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One of the great, but often overlooked, teachings of the New Testament is that Christians ought to be content. Paul said that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6 NIV). To the church in Philippi, he wrote, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11 ESV).

Contentment has to do with satisfaction. It’s the sentiment of the song we sometimes sing: “Whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, It is well with my soul.” That goes against the grain in our society. Our society says that if things are not going well for us, we should not stand for it. And if things are going well for us, we deserve even better. It’s easy to buy into that kind of thinking, isn’t it?

I want to suggest that the apostle Paul could be content in any situation because he understood two things: circumstances always change, but God does not. The key to commitment is what foundation we build our lives on. What is the focal point of our lives—our circumstances or the God who does not change?

If our lives are built on the things that take place around us, then I suspect we’ll never find contentment. We may find happiness on occasion, but happiness depends on what happens to us. There have been people who thought they were on top of the world one day, and then crushed beneath it the next. When the stock market crashed in 1929, a number of people committed suicide. To them, life simply wasn’t worth living any longer. That kind of thing has happened over and over again. As long as life is built on such fragile foundations, we shouldn’t be surprised when it all comes crashing down.

But if we build our lives around an unchanging God, then we might be nicely surprised at how well the storms of life can be weathered. We need to remember that he is in control, and that he cares for us. Whatever happens, we can still rest assured that God has not relinquished control of his universe, and that he still takes care of his children.

“⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV).

“²⁵ Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:25-33 ESV).

Let me ask you this: Where is your confidence? What foundation are you building your life on? If it has been the wrong one, will you make it right?