Enough! The Power of Contentment By R. Scott Rodin

The Truth About Enough

We don’t have enough financial resources, quality staff, facilities, donors, students, or supportive board members. The list goes on. We can add to it our lack of enough time, vision, energy, experience, courage, or even faith. How do we lead effectively amid the challenges that result from all we seem to lack?

Leadership in these times is fraught with scarcity everywhere we turn.

But what if this is not the truth? What if we are buying into a grand lie? What if God’s perspective is the exact opposite of this scarcity worldview? Are we willing to consider a different, powerful, audacious truth?

We Have Enough

Here it is…we have enough. Scripture urges us to cultivate a heart that embraces this truth, believes this truth, and lives with its assurance. Deep contentment is the fruit of a heart that believes it has enough. Contentment means being at peace in the storm, calm in the chaos, and trusting in God’s supply when scarcity claws at the door.

Contentment is a direct result of faith that God will not only supply all our needs but also that He has. It is a present-tense affirmation that the promise has been fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled every day. It focuses us away from what we think we lack and onto what God has richly provided and then sets us to work to steward it wisely.

The Source of Power

For steward leaders, there is immense power in this affirmation. In a world hungry for certainty and control, it’s ironic that the greatest power at our disposal comes from realizing that God has supplied us with all we need. Do you want to lead with confidence, peace, and courage? Acknowledge all that God has provided, believe it is enough, and dedicate yourself to using it faithfully, and you will break the chains of scarcity and be set free to rejoice in God’s abundance.

Definition of Success

To understand this, I need to ask you a question. How do you define success for yourself?

Answer this question: “My life is successful when I…”

Be aware that how you answer that question drives everything you do. That is, we shape our lives around our pursuit of success, so its definition profoundly affects all aspects of our lives. Here are two possible answers.

One set of answers describes the things we do to achieve success. When we define success in terms of accomplishments, goals reached, experiences we’ve had, or even relationships we enjoy and people we’ve impacted, we are defining success in terms of ‘doing’. We may call this production-driven success. This definition may be a major part of each of our definitions, and our lives bear witness to its consuming influence.

God’s Definition of Success

This other set of answers describes how God defines success for you. In Revelation 2:10, God says to the church in Smyrna, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” God’s one desire for us is that our lives be marked by faithfulness. That is His definition of success for each of us. A powerful thing happens when we adopt this definition for ourselves; all of the promises and potency of heaven are available to us if we seek only to be obedient and faithful to the will and way of God. As soon as we seek another definition, we are thrown back on ourselves, and the power of heaven evades us.

At the heart of a definition of success as faithfulness is the acknowledgment that if we pursue faithfulness, God will supply all we need. His provision and His power will be enough…more than enough.

Two Promises

Jesus was serious when He said,

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing… If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

John 15:5,7

 Don’t miss these two promises: abide in Christ, and there is nothing too great that we can ask of God that He will not grant; focus on ourselves and we are stripped of God’s power and provision.

Leaders, this is God’s truth for us in a culture of scarcity. Abide in Christ. Stay rooted in the Vine. Believe that in Him we have everything we need. Trust His provision, His promises, and His power. Stay rooted and ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Amazing. When we are so intimately connected to Jesus, our hearts will be content. We will be full, satisfied, complete. We will have enough.

Here is a Simple Summary

As we strive for success in what we do, we rely on our own power to achieve it. When we strive for the life of faithfulness accomplished through a daily abiding in Christ, we have a surrendered and contented heart. And through such a heart, God is prepared to shower His blessings and power to accomplish the work of His kingdom. But it will always be God’s work done God’s way for God’s glory.

I encourage you to say this prayer every morning for a week and see if your heart is not reshaped according to God’s promise. It is a declaration of freedom in God’s abundance in the face of a world in bondage to discontentment and lack.

Pray it. Proclaim it. Believe it.

“Lord, thank you for giving me enough time to accomplish everything you ask me to do. Help me
to steward every minute wisely.

Lord, thank you for providing me with sufficient financial resources to meet my needs. Help me to steward
them faithfully.

Lord, thank you for giving me enough health and energy to carry out the work to which you
have called me. Help me to steward them joyfully.

Lord, thank you for giving me enough love and affirmation to satisfy my spirit. Help me to
treasure it daily.

Lord, thank you for giving me enough rest in you to refresh my soul. Let it wash over me until my
heart is content in you.

Lord, thank you for making me the way I am and working in me to be more like you every
day. Let my identity as your child fill me with total contentment and peace.”

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This blog is excerpted from Scott’s new book.

• Pre-Order your copy of ENOUGH
• Read a Sample Chapter
• Visit the ENOUGH book website
• See the Interactive Study Guide

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R. Scott Rodin is the Senior Consultant/Chief Strategy Officer for The Focus Group. Over the past thirty-eight years, Scott Rodin has helped hundreds of organizations enhance their effectiveness in leadership, fundraising, strategic planning, and board development. His books and articles are available in over twenty languages. He has taught and consulted with ministries across five continents. Scott also serves as a Senior Fellow of the Association of Biblical Higher Education and as board chair for ChinaSource.

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