The world, the flesh, and the Devil have a Great Commission of their own—to stir up discontentment in our hearts and lure us away from the gospel. So we fight back in the power of the Holy Spirit, because contentment does not come naturally apart from Jesus.

Watch or listen as Nancy Guthrie, Jen Wilkin, and Melissa Kruger note that throughout Scripture we encounter the image of a fruit-bearing tree planted by a life-giving stream. The author of The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World (Christian Focus) believes this is a vivid metaphor for a heart that’s content in Jesus no matter what the “weather” (circumstances) of life.

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“It’s interesting that Paul says he learned to be content,” Guthrie adds, referencing Philippians 4:11–13. It won’t come easily or naturally, in other words. Contentment must be pursued, studied, learned.

“As you become a student of contentment you have to become a student of your own desires,” Wilkin observes. “We want to buy into the lie that it doesn’t hurt to look. But the oldest story of sin in the Bible begins with seeing, and then wanting, and then taking. I think we underestimate the importance of limiting desire-enhancing sources.”

Most of all, Kruger says, “Present contentment is rooted in a past reality and a future hope. It’s hard not to trust a bleeding Savior who will take me home.”

Involved in Women’s Ministry? Add This to Your Discipleship Toolkit

We need one another. Yet we don’t always know how to develop deep relationships to help us grow in the Christian life. Younger believers benefit from the guidance and wisdom of more mature saints as their faith deepens. But too often, potential mentors lack clarity and training on how to engage in discipling those they can influence.

Whether you’re longing to find a spiritual mentor or hoping to serve as a guide for someone else, we have a FREE resource to encourage and equip you. In Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests, Melissa Kruger, TGC’s vice president of discipleship programming, offers encouraging lessons to guide conversations that promote spiritual growth in both the mentee and mentor.

Download your FREE copy today »

Jen Wilkin is an author and Bible teacher from Dallas, Texas. She has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. An advocate for Bible literacy, her passion is to see others become articulate and committed followers of Christ, with a clear understanding of why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God. You can find her at JenWilkin.net.

Nancy Guthrie teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Melissa Kruger serves as vice president of discipleship programming at The Gospel Coalition. She is the author of The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World, Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood, In All Things: A Nine-Week Devotional Bible Study on Unshakeable Joy, Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests, Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know, His Grace Is Enough, Lucy and the Saturday Surprise, Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age, and Ephesians: A Study of Faith and Practice. Her husband, Mike, is the president of Reformed Theological Seminary, and they have three children. She writes at Wits End, hosted by The Gospel Coalition. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.