Real contentment

Are you content today?  Why or why not?  Can you relate to this story. . .

” I’m walking outside with my kids on a blustery, October day. The wind swirls; the vibrant yellow and red of fall is back dropped by a gray, brooding sky. Autumn days like these are my favorite kinds of days and normally, on a day like this, outside and walking with my little ones, my heart would be alive, joyful, thankful. Normally, I’d be vaguely hearing the chatter of tiny voices while listening to the rustling of the wind, enjoying the beauty before me.

But not today.

Discontent has made it’s way into my heart; it presses heavy, muting the sounds of life, blinding my sight. Discontent came fast and hit hard; my heart has been infected. As I walk, I’m brooding, worrying about things I’m powerless to change, wishing for things He hasn’t given. –

Keep reading how Elisha Galotti fought for “True Contentment.” 

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What is Philippians 4:13 really teaching?

Interesting that my daughter and I were just talking about this verse the other day and pointing out several of the main points this article makes.  I’m pretty convinced that this is one of the most misunderstood verses in modern day American Christianity.

Read “Jesus: Lord of Feast and Famine, Homeruns and Strikeouts”

Take away thought: “Philippians 4:13 isn’t mainly about doing all the great things you’d want to do anyways, but sprinkled with a little Jesus gusto. Rather, the verse is mainly about how Jesus is strong enough to give us contentment in life’s very worst circumstances.”

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Six resolves from Philippians 4

D. A. Carson spoke recently spoke on six resolutions for living  in light of the gospel from Philippians 4.  Aaron Armstrong has summarized Carson’s message and I commend his synopsis of it.  Here are the six resolves:

1. Resolve to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4;4)
2. Resolve to be known for gentleness (Philippians 4:5)
3. Resolve not to be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6-7)
4. Resolve to think holy thoughts (Philippians 4:8-9)
5. Resolve to learn the secret of contentment (Philippians 4:10-13)
6. Resolve to grow in the grace of gratitude and courtesy (Philippians 4:14-20)

Which of these six resolutions is most challenging to you personally? Why?

Read the rest here.

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Two meditations on contentment

J. C. Ryle counsels us where the best school of contentment is.

If I would I learn how to be contented and cheerful under all the cares and anxieties of life, what school shall I go to? How shall I attain this state of mind most easily? Shall I look at the sovereignty of God, the wisdom of God, the providence of God, the love of God? It is well to do so; but I have a better argument still. I will look at Calvary and the crucifixion. I feel that He who spared not His only begotten Son but delivered Him up to die for me, will surely with Him give me all things that I really need. He that endured that pain for my soul, will surely not withhold from me anything that is really good. He that has done the greater things for me, will doubtless do the lesser things also. He that gave His own blood to procure me a home, will unquestionably supply me with all that is really profitable for me by the way. Ah, reader, there is no school for learning contentment that can be compared with Calvary and the foot of the cross.

Jeremiah Burroughs in The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment tells us what contentment has to battle against.  In short order contentment is opposed to murmuring, fretting, a tumultuous spirit, an unsettled spirit, distracting, heart-consuming cares, discouragement,  sinful plotting to get relief or help,and desperate risings of the soul against God.  Challies gives the full explanation of each of these  After reading them, I recognize how I often allow some of these enemies of contentment to rob me of the peace of God that passes all understanding.

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Comparing for contentment!

“Let us compare our condition with Christ’s upon earth. What a poor, mean condition was He pleased to be in for us! He was content with anything. ‘For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich yet for your sakes He became poor’ (2 Corinthians 8:9). He could have brought down a house from heaven with Him, or challenged the high places of earth; but He was content to be in the wine press that we might be in the wine cellar, and to live poor that we might die rich. The manger was His cradle, the cobwebs His canopy. He who is now preparing mansions for us in heaven had none for Himself on earth. He had nowhere to lay His head. Christ came in the form of a pauper, “Who being in the form of God took upon Him the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:6-7). We do not read of any sums of money that He had. When He wanted money, He was forced to work a miracle for it (Matthew 17:27). Jesus Christ was in a low condition. He was never high, except when He was lifted up upon the cross, and that was His humility. He was content to live poor and die cursed. Oh, compare your condition with Christ’s!”–Thomas Watson, The Art of Divine Contentment via Counseling One Another

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Contentment quotes

Are you content? Need some spiritual encouragement in this area?

Take a dose or two from two well-known Puritans. Firs some quotes from Thomas Watson in his book The Art of Divine Contentment.

“Discontentment is to the soul as a disease is to the body: it puts it out of temper and much hinders its regular and sublime motions heavenward….[It] is not to be excused because it is natural, but resisted because it is sinful. That which should put us out of love with this sullen distemper is the contemplation of the beautiful queen of contentment.” [v]

“Here is the difference between a holy complaint and a discontented complaint. In the one we complain to God; in the other we complain of God.” [17]

“Murmuring is no better than mutiny in the heart; it is a rising up against God. When the sea is rough and unquiet, it casts forth nothing but foam. When the heart is discontented, it casts forth the foam of anger, impatience, and sometimes little better than blasphemy. Murmuring is nothing else but scum which boils off from a discontented heart.” [18]

“God’s Providence, which is nothing but the carrying out of His decrees, should be a counterpoison against discontent. God has set us in station, and has done it in wisdom.” [23]

“Discontent makes a man so that he does not enjoy what he possesses. A drop or two of vinegar will sour a whole glass of wine. Let a man have the affluence and confluence of worldly comforts, yet a drop or two of discontent will embitter and poison all.” [26]

“Why do you complain of your troubles? It is not trouble that troubles, but discontent. It is not the water outside the ship, but the water that gets within the leak which drowns it. It is not outward affliction that can make the life of a Christian sad; a contented mind would sail above these waters. But when there is a leak of discontent open and trouble gets into the heart, then it is disquieted and sinks. Do, therefore, as the mariners: pump the water out and stop this spiritual leak in your soul, and no trouble can hurt you.” [27]

“Thus contentment, as a honeycomb, drops sweetness into every condition. But discontent is a leaven that sours every comfort. It puts aloes and wormwood upon the breast of the creature. It lessens every mercy and triples every cross, but the contented spirit sucks sweetness from every flower of Providence. It can make something sweet out of poison.” [69]

“Discontent is the devil’s delight…Repentance is the joy of the angels, and discontent is the joy of the devils. As the devil dances at discord, so he sings at discontent.” [72-73]

“God makes our adversity our university.” [74]

And then one for good measure from another Puritan:

Labour to be spiritually minded. That is, be often in meditation of the things that are above. ‘If we be risen with Christ,’ say the Scriptures, ‘let us seek the things that are above, where Christ is, that sits at the right hand of God.’ Be much in spiritual thoughts, in conversing with things above. Many Christians who have an interest in the things of Heaven converse but very little with them; their meditations are not much upon heavenly things. Some give this as the reason why Adam did not see his nakedness, they think that he had so much converse with God and with things above sense, that he did not so much mind or think of what nakedness was. Whether that were so or not I will not say, but this I say, and am certain of, the reason why we are so troubled with our nakedness, with any wants that we have, is because we converse so little with God, so little with spiritual things; conversing with spiritual things would lift us above the things of the world. Those who are bitten or struck by a snake, it is because they tread on the ground; if they could be lifted up above the earth they need never fear being stung by the snakes which are crawling underneath. So I may compare the sinful distemper of murmuring, and the temptations and evils that come from that, to snakes that crawl up and down below; but if we could get higher we should not be stung by them. A heavenly conversation is the way to contentment.

- Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (pp. 219, 220)

Thanks to Paul and Zach for sharing these quotes.  If you aren’t content with these quotes on contentment, click here for some more!

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Is your thinkin’ stinkin’?

“Stinkin’ thinkin’” can result from many things.

Biblical Counseling for Women which is all about heart change for life change writes in this post about discontentment:

Imagine for a moment the limbs on one of your backyard trees. Each limb has a number of smaller limbs, some larger than others but all produce leaves or fruit. The root system of a tree is similar to the above ground limb system of a tree with each root having a number of tentacles.

The fruit on a tree is the result of the quality of the root system and if discontent is obviously present we can expect a number of different tentacles within the root system that eventually manifest themselves as more bad fruit.  In other words, there are within the root system many idols and serving those idols produces other bad fruits on the tree related to discontent.

Read the rest in “Stinkin’ Thinkin’” to seek heart change for life change in dealing with discontenment!

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Is contentment just a beautiful idea?

Timeless words from A.W. Pink on contentment via HereIblog

Discontent! Was there ever a time when there was so much restlessness in the world as there is today? We very much doubt it. Despite our boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time and money expended daily in pleasure, discontent is everywhere. No class is exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost everybody is dissatisfied. Many even among God’s own people are affected with the evil spirit of this age.

Contentment! Is such a thing realizable, or is it nothing more than a beautiful ideal, a mere dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth or is it restricted to the inhabitants of heaven? If practicable here and now, may it be retained, or are a few brief moments or hours of contentment the most that we may expect in this life? Such questions as these find answer, an answer at least, in the words of the apostle Paul: “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Phil. 4:11).¹

He concludes the chapter on contentment with the following paragraph.

Let our final word be this: real contentment is only possible by being much in the presence of the Lord Jesus. This comes out clearly in the verses which follow our opening text; “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12, 13). It is only by cultivating intimacy with that One who was never discontent that we shall be delivered from the sin of complaining. It is only by daily fellowship with Him Who ever delighted in the Father’s will that we shall learn the secret of contentment. May both writer and reader so behold in the mirror of the Word the glory of the Lord that we shall be “changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).²

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A prayer about contentment and stuff

Part of Scotty Smith’s recent prayer which was very apropos in light of the message I am preaching this morning from Mark 10:17-22:

Father, we look to you. Give us the perspective and power of the gospel as we make hard decisions, and reflect on our relationship to money and “stuff.” Free us from an attitude of entitlement and place within us a Spirit of contentment. When did we first assume the right to excess? When did abundance get relabeled as need? Why did we think only first-century disciples of Jesus would ever actually have to pray for daily bread?

In our “iWorld” of new gadgets and cool widgets, help us ponder the fact that over half of the population on the earth exists on three of our American dollars, or less, a day. Free us to share with others from the much or little that we have. Help us to raise our children not to love money as much as we have. Don’t let us grow bitter, shame-filled or fearful.

Father, if we would wear ourselves out for anything, let it be to become rich toward you (Luke 12:20–21)—to have the gospel so penetrate our hearts that we cry out with spontaneous joy, “Who do I have in heaven but you, O Lord, and being with you I desire nothing on the earth . . . You are my portion, sovereign Lord.”

Lord Jesus, you who were immeasurably rich in all things became incomprehensibly poor for us, so that we, who were desperately poor in sin, might be made inconceivably rich in grace. We worship and adore, with humility and gratitude. We thank you for the daily bread of both wheat and the gospel. So very Amen we pray, in your holy and gracious name.

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What’s the secret of contentment

Pastor Carl Robbins walks us through a new book on contentment, an issue that so many Christians struggle with on a regularly basis. The book is The Secret of Contentment by William Barcley (not to be confused with William Barclay who wrote commentaries on the NT and is now dead).

Dr. Barcley does more than tell you that you should be content; he convinces you that you should pursue contentment (Chapter 2) by giving you seven strong reasons why you should. He also holds the mirror up to your heart/face and shows you how discontentment looks, and it isn’t pretty! The Scripture has consistently harsh words for grumbling, murmuring and all other manifestations of discontentment. Barcley even shows you the current and future danger of the grumbling, discontented person (Chapter 3).

One of the excellent features of the book is its strong exegetical grounding. Dr. Barcley is an Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, and it shows in his excellent handling of the foundational texts on the subject. In fact, an added bonus with the book is that you get a “mini-commentary” on the principle passages from Philippians!

Along the way Barcley addresses some thorny theological issues. One is the charge made against Puritan and Reformed thought that it is “overly introspective.” Barcley effectively debunks this old canard and fleshes out a full-orbed doctrine of sin  and repentance, and mortification (chapter 6). Another is Barcley’s wise demonstration of how important our eschatology is (chapter 7) and that it is at the core of our contentment! In addition, Barcley gives a wonderful treatment of the doctrine of “union with Christ” (chapter 8).

The second half of the book is where Barcley truly shines. Here he carefully takes you to “contentment school,” showing that you can (as Paul said in Philippians 4) learn to be contented, and lays out the means for attaining it.

Buy this book and savor it. Don’t read it hastily. Soak in it.

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