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Maybe You’re Not as Content as You Think
You Are
Truly contented
Christians know that they find genuine
happiness in a relationship with Christ.
Many Christians
today are unhappy and dissatisfied with
their lives. We live in relative
material ease yet we work to accumulate
even more possessions. We cram our
schedules full of activities as though
busyness were the key to contentment. In
the first of three articles on godly
contentment, Dr. Debbi Dunlap reminds us
if we want to be truly contented, we
must realize the truth that we find real
happiness, joy and satisfaction only in
our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Webster defines contentment
as “the state of being satisfied and
easy in mind.” Many Christians today are
very uneasy and dissatisfied.
The majority of us live lives of
relative material ease, yet we work hard
to accumulate even more possessions. Our
job is adequate to meet our family’s
needs, but we feel certain life would be
easier if we could only get that
promotion we’ve been hoping for. Our
used car gets us where we want to go,
but we’d rather have a new minivan. We
get along with our spouse fairly well,
but we’d probably be happier together if
we lived in a bigger house, in a more
upscale neighborhood. Our neighbors are
all tolerably pleasant, but there is one
irritating family down the street that
doesn’t mow their lawn often enough. We
like our church, but the Music Minister
really gets on our nerves.
We
often make the mistake of wanting to be
instantly gratified, rather than
learning to be satisfied.
We
are discontented with our lives. The
words of 1 Timothy 6:6-8 are worthy of
consideration,
But godliness actually is a means of
great gain, when accompanied by
contentment. For we have brought nothing
into the world, so we cannot take
anything out of it either. And if we
have food and covering, with these we
shall be content.
We do
not achieve contentment by filling every
waking moment with activities.
Few
of us seem to be content with food and
clothing alone. We cram our schedules
full of activities as though “busyness”
were the key to contentment. Then we
complain of never having enough time, or
of feeling chronically tired, anxious or
depressed. When someone greets us
casually with, “Hi, how are you?” we are
often quick to reply, “Stressed out!”
Discontentment is a sin. In 1
Thessalonians 5:16 the Apostle Paul
exhorts us,
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in
everything give thanks; for this is
God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Since
it is impossible to complain and rejoice
at the same time, we must disobey God in
order to register our dissatisfaction
about a given situation. The writer of
Philippians 2:14 exhorts us,
Do everything without complaining
or arguing.
We
should consider the fact that Paul wrote
this book at a time when he was in
prison. For thirty years, he had been
beaten, stoned and persecuted by mobs.
Yet, he was overflowing with joy in
spite of his circumstances. The secret
of his joy was his unceasing prayers of
gratitude and thanksgiving to God for
all that He had done in his life.
God
intends for His children to find
contentment in their relationship with
Him.
In
Psalm 90, Moses contrasts the eternity
of God with the brevity of man’s life.
We find a beautiful prayer for
contentment in verses 14 and 15:
O satisfy us in the morning with Your
lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy
and be glad all our days. Make us glad
as many days as You have afflicted us.
In
other words, we accept everything from
God’s hand—joy and hardship, ease and
suffering, health and affliction.
Through it all we will say, “Blessed be
the name of the Lord.”
Truly
contented Christians knows that real
happiness, joy, and satisfaction can
only be found in their relationship with
Jesus Christ. They do not search for
contentment in possessions, social
status, relationships, or in the
fleeting security of a job. They trust
in Christ alone for their fulfillment in
life.
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Are You a Giver or a Taker?
We should strive
to have godly ambition and to
accomplish our undertakings in
an exemplary manner.
Are you sometimes guilty of
complaining to God about your
lot in life? It is important to
understand what godly
contentment is and what it is
not. Contentment does not mean
that we idly sit back and do
nothing. In the second of a
three-part series on biblical
contentment, Dr. Debbi Dunlap
explains that Christians are to
be diligent, cheerful and
industrious in all their
undertakings. He reminds us that
the only path in life to true
satisfaction lies in being a
giver and not a taker.
It is important to establish
what godly contentment is and
what it is not. We find an
excellent definition of
contentment in Ephesians 3:19.
It is a prayer that Christians
will “know the love of Christ
which surpasses knowledge, and
be filled up to all the fullness
of God.”
Being content is not the same as
being apathetic.
Contentment does not mean
that we idly sit back and do
nothing. That amounts to apathy
and it does not honor God. The
Bible clearly commands Believers
to be diligent, cheerful and
industrious in all their
undertakings. The writer of
Ecclesiastes 9:10 instructs us,
Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might.
In Hebrews 13:5-6 Paul explains
the source of godly contentment:
Let your character be free from
the love of money, being content
with what you have; for He
Himself has said, ‘I will never
desert you, nor will I ever
forsake you,’ so that we
confidently say, ‘The Lord is my
helper, I will not be afraid.
What shall man do to me?’
A Christian should strive to
maintain godly ambition and seek
to accomplish all of his/her
undertakings in an exemplary
manner.
Some Christians make the serious
mistake of thinking that
contentment means they need not
demonstrate any evidence of
ambition in their lives.
However, contentment is not the
same as lack of ambition. Godly
ambition is a desirable trait
for Believers. It is a
commitment to achieve excellence
in every area of our lives in
order to honor the Lord.
Christians with no ambition tend
to be
takers.
They often selfishly believe
that God owes them certain
things—income, status, caring
friends and family. They are
generally unwilling to
inconvenience themselves for the
sake of others. They are
frequently heard complaining
about their lot in life, and
they are convinced that the
chance for true happiness has
somehow eluded them.
We should regularly ask
ourselves, “Am I a giver or a
taker?”
The only path to true
satisfaction in life is to be a
giver. A contented
person is “outwardly-focused,”
ready to seize every opportunity
to encourage others who are
downhearted or in need.
Christians should heed the words
of Proverbs 12:14,
A man will be satisfied
[contented] with good by the
fruit of his words, and the
deeds of a man’s hands will
return to him.
God expects His children to be
known to all men for their “love
and good deeds.” A worthy goal
for every Believer is to serve
others with a sincere and
fervent love.
God asks us in Isaiah 55:2,
Why do you spend your wages for
what does not satisfy? Listen
carefully to Me…and delight
yourself in abundance.
The abundance that God offers us
is the abundant life Jesus
speaks of in John 10:10,
I came that they might have
life, and might have it
abundantly.
Here Jesus is telling His
listeners the parable of the
Good Shepherd.
The “life” He refers to in this
verse is the eternal life that
God grants a sinner when He
redeems him/her from his/her
lost state. The “abundant life”
that is mentioned here is the
pasture that Jesus our Shepherd
provides for us, His sheep, as
He tenderly cares for us,
lovingly disciplines us,
faithfully indwells us with His
Holy Spirit, and progressively
conforms us to His image.
Most Christians would agree that
it is emotionally draining to
spend time with someone who is
not content with his/her life. A
discontented Christian cannot
possibly live each day in a
dissatisfied state, and at the
same time, fulfill God’s command
to “stimulate others to love and
good deeds.” |
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Personal Contentment Checklist
We should strive
to have godly ambition and to
accomplish our undertakings in
an exemplary manner.
Are you
sometimes guilty of complaining
to God about your lot in life?
It is important to understand
what godly contentment is and
what it is not. Contentment does
not mean that we idly sit back
and do nothing. In the second of
a three-part series on biblical
contentment, Dr. Debbi Dunlap
explains that Christians are to
be diligent, cheerful and
industrious in all their
undertakings. He reminds us that
the only path in life to true
satisfaction lies in being a
giver and not a taker.
It is important to establish
what godly contentment is and
what it is not. We find an
excellent definition of
contentment in Ephesians 3:19.
It is a prayer that Christians
will “know the love of Christ
which surpasses knowledge, and
be filled up to all the fullness
of God.”
Being content is not the same as
being apathetic.
Contentment does not mean
that we idly sit back and do
nothing. That amounts to apathy
and it does not honor God. The
Bible clearly commands Believers
to be diligent, cheerful and
industrious in all their
undertakings. The writer of
Ecclesiastes 9:10 instructs us,
Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might.
In Hebrews 13:5-6 Paul explains
the source of godly contentment:
Let your character be free from
the love of money, being content
with what you have; for He
Himself has said, ‘I will never
desert you, nor will I ever
forsake you,’ so that we
confidently say, ‘The Lord is my
helper, I will not be afraid.
What shall man do to me?’
A Christian should strive to
maintain godly ambition and seek
to accomplish all of his/her
undertakings in an exemplary
manner.
Some Christians make the serious
mistake of thinking that
contentment means they need not
demonstrate any evidence of
ambition in their lives.
However, contentment is not the
same as lack of ambition. Godly
ambition is a desirable trait
for Believers. It is a
commitment to achieve excellence
in every area of our lives in
order to honor the Lord.
Christians with no ambition tend
to be
takers.
They often selfishly believe
that God owes them certain
things—income, status, caring
friends and family. They are
generally unwilling to
inconvenience themselves for the
sake of others. They are
frequently heard complaining
about their lot in life, and
they are convinced that the
chance for true happiness has
somehow eluded them.
We should regularly ask
ourselves, “Am I a giver or a
taker?”
The only path to true
satisfaction in life is to be a
giver. A contented
person is “outwardly-focused,”
ready to seize every opportunity
to encourage others who are
downhearted or in need.
Christians should heed the words
of Proverbs 12:14,
A man will be satisfied
[contented] with good by the
fruit of his words, and the
deeds of a man’s hands will
return to him.
God expects His children to be
known to all men for their “love
and good deeds.” A worthy goal
for every Believer is to serve
others with a sincere and
fervent love.
God asks us in Isaiah 55:2,
Why do you spend your wages for
what does not satisfy? Listen
carefully to Me…and delight
yourself in abundance.
The abundance that God offers us
is the abundant life Jesus
speaks of in John 10:10,
I came that they might have
life, and might have it
abundantly.
Here Jesus is telling His
listeners the parable of the
Good Shepherd.
The “life” He refers to in this
verse is the eternal life that
God grants a sinner when He
redeems him/her from his/her
lost state. The “abundant life”
that is mentioned here is the
pasture that Jesus our Shepherd
provides for us, His sheep, as
He tenderly cares for us,
lovingly disciplines us,
faithfully indwells us with His
Holy Spirit, and progressively
conforms us to His image.
Most Christians would agree that
it is emotionally draining to
spend time with someone who is
not content with his/her life. A
discontented Christian cannot
possibly live each day in a
dissatisfied state, and at the
same time, fulfill God’s command
to “stimulate others to love and
good deeds.” |
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