Making wise choices from a foundation of contentment.
Contentment is a spiritual state. Discontent
is also a spiritual state. We know contentment
is universally a good thing. We know it is something
for which to aspire. We know that it is better
for us psychologically. However, contentment
and for that matter, discontent, is deeper than
that. Is a spiritual state? What does that mean
spiritual state? What we are really getting at
is that contentment says something about your
relationship with God Discontentment says something
about our relationship with God in Luke 12 Jesus
is talking to his disciples about having Life
and living life in this world and staying focused
on the eternal Jesus is questioning our priorities
and our assumptions of what we need. There's
a lot going on in the chapter, and I'm having
a hard time letting it all lie for a later moment,
but I'm gonna do it. Jesus says in Luke 12 27,
consider the lilies how they grow, they toil
not, they spin not, and yet I say unto you that
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like
one of these. If then, God so clothed the grass,
which is today in the field, and tomorrow is
cast into the oven. How much more will he clothe
you, O ye of little faith? Traditionally, I think
we look at these verses and say, don't worry
about what you need, God will provide, which
is a true statement. He uses this analogy of
clothes to represent all of our physical needs.
Jesus says, God is going to give us clothes that
are carefully chosen. just as Solomon's royal
robes were carefully chosen. Which is interesting
to think about because clothing is often one
of the things we are most discontent about. I
know this is not true of all women, but I feel
like most of us, at least, go through a phase
where we're comparing what we're wearing and
what other people are wearing and feel a level
of discontent. Here's part of the point Jesus
is making. In all our getting and gathering and
pursuing, are we looking left and right instead
of upward? Are we paying closer attention to
our comfort and desires than God's comfort and
desires? This is the center of being content
and of being discontent. Discontentment comes
when we are focused on what we don't have rather
than what we do have. Being curious, I looked
up the Latin roots of the word contentment. Etiem
online says that it's from the Latin contentus,
meaning contained or satisfied, past participle
of continue to hold together or enclose. It says
that the connection of contained and satisfied
probably is that the contented person's desires
are bound up by what he or she already has. I
find that statement so interesting. The contented
person's desires are bound or stopped by a boundary
by what he or she already has. Going back to
the verse that says, God is going to give you
clothes that are as thoughtfully picked out for
you as the glory of Solomon's robes and the beauty
of the flower. God designed. The boundary for
our desire is what God has thoughtfully provided.
If we are worried and discontented with what
God has provided, we have little faith. Thus,
contentment and discontentment are spiritual
states. Let's look at the idea that God has thoughtfully
picked out what He is providing for us. Solomon
was clothed differently than the flower of the
field. Solomon's job was different than the job
of the flower of the field. We see here, though,
that God is not elevating Solomon's job over
the flower's job in the field. He isn't paying
more attention to Solomon's needs than the flower's
needs. which would be our tendency. There are
so many different things that need to be done
in this world and each of those things require
different tools and abilities. Think about height.
If there were no short people, there would be
no tall people. Obvious, but full of meaning.
The tall person can do things that the short
person cannot. This is true, but the short person
can do things that a tall person cannot. I am
often asked to help someone reach the top shelf
in a store. I am always pleased to help as it's
something I'm built for. I often ask my husband
to lift things that are too heavy for me. It's
something he is built for. The flower is a beautiful
thing, and I am glad that God designed them,
and they are content to do the job of providing
healing, nourishment, and beauty in this world.
King Solomon was also a great gift, and I am
glad God gave him wisdom so that he could share
that with us. Which says but godliness with contentment
is great gain This tells us that contentment
is a comfortable companion of the characteristics
of God or godliness and That it benefits us to
have both because verse 7 says for we brought
nothing into this world and it is certain we
can carry nothing out and Having food and raiment
let us be there with content But they that will
be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and
into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown
men in destruction and perdition. For the love
of money is the root of all evil, which while
some covet it after they have erred from the
faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows. When I read this verse I have pictures
of the old stories of adventurers and quests
for money, like the stories of the king's fifth
and Arabian knights. where the pursuit of treasure
and wealth brings out the worst characteristics.
And I think that is the point of this verse.
The love of wealth and treasure doesn't pair
well with godliness, the characteristics of God,
because it brings out selfishness and greed which
brings forth dishonesty in the forms of cheating
and lying and unfaithfulness. The world is clear
that such things are a snare. But we say I'm
not asking for great treasure. I'm just asking
for a little bit more So the argument you're
making is that what God has provided is not enough
Well, we say I appreciate so much of what he's
done for me. I would just like a little change
So the argument we're making is that we shouldn't
be bound by what we have I know it is so counter
-cultural, the American dream is the pursuit
of happiness, and happiness, as modernly defined,
is fleeting and elusive. But as Solomon says,
nothing is new under the sun, because this is
a temptation and a snare. It brings foolish and
hurtful desires which drown men in destruction
and perdition. Perdition is a final state of
ruin and punishment. That is pretty descriptive.
Discontent will cause you to drown in desires
that hurt you and are foolish, empty your vein,
leaving you in a place of ruin. I had never noticed
the word drown in that scripture. It seemed...
It seems such an apt description of where we
are as a society today. People are so disappointed
with their lives. Women are consuming higher
and higher quantities of antidepressants. As
a society, we're buying more and more and more,
and yet suicides keep climbing, families are
broken, anxiety is high. We are drowning in our
desires. Verse 10 says, For the love of money
is the root of all evil, which while some coveted
after they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows. I hear
this and I see people so agonized by stress and
anxiety, they don't even know what to do with
themselves, because they feel like they don't
have enough money to fix the problem. Even people
who believe Christ is the answer can walk away
from that hope because they are looking for the
answer somewhere else, and they have pierced
themselves with many sorrows. The sorrows are
self -inflicted because of discontent, because
they look at their neighbor's post and the influencer's
short, that they cause their own pain. They are
cutting themselves physically and emotionally.
Because contentment is a spiritual state and
so is discontent Returning to Luke 12 Jesus continues
in 29 and Seek not ye what you shall eat or what
you shall drink neither be ye of a doubtful mind
For all these things do the nations of the world
seek after and your father knoweth that you have
need of these things But, rather, seek ye the
kingdom of God, and all these things shall be
added unto you. Fear not, little flock, for it
is your father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom. Sell that you have, and give alms. Provide
yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure
in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief
approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Here is the solution for discontentment. Not
seeking, not being of a doubtful mind, not being
shaped and mold after all the things that the
whole world seeks after, trusting that our Heavenly
Father knows what we need and will provide those
things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God
and all these things shall be added to you. being
willing to sit within the boundaries, sit within
what has been provided, and being content, and
having no fear, knowing that it's our Father's
good pleasure to give us the kingdom. Sell what
you have and give us alms, provide yourselves
bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens
that faileth not, where no thief approacheth,
neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also." How amazing
would it be if instead of going to the store
and finding more stuff, selling what we have
and giving to someone in need, and in that way
we build treasure in heaven. It's not saying
that we have to do that. But it is saying we
need to be willing to do that We do need to be
doing it on some level So that we can find contentment
with what we have contentment with the things
the Lord has provided us and From that point
we will be able to make wise decisions We're
going to continue to talk about that next week