English (United States) 
Cover Letter of the Autumn 2016 Vision Newsletter
A Puritan man long ago sat down to a meal of bread and water. He bowed his head in prayer and declared – “All this and Jesus too?” Truly a wonderful example of contentment and thankfulness.
David expressed his contentment as well in his words in Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want! Contentment and gratitude are linked together. When one is thankful for what they have, they are content. And when one is content in their life, they are thankful. From this we can understand that being content is a choice – I shall not want! Let us never misinterpret the expression, “Always thankful, never satisfied,” that the District Apostle Kraus often intoned. His expression revealed that we should always be filled with thankfulness for all God provides, but never be satisfied with ourselves, our work, or our efforts because we can never deserve the grace that Christ shares with us.
It is always good to remember the words of Solomon is Ecclesiastes 5:15 – As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand. Hence, we really own nothing, but simply use it while we are here in this life, borrowed from God, the Creator of all. And as Jesus explained, we are not defined by these things, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses (Luke 12:15). It then begs the question – how is one defined then? The Lord clearly told Samuel, the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
As we come into the Thanksgiving season again and as we complete this year together, let us see to it that our hearts are filled with contentment for what our loving Father has bestowed upon us, even though it may seem difficult from our view. Our contentment shows our trust in His omnipotence – He is with us always and will provide for us out of His divine providence.
In thankfulness we can then exclaim – “What can I ask of Your providence more?”