Song: Get Your Hope Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6FZzIy6VjA
Prayer: Lord help us to trust you more, to love you more to place ALL our hope in/on you. Thank you for this place and this time and for each other. We ask healing for those who need healing, provision for those who need that and a renewed JOY in you.
Help us to set aside the cares of life as we ponder your Word together tonight.
Would you describe yourself as content? All the time?
Or how would others describe you regarding contentment?
I have been pondering “contentment” for a few weeks now. We are going to consult an Internet source and look up some verses.
I think at times, we think contentment and joy and happiness are all the same thing. They are not really. Joy is kind of a gift, a positional sort of thing. We can be in a settled state of underlying joy no matter what is going on.
To me, Joy comes from realizing that Jesus is our hope.
Jesus has promised never to abandon us or leave us alone.
And then as born again followers of Jesus as Lord and Savior there is the joy of obedience (smile, yes obedience leads to joy) and of knowing that our hearts and spirits are safe in Jesus’ love.
Let’s see what an Internet source says:
True, biblical contentment is a conviction that Christ’s power, purpose and provision are sufficient for every circumstance. The Bible calls us to allow our convictions, not our circumstances, to govern our sense of contentment. We are to learn how to walk through all kinds of adversity believing in and experiencing Christ’s sufficiency.
We have to choose to rest on God’s good promises despite what may be going on in our lives.
Dodi Note: Of course to do that we have to both actually KNOW what God has promised us and believe Him.
Let’s go to the Word.
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Dodi Note: Paul is amazing. He was often beaten and sometimes to the point of death. He was thrown into prison numerous times. And yet, he says he has LEARNED to BE content in WHATEVER circumstances he is in. He has been poor and in need, and he started out from a wealthy family and was important before becoming a Follower of Jesus. He has been hungry and had plenty to eat. He has for sure known suffering and his bottom line is…he can do (endure) all things why? Because Jesus gives him the strength to do so.
Maybe you are in a very difficult situation. Or perhaps you have just come out of one of those. Can you say with Paul that you have learned to be content no matter what?
Or maybe like me, you are making that a goal to strive toward.
It appears from this verse/passage that being content has less to do with our physical environment than our heart toward/with Jesus.
Our next verse is an excellent reminder.
1 Timothy 6:6-12 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Dodi Note: Notice money is NOT the root of all evil. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Dodi Note: In a sense, Paul is actually describing what contentment looks like.
Do you see the first bit? “Godliness WITH contentment is great gain”?
Let’s read this passage in Message Translation (actually paraphrase)
Message: A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God.
Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.
But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.
Dodi note: Wow, right? But true we have all seen those TV money grubbing so called evangelists. They give true Christianity a bad name.
Paul continues instructing Timothy:
11-12 But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, and courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.
Is contentment becoming clearer or still a bit murky? For me it clearer but I do not feel like I have full understanding yet. Maybe we never will get to the place Paul was in but we do have a few more verses on the topic to help us get more understanding.
2 Cor. 12:9-10 “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” …Therefore I am well
Content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Dodi Note: It seems the common theme for Paul at least is total faith and trust in the goodness of God.
We see other places where Jesus Himself tells us that when we are weak, he is strong. Just like in the Song, Jesus Loves Me. When we can’t and admit that we really can’t and then fall back into a place of looking to, looking for and trusting Jesus our “I can’t” Becomes His I CAN.
Look at Paul’s list weakness, insults, distress, persecution, and difficulties. I am pretty sure each of us can identify with at least a few of those. Paul said…even then or maybe especially then, God’s GRACE is enough. Remember grace is unmerited favor.
But we have to be intentional about looking for it.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Dodi Note: This is one of those often-quoted verses that people only tend to quote a portion of. We hear “all things work for our good” or “God works all things for good” a lot. Right? But often the last very important condition is omitted. All things work to the good for those who “have been called according to God’s purpose”. Meaning those of us who are actively seeking to follow God and live life His way.
As an extreme example, say someone has intimate relations with multiple partners….instead of waiting for God ordained marriage. And then they get a STD. Was God not working all things for their good? Ummm well they neglected to implement the conditional part and live life according to God’s purposes. See?
I know a man in town who did drugs as a teen, Got high. Thought he could fly so jumped off a high roof to fly. Well of course he did NOT fly and ended up a quadriplegic. Was God mean? Or was that a sin choice, which removed God from his life? IDK. BUT now he goes in his chair and tells teens what not to do. So God sure did NOT cause him to become paralyzed but God did use it for good. It would be much better though if Josh had never done the drugs.
Here is another conditional promise of contentment: Job 36:11 If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.
The condition…obey and serve. And ALL of us can serve God right where we are. Rich or poor. Healthy or sick. We can choose to brighten someone’s day with the love of God, or we can choose to grumpy all over people. Which person do you think will have contentment regardless of their circumstances?
Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
Dodi Note: Another condition for inheriting the promise of contentment.
And one more: Psalm 34:10b Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Now let’s look at some instruction.
Romans 12:2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Dodi Note: The term contentment is not specified as such here but… implied.
Proverbs 30: 7-9 Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Dodi Note: Solomon, who is rich and has every single thing anyone could want, is praying to God.
He is asking for not too much and not too little. Just the right amount to keep him humble and dependent on God.
Next we see Jesus giving a specific instruction that leads to or ushers in contentment:
Luke 3:14 And some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
Dodi Note: Basically he is saying be content with what you have.
The last one is a precious promise:
Proverbs 14:30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
The conclusion from the Internet source:
Biblical Contentment Found In Striving To Be More Like Christ
What stands out to me from the verses above is that they all have a common thread. You can find contentment only in Christ, and in striving to serve Him. Contentment can't be found in God's creation or in things like people, possessions, or money. In fact those things may hinder your pursuit for true happiness and contentment.
https://www.biblemoneymatters.com/10-bi ... ess-world/
Comments or Questions?