with all the evil that like to hide within the darkness...but remember once again that Jesus wanted us not to "crave simplicity" and not to be lazy.

The sometime we want life to be a fairy tale...Certainly heaven is the answer to all our prayers ...but neither life nor heaven is a fairytale...they are real and not dream.... and Heaven also called Paradise is certainly a secret God has kept from us and yet we know that it is a beautiful place for it is God's home.

lastly sometimes we get to wishing for more time on earth or a better life...or for things we can't afford....we shouldn't care about material goods or material things so much as thing that God gives us like wisdom knoowledge...love..the capacity to understand more about spiritual things...spiritual gifts that God has given us....the many blesses he continues to bestow upon us....yes some things in life are free....yet priceless....

If we life so much we forget God... yet if we are will to sacrifice our life for our GOD ... God in His love shall give us eternal life... for it is written on a lesser scale... "greater love than hath no man than this...that he give His life for a friend" we should be content... satisfaction....? I don't know if that's the same thing
 
Sac49

Sac49

Senior Member
#2
Jun 26, 2016
582
30
0
#2
I dont think contentment and satisfaction are the same. Though they do work together they dont mean the same thing. It is possible to be satisfied with something yet be discontent. I dont think it possible to be content yet dissatisfied. Though i could be wrong. At the moment my best friend and I are doing this exact study on contentment and satisfaction.

One of the best books for looking at this is Ecclesiastes. Not only does Solaman look at "the meaning of life" but he looks at contentment and satisfaction. One question he posses is "where are we looking for contentment"? Are we looking for contentment in this world (bellow the sun) or are we looking to God for contentment (above the sun)? With this he also explores the "meaning of life" from the same perspectives.

From a Christian perspective we are to look to Jesus for contment. We are not to be "of this world". We humans are a very discontent creation. We can be satisfied and content for a moment until "the next best thing" comes out. This leads to a false sense of contentment because we are looking to the world to make us content.

We can only be truly content when we give everything to Christ. The things we have in this world to enjoy are given us by God. When we are content with what God has given us we can also be satisfied.

It is possible to be satisfied with what we are given yet be discontent. We can be happy (satisfied) with what we have but discontent because we want more. "I am satisfied with this but not content with it". Basically "it will work for now".

It comes down too...do we look to the world for contentment or do we look to Christ for contentment.
 
R

respectfully

Guest
#3
#3
thank you sac49 for you input....and light on that question....look out for my next thread I'm going to attempt to write...or leave as a question if I fail...the difference between joy and happiness....
 
M

Miri

Guest
#5
#5
I always think of satisfied as being a sort of a man made thing.
You paint a room and are satisfied with the outcome, you plant a garden
and are satisfied. It's an active satisfaction, something you have achieved.

Whereas contentment is being content and at peace with yourself, no matter what.
Paul was content in prison for example.

Satisfaction comes and goes, as paint fades and weeds grow. Contentment is deeper and
more meaningful.

I think the bible uses the word contentment more.


1 Timothy 6:7-9 NKJV
[7] For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can
carry nothing out. [8] And having food and clothing, with these we shall
be content. [9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in
destruction and perdition.
 
seed_time_harvest

seed_time_harvest

Senior Member
#6
Dec 9, 2011
13,715
1,723
113
#6
I think satisfied would mean "It's good enough for me" content to me means "I got what I wanted"
IE, I'm satisfied with a letter grade "B" I'm content with an "A"
 
M

Miri

Guest
#7
#7
respectfully said:
before I get into my topic I ask... is there a difference between contentment and satisfaction....is being content more like I am happy with what I have and satisfaction mean I am looking for more? or are they the same in meaning?

well I chose this topic because we all tend to want life to be a certain way....

Christians we are to be a light to the world and in that sense Christians make life brighter at the cost of being persecuted. rejected...abandoned...ignored...mistreated...neglected...and other things but we preach teach witness and love our enemies and all the hurt for the sake that Jesus died for all creation.

now I wanted to enlighten us to the fact that although
people kill...steal...cheat...lie...and do all manner of evil

we shouldn't complain that life is hard...because great is our reward in heaven if we humble ourselves and serve God and do His will...with a pure heart (Blessed are t pure in heart for they shall see God) and if we sin...to repent and ask forgiveness to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord that God may forgive us our sins...
e
...and yet sometimes we just with life were very easy...rather having to deal with all the evil that like to hide within the darkness...but remember once again that Jesus wanted us not to "crave simplicity" and not to be lazy.

The sometime we want life to be a fairy tale...Certainly heaven is the answer to all our prayers ...but neither life nor heaven is a fairytale...they are real and not dream.... and Heaven also called Paradise is certainly a secret God has kept from us and yet we know that it is a beautiful place for it is God's home.

lastly sometimes we get to wishing for more time on earth or a better life...or for things we can't afford....we shouldn't care about material goods or material things so much as thing that God gives us like wisdom knoowledge...love..the capacity to understand more about spiritual things...spiritual gifts that God has given us....the many blesses he continues to bestow upon us....yes some things in life are free....yet priceless....

If we life so much we forget God... yet if we are will to sacrifice our life for our GOD ... God in His love shall give us eternal life... for it is written on a lesser scale... "greater love than hath no man than this...that he give His life for a friend" we should be content... satisfaction....? I don't know if that's the same thing
Click to expand...
Re the bit in bold. Very few Christians in the west are qualified to speak about this or know
anything about persecution.

We recently had a group of persecuted Christians at our church
See post 21 on this thread.

http://christianchat.com/christian-news-forum/148843-britain-doomed-2.html
 
E

Exodus1

Member
#8
Sep 27, 2016
34
0
0
#8
Explained and expressed beaytifully by Miri
 
R

respectfully

Guest
#9
#9
I do have experience with persecution but for personal reasons I do not wish to talk about it...maybe some other time....yet ephesians 6:12 speaks truly of what we as God's people need to worry about... followed by to protect ourselves against it (the armour of God) I greatly am saddened by the persecution at your church ... but this world needs to understand from people who have experience life's struggles....as apostle Paul struggled and died for God...we must be a light and let Jesus be our example of how to be a leader...and even though no one can come close to the leadership of God...we look to God for guidance...He is our counselor...prince of peace....Our Father Jehovah Jaira is our provider the alpha and the omega the beginning and end...God has many names and yet we should always have a heart to want to learn more about God and His love.

got to go now
 
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