Content
Good Morning,
1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice evermore.”
vs. 18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
We live in a society of grumbling — a morbid creature. This kind of society always blames others, constantly displays discontent, demands more than it possesses, directs anger at others who know or have more, and demands a life without sorrow or hardship — absolute folly.
Our discontent culture is producing pitiful creatures! Our culture has more grumbling and discontent people than any other people in history. We, as Americans, enjoy more pleasure and privilege than anyone on earth from the present or the past. We have medical science to thank (and the mercy of God) for longer lives than any others in our recorded history (with the exception of early biblical history). We possess such elaborate and luxurious homes and cars; and on top of that, travel has become common. Our grandparents did little of such things as flights, cruises, or international sightseeing; yet, these activities are not the least uncommon in our world today.
Yet, with all of these pleasures and privileges, we are discontent. God commands us to guard our thoughts and actions in order to cultivate contentment.
Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content.
1 Timothy 6:8 “And having food and raiment let us be therewith conten
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
In these verses, which were written in first-century Israel, under Roman rule, and in comparatively primitive living conditions, God exhorts all to be content with the Lord and His Divine provision for each of us.
In the mid-1600s John Locke wrote:
“For, though the reach of our understandings falls far short of the vast extent of things, we shall still have reason to praise God for the kind and amount of knowledge that he has bestowed on us, so far above all the rest of creation. Men have reason to be well satisfied with what God has seen fit to give them, since he has given them everything they need for the conveniences of life and the forming of virtuous characters—that is, everything they need to discover how to thrive in this life and how to find their way to a better one…Men can find plenty of material for thought, and for a great variety of pleasurable physical activities, if they don’t presumptuously complain about their own constitution and throw away the blessings their hands are filled with because their hands are not big enough to grasp everything. We shan’t have much reason to complain of the narrowness of our minds if we will only employ them on topics that may be of use to us; for on those they are very capable…”
Here, before electricity, the common use of indoor plumbing, air conditioning, or countless other niceties we enjoy, Locke urged men to think, to learn, to enjoy, and to content themselves with that which they are able to do and achieve.
We live in a world in which evil men mix freely with the righteous. With storms and drought, earthquakes and volcanos, the very planet upon which we live is powerful beyond our words. Combining the evils of men with the havoc caused by “natural disasters” in our lives will obviously create trials and suffering. This fact has always been so, and all the anger and bitterness we can muster will not change it one bit. Contentment is still the prudent and happy path to follow.
Without question, this world gives us more than we deserve. Likewise, the fact that we, as Americans, enjoy vastly more than most of the world or history could imagine is clear. Another reason to be content is that God, in His mercy, promises us more on earth and in Heaven than we could ever earn. In Hebrews 13:5, God says, “…be content with such things as ye have…” When the world deals with us in an ill manner, may we lean on the Sovereign One and seek to honor Him in those difficult hours, and remember that most of the world’s residents face much more difficult and harrowing times regularly than we do for the short season we are asked to suffer.
Abigail Adams, the wife of the second president, wrote that conflict and suffering were natural and assumed portions of the life we live, especially in Washington. She faced ill health all her life, the death of a child, her husband being gone much (as much as five years away at one time), financial fears after John left the White House, and countless other challenges; yet, she is revered as one of the greatest women in American history. Complaining was certainly not one of her activities.
Do not allow the culture of today to fill you with envy, covetousness, and discontentment. Compared to the rest of the world history, we live great lives; considering the eternal promises, we have sufficient promises to cause rejoicing for all our days.
Pastor