Struggling to feel content in your life? Use these Bible verses on contentment to see how to truly experience more joy and satisfaction.
If there is anything that is hard to come by in our social-media-crazed world, it is contentment. The ability to have instant access to the lives of people we know and strangers alike gives us a convenient yet tainted view of their lives.
The reality is that most of us don’t post the first picture we take. And even fewer of us reveal the mess on the other side of the camera, or the mess we may be experiencing inside of ourselves.
Though social media is meant to keep us connected to others, it often has the opposite effect. When it becomes the culprit of our discontentment, it not only disconnects us from others. It stirs feelings of envy, disappointment, and emptiness, and can even lead to depression.
Social media isn’t the only cause of discontentment. However, it is a prevailing issue in our modern world right now.
We can become discontent due to a lack of thankfulness for what we already have. When we are always pursuing more, better, or the latest thing, it can be hard to appreciate what we have. When we rely on material things or exceptional circumstances to experience joy, we can also find ourselves feeling discontent.
You may feel discontent in your singleness, in your work, where you live, or in what you look like.
Often discontent is the result of focusing on what we don’t have rather than seeing the good in what we do have. It is not only something we have the ability to practice daily, but contentment is a heart posture that we grow in.
Ways to Practice Contentment
- Meditate on Scripture. These Bible verses are a great way to start growing in contentment. You can choose a couple of verses, write them down, and let your mind and heart chew on them. Think about what it is saying, and how you can apply it to your daily life. Contentment is not merely an outward expression, it begins in the inner workings of our hearts. As you meditate on Scripture, the Holy Spirit changes your heart, which changes your desires.
- Take a social media break. If you are on social media and you find yourself scrolling and comparing your life to the lives of people on social media – take a break. It is easy to get caught up in the highlight reels of social media. But it is important to remember that people are only showing certain parts of their lives and those parts can easily be filtered and curated. Social media is not real life, but it can stir up real feelings and thoughts in you. Be aware of your thought patterns when you are on social media. If it leads you to feel discontent most of the time, consider getting rid of it.
- Look around. How often do we take a moment to pause and look around us? When life is always on the go, we can forget to slow down to see the many things we can be grateful for. One of those things is life or a new day. It can be so easy to take certain things in life for granted, but nothing is guaranteed, not even life. Learn to pause, write down what you are grateful for, and include thanksgiving in your prayers to God. You’ll be surprised at the difference a little thanks can make.
- Don’t buy things you don’t need. Have you ever bought an item on sale, a product that an influencer was promoting, or a new gadget that hit the market? Were any of those purchases things that you didn’t really need or use? We allow ourselves to be swayed, many times because we believe that once we acquire something we will be happier, prettier, healthier, or wealthier. But the truth is that we can get by without most of the things we often spend money on. There is rarely a true need to upgrade to the newest phone when you have the latest version. This is only an example, but it helps us understand the difference between things we need and things we want. Something we just have to pause and ask ourselves, do I need this or I want it but have no true use for it? When you start to see the difference, you may be amazed how many of your true needs are met, giving you more and more feelings of contentment.
The following Bible verses show the great value of being content not only in ideal circumstances but especially when times are tough.
All Bible verses below are from the New International Version (NIV).
Scripture on Contentment
1. Hebrews 13:5 – Be Content With What You Have
“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.”
Hebrews 13:5
2. 1 Timothy 6:6 – Godliness With Contentment Is A Power Combo
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
1 Timothy 6:6
3. Luke 12:15 – Be On Guard Against Greed
“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Luke 12:15
4. Philippians 4:19 – Relying On God To Meet Your Needs
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
5. 2 Corinthians 12:10 – Reframing Hardship
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:10
6. 1 Corinthians 7:17 – Live In The Situation God Has Called You To
“Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.”
1 Corinthians 7:17
7. Ecclesiastes 3:13 – Experience Satisfaction In Your Work
“That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”
7. Ecclesiastes 3:13
8. Matthew 6:25 – Do Not Worry
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
Matthew 6:25
9. Psalm 23:1 – You Lack Nothing
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
Psalm 23:1
10. Philippians 4:11 – Content In Any Circumstance
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
Philippians 4:11
11. Matthew 6:33 – Seek Him First
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33
12. Psalm 16:11 – Fill Me With Joy & Eternal Pleasures
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11
13. Proverbs 28:25 – Trust Is The Antidote To Greed
“The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.”
Proverbs 28:25
14. Proverbs 16:8 – Sometimes Little Is Better
“Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.”
Proverbs 16:8
15. Proverbs 28:20 – Faithfulness Will Be Richly Blessed
“A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.”
Proverbs 28:20
16. James 4:2 – Ask God
“You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.”
James 4:2
17. Job 36:11 – Obey & Serve & Live With Contentment
“If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.”
Job 36:11
18. Proverbs 28:6 – The Blameless Poor Are “Richer”
“Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.”
Proverbs 28:6
19. 1 Corinthians 7:24 – Responsible To God
“Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.”
1 Corinthians 7:24
20. Psalm 55:22 – The Lord Will Sustain You
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Psalm 55:22
21. Psalm 34:8 – Fully Experience God’s Goodness
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Psalm 34:8
22. Ecclesiastes 4:6 – Tranquility Is Better Than Toil
“Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 4:6
23. Psalm 37:16 – Righteous Little Is Better Than Wicked Wealth
“Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked.”
Psalm 37:16
24. Isaiah 26:3 – Steadfast Minds Bring Perfect Peace
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
Isaiah 26:3
25. Luke 3:14 – Be Content
“Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
Luke 3:14
26. Romans 14:17 – The Kingdom Of God Is More Than The Things Of This World
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 14:17
27. James 2:5 – Rich In Faith
“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”
James 2:5
28. Psalm 118:24 – Rejoice And Be Glad Today
“The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.”
Psalm 118:24
29. Philippians 4:12 – The Secret Of Being Content
“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.”
Philippians 4:12
30. Proverbs 14:14 – Faithfulness Is Rewarded
“The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for theirs.”
Proverbs 14:14
31. Psalm 37:7 – Do Not Fret
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
Psalm 37:7
32. Proverbs 19:23 – Fear Of The Lord Leads To Contentment
“The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
Proverbs 19:23
33. Matthew 5:6 – Hunger For Righteousness & You Will Be Filled
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 5:6