How To Make Your Heart Content

[From The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (1600-1646). Justin Perry of Covenant Life Church in Tampa quoted the third consideration in his talk this week at the Treasuring Christ Together Network’s pastors and wives retreat.]

CONSIDERATIONS TO CONTENT THE HEART IN ANY AFFLICTED CONDITION.

1) We should consider, in all our wants and inclinations to discontent, the greatness of the mercies that we have, and the meanness of the things we lack. The things we lack, if we are godly, are things of very small moment in comparison to the things we have, and the things we have are things of very great moment. … I will give you the example of a couple of godly men, meeting together, Anthony and Didymus: Didymus was blind, and yet a man of very excellent gifts and graces: Anthony asked him if he was not troubled at his want of sight. He confessed he was, ‘But’, he said, ‘should you be troubled at the want of what flies and dogs have, and not rather rejoice and be thankful that you have what angels have?’ God has given you those good things that make angels glorious; is not that enough for you, though you lack what a fly has? And so a Christian should reason the case with himself: what am I discontented for? I am discontented for want of what a dog may have, what a devil may have, what a reprobate may have; shall I be discontented for not having that, when God has given me what makes angels glorious? ‘Blessed be God,’ says the Apostle in Ephesians 1:3, ‘who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.’ It may be you have not such great blessings in earthly places as some others have, but if the Lord has blessed you in heavenly places, that should content you. There are blessings in heaven, and he has set you here for the present, as it were in heaven, in a heavenly place. The consideration of the greatness of the mercies that we have, and the littleness of the things that God has denied us, is a very powerful consideration to work this grace of contentment. …

3) The consideration of the abundance of mercies that God bestows and we enjoy. It is a saying of Luther: ‘The sea of God’s mercies should swallow up all our particular afflictions.’ Name any affliction that is upon you: there is a sea of mercy to swallow it up. If you pour a pailful of water on the floor of your house, it makes a great show, but if you throw it into the sea, there is no sign of it. So, afflictions considered in themselves, we think are very great, but let them be considered with the sea of God’s mercies we enjoy, and then they are not so much, they are nothing in comparison. …

8) Before your conversion, before God wrought upon your souls, you were contented with the world without grace, though you had no interest in God nor Christ; why cannot you now be contented with grace and spiritual things without the world? If you yourselves were content with the world without grace, there is reason you should be content with grace without the world. Certainly there is infinitely more reason. You see that many men of the world have a kind of contentment; they do not murmur or repine with the world, though they have no interest in God and Christ. Then cannot you have as much contentment with God and Christ, without the world, as they can, with the world, without God and Christ? It is an infinite shame that this should be so.

9) Yea, consider, when God has given you such contentments you have not given him the glory. When God has let you have your heart’s desire, what have you done with your heart’s desire? You have not been any the better for it; it may be you have been worse many times. Therefore let that satisfy you-I meet with crosses, but when I had contentment and all things coming in, God got but little or no glory from me, and therefore let that be a means now to quiet me in my discontented thoughts.

10) Finally, consider all the experience that you have had of God’s doing good to you in the want of many comforts. When God crosses you, have you never had experience of abundance of good in afflictions? It is true, when ministers only tell men that God will work good out of their afflictions, they hear them speak, and think they speak like good men, but they feel little or no good; they feel nothing but pain. But when we cannot only say to you that God has said he will work good out of your afflictions, but we can say to you, that you yourselves have found it so by experience, that God has made former afflictions to be great benefits to you, and that you would not have been without them, or without the good that came by them for a world, such experiences will exceedingly quiet the heart and bring it to contentment. Therefore think thus with yourself: Lord, why may not this affliction work as great a good upon me as afflictions have done before?

What Do You Want More Than Anything Else?

What do you want more than anything else?

Consider these Scriptures. What do they say we should want more than anything else?

Proverbs 2:1-5: My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.

Do all this: and you will know God!

Isaiah 55:1-3a Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live.

Real life. True life. Rich life. Satisfying life – given as a free gift when we come to God to accept His feast.

Psalm 119:14, 15, 72 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.  . . .
The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

God’s testimonies, His precepts, His ways, His law – all these display God’s character, what He is like. Through these, we come to know Him.

So these Scriptures tell us we should want to know God, and to desire like with Him, life in relationship to Him.

That, according to the Scriptures, is the greatest joy, the greatest fulfillment possible – worth more than the greatest fortune.

Do you believe that?

Scripture states that – over and over and over. Do you believe it?

It’s not easy to believe.

The world around us invites us to find joy and fulfillment elsewhere:

  • In money, in accomplishment,
  • In sex, in drugs
  • In fame, in power
  • In self, in pride

But 1 John 5:4 tells us:

Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.

Our faith. Our belief in God and in His revealed word.

We must conquer the world and its lies.

We must fight the good fight of faith – the good fight to believe.

And when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, when we hold on to that truth and apply it to every attitude, every thought, every action, every feeling – when we see all around us in light of the truth:

  • That God reigns
  • That we are rebels
  • That God sent His Son to die on our behalf so that we rebels might be reconciled to Him and so that He might simultaneously fulfill His perfect justice

Then we are in God’s family – we have an identity. Then we have all security. Then we have all joy. Then we have eternal life – not just life without end, but what Proverbs 2 and Isaiah 55 and Psalm 119 hold out as the greatest joy: knowing the only true God.

So: What do you want more than anything else? To know God? That is: To have eternal life?

Take hold of that eternal life – today!

Fight the good fight to believe!

That’s the message of our text this morning, 1 Timothy 6:5-19. And that’s the concluding message in this sermon series, Where Do You Find Identity, Security, and Joy? A Scriptural Understanding of Money, Giving, and Material Possessions

Let’s turn to the passage to see how it beautifully summarizes and extends the truths we have learned these last four months.

1) Fight the Good Fight to Believe

The title of this first section comes from verse 12: Fight the good fight of faith. That is: Fight the good fight to believe that what God says is true.

What does God say in verses 5-11 that Timothy – and we! – must fight to believe?

Three main points:
 a) Believe that Awesome Respect for God is the Greatest Means of Gain

Verse 5 concludes with Paul discussing false teachers who imagine “that godliness is a means of gain.  Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.”

What is the Apostle Paul saying here?

To answer that, we need to know what he means by three words or phrases:

  • Contentment
  • Godliness
  • Gain/means of gain

We spent an entire sermon examining contentment, seeing that it means we are not self-sufficient but “God-sufficient.” We know that God gives us identity, security, and joy. Thus if have Him, we have all that we need.

The second word is “godliness.” The Greek word doesn’t mean what it sounds like, “taking on the character of God.” Rather it means having the right and proper response and attitude to God, given His revealed character. The most authoritative Greek lexicon renders this word, “Awesome respect accorded to God, devoutness, piety.”

One Greek word is translated “means of gain” in verse 5 and “gain” in verse 6. The usual meaning of the word is “means of gain;” I think it makes most sense to translate the word the same way in both verses.

So with that understanding, let’s now try to paraphrase what the Apostle is saying:

These false teachers try to use their fake devotion to God as a means to gain money. The irony is that true devotion – genuine, awesome respect for God – combined with complete satisfaction in Who He is – is indeed the greatest means of gain – not in the currency of money but in a much more valuable currency.

We’ve seen Paul use this idea of different currencies when we looked at 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. The false teachers are using their supposed piety to gain money. We need to see that what we have from God when He is all to us is far, far more valuable than money – so that devotion to Him is the greatest means of gain.

b) Believe that Money Isn’t the Greatest Means of Gain – So Flee from Love of Money!

Paul then explains why money and material possessions cannot be the greatest means of gain.

He makes three arguments to establish these points:

i) “For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (verse 7).

That is: You are going to leave this world the same way you entered it: Naked, owning nothing.

And more than that: You will live on after your death in this world. You are an eternal being. The great, great majority of your life will be after your life in this world. So the greatest means of gain must yield eternal benefits, not only benefits in this life. Thus, money cannot be the greatest means of gain, for you are eternal, and money is not.

ii) We see the second part of Paul’s argument in verse 8: “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”

As long as we are in this world, we need enough food to keep us alive. We also need some protection from elements. But if we have these plus God – that’s enough. We can then be content, “God-sufficient.” Thus money cannot be the greatest means of gain because we don’t need it for true contentment, we don’t need it for true happiness even in this life.

So we could summarize the first two parts of Paul’s argument like this:

  • Money can’t buy happiness eternally.
  • Money is not necessary for happiness even in this life.

iii) Paul’s third argument: When the desire for money controls us, there are horrible consequences.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  (verses 9-10)

Paul points out that love of money has negative consequences in this life. We see that all the time, don’t we? Consider former Charlotte mayor Patrick Cannon who became corrupt, violated trust – and has now fallen from his high position to what will certainly be many years in prison. But such dangers are common. Think of the many husbands who, desiring money, have become workaholics, destroying their marriages and neglecting their children – all in the name of providing for their wives and children. That is why the love of money is such a trap, such a snare.

But the greatest danger from loving money is eternal. If the love of money leads you to wander away from the faith, you will suffer for all time. You will remain under God’s wrath. You will have no hope.

So we must understand that money and material possessions are not the greatest means of gain. We must fight to believe that, even though we constantly receive messages to the contrary.

c) With Great Effort Put Your Belief into Practice

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.  Fight the good fight of the faith. (verses 11-12a)

First note the way Paul underlines the great effort involved. The word translated “fight” is an athletic term (we get our word “agonize” from this word). Paul is saying, “Make your supreme effort to believe these truths.”

He then tells us how to do that. We make that effort by running away from the love of money, and running after the virtues he then lists. We won’t look at them one by one today.  Just note that they are either aspects of God’s character that we take on (the fruit of the Holy Spirit that Paul describes in Galatians 5:22-23), or our right response to God’s character (such as godliness and faith).

How do you conduct this fight?

  • Through the Word
  • Through worship
  • Through practice
  • Through prayer
  • Through the help of others, through community

This is a key part of living the Christian life: Fighting the fight to believe that what God says is true.

2) Take Hold of Eternal Life

Paul has said “Fight the fight to believe.” Now he says: “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” He is saying, in part, “Live out those beliefs.” But he’s saying more than that. He is also saying,

This is true life. This is true joy. So grasp that today. Jesus came so that you might have life, and have it abundantly. So live out that abundant, eternal life today, as you walk with your Savior and Lord.

We’ll note three ways Paul highlights this:

a) You’ve Professed It

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

God called you to this. – to participate in this eternal life now. And you have acknowledged that calling. You have professed faith in Christ. You have said that you were lost, without hope, justly under God’s wrath because of yr rebellion against the holy God. And yet while you were in this state, God showed his love by sending His Son. And not just sending His Son as a messenger, but sending Him to suffer and die on your behalf. He paid the penalty you deserved – and God raised Him from the dead, showing the penalty paid was sufficient. He sits today at God the Father’s right hand. And He will come again to usher in His eternal kingdom. Having professed that Christ died for you and that you are thus God’s beloved child, take hold of that life today! Remember what you have professed!  Continue in it! Persevere!

b) Live It Out Until Jesus Returns!

So, Paul says, keep holding on to that promise until Jesus appears:

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,  to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,  which he will display at the proper time–he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,  who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.  (verses 13-16)

Paul charges Timothy. What is Paul’s charge?

“Keep the commandment.”

What commandment?

Surely, “Fight the good fight of faith.” Surely, “Take hold of eternal life.”  But really all the imperatives of Christian life are included here. Paul is saying: Follow Christ. Be conformed to the image of Christ. Take on His character. Love with His love. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. For this is eternal life. This is the greatest joy. God is the giver of life– so you will only find life in following Him.

Jesus made that good confession just like you – and He suffered for it. But He is at Father’s right hand and will reign forever. You too, act like Jesus: Remain steadfast even through trials, until His return. God will bring that about at exactly the right time. He is the only Ruler, the true Sovereign, the only blessed One, the One who will never die. He is so pure and brilliant we can’t imagine approaching Him – and yet He says, “Boldly approach Me through my Son!” All honor and might are His and His alone, forever.

This is who God the Father is. So how can you ever think that true life would come from anyone or anything else?

Jesus is coming back. And then faith will be sight. We will not have to fight to believe. We will not have to work to take hold of eternal life. It will be perfectly obvious Who the King is, and what He is like.

But until then: You and I can live out eternal life. As author of Hebrews says: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

c) Use Your Riches as a Means of Taking Hold of True Life

Having begun by pointing out that money cannot satisfy, and that the love of money leads to all kinds of evil, Paul concludes by saying: Money can be used to help you take hold of true life.

Note the last clause in v19, which gives the purpose for the entire 3 verses: “so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” Since eternal life is true life, this is the same idea we saw in verse 12: “Take hold of the eternal life.”

Remember, Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). So Paul here is specifically helping those who are rich to know how they can avoid the negative effects of money, and to take hold of eternal life.

Don’t forget: As we have noted before, by the standards of Jesus’ day, of Paul’s day, all of us are incredibly rich. So know that Paul here is speaking about you.

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,  thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Paul tells Timothy to give the rich two negative commands, five positive commands, with one result, all working to one goal, one purpose.

We’ve spent time looking at parts of these verses earlier in this series, so we will now just note the flow of Paul’s argument, and then highlight the result and the purpose.

First negative command: Do not be haughty or arrogant because you are richer than others. This is related to Paul’s statement in Romans 12:3: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” Because we rich people have more than others, it is easy to imagine that we deserve more than others. We must take care to avoid that temptation.

Second negative command: Don’t set your hope on the uncertainty of riches. As we saw in the sermon on security, Paul highlights the foolishness of setting your hope on an uncertainty. And all riches are uncertain.

So now the five positive commands:

First positive command: Set your hope on God. He is the solid rock. He is your hope, your strength. And He is always providing for us, doing good for us: He “richly provides us with all things unto enjoyment.” (We spent an entire sermon considering that phrase.)

Second positive command: We rich are to do good. That is, we are to act like the one who richly provides for us.

Third positive command: We are To be rich in good works, not only rich in assets. Here Paul uses the idea of currency again. Wealth in one currency – money, material possessions – makes it easier for us to be rich in another currency – good works. And as Jesus says, our light is to shine before others so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Fourth positive command: To be generous. I think the third positive command emphasizes time – since we rich don’t have to spend all our time providing for our basic necessities, we can spend time doing good works – while this fourth positive command emphasizes giving money and material goods.

Last positive command: To be “willing to share.” That phrase is one word in Greek. Like the previous word, it can be translated “generous.” The difference is that this second word seems to be concerned more with the inner attitude. This word shares a root with a Greek word many of you know, koinonia, “partnership for a common purpose.” Think of this word, then, as “characterized by koinonia.” That is, “See your fellow believers as your partners, and live out that partnership, so that you use the grant God has given you to help advance God’s purposes among your brothers and sisters who have fewer resources.”

So those are the two negative commands and the five positive commands.

The Result: We see this in the first part of verse 19. The Holman Christian Standard Bible translates this quite well (and is similar to the King James and New American Standard): “Storing up for themselves a good foundation for the age to come.”

I think the point is this: When we obey these seven commands, we are displaying the character of God. We are taking on His character. We are thereby knowing God better. And this is eternal life – that we may know Him (John 17:3). This is our joy for all eternity, the purpose of eternal life: To know more and more of His infinite goodness and excellence.

So do you see how this is a foundation for the age to come? Become like Him today. Thereby know Him better now. And that’s the joyful foundation for what you will do for all eternity.

That then leads us to the purpose: To take hold of the life that is truly life. To live out eternal life today – to know Him, to live with Him, to love Him, to be loved by Him.

Conclusion

So: What do you want more than anything else?

O, that you would desire to know God! That you would take hold of the eternal life that is knowing God the Father, and Jesus Christ whom He sent!

O, that you would be free from the snare of the love of money, and its consequent ruin and destruction.

O, that you and I might live out what we profess:

  • That we are His children purely by grace through the sacrifice of our Lord
  • That apart from this mercy we would be without hope, objects of wrath
  • That instead we are loved with a love beyond imagining
  • That we are held secure in His arms, and He will never leave us nor forsake us
  • That we have the deepest possible joy – totally apart from any material goods

May we live out this profession through generous giving to God’s glory motivated by sincere concern.

May we – in our interactions with one another, in our interactions with the world – display God’s mercy, grace, and tender care.

May we thereby take hold of the life that is truly life.

 

Contentment: The Fruit of Finding Identity, Security, and Joy in God

Are you content?

Are you content with God?

  • The psalmist tells us, “A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Psalm 84:10).
  • Moses told the Israelites, “[God] humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna . . . that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
  • Paul prayed that we would be strengthened so that we can know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:14-19).
  • Jesus said that He and He alone is the bread of life – if we come to Him, we will never hunger; if we believe in Him, we will never thirst (John 6:35).
  • Jesus said that knowing the Father, knowing Him is eternal life (John 17:3).

If all these Scriptures are true – and if you believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord – you should be content. If Jesus is the bread of life, and if you have Him, you shouldn’t hunger for anything else – even if you are hurt by others, or lose your job, or are in danger.

So: Are you content with God?

In fact, we often are not content. What leads to this lack of contentment?

In our series Where Do You Find Identity, Security, and Joy? A Scriptural Understanding of Money, Giving, and Material Possessions, we have seen that those in Christ are adopted, beloved children, indeed heirs of God. As God’s children, those in Christ are secure, because our Father will never leave us or forsake us. Furthermore, He promises us eternal joy, and begins that eternal joy now, in this life, as He fulfills His purposes through us, and as we delight in who He is.

Our lack of contentment arises because we forgot this identity, forget this security, forget this joy that should be ours.

 

Finding Contentment in God through Identity, Security, and Joy

  • If God gives us identity, telling us who we are, who we were made to be –
  • If God gives us security, guiding us and guarding us through all dangers and sorrows –
  • If God gives us joy as we see Him for Who He is and as we know Him better and better –

Then we should be satisfied in Him. We should have contentment in Him. As Jeremiah 31:14 says, “My people shall be satisfied with my goodness.”

When should we be satisfied? When should we be content?

Always, in every circumstance, as Paul tells us in Philippians 4:10-13. The Apostle recently has received financial support from this church. He writes:

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.  Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ” The Greek word Paul uses for “content” has come into English as an economic term, “autarky.” A country that produces everything it consumes, and thus does not engage in foreign trade, is said to be in a state of autarky. That country has no needs that must be met by others. It is self-sufficient.

But Paul is not saying, “I am self-sufficient. Because of my skill, because of my abilities, I can meet all my needs, regardless of whether or not you send me support.”

Rather, He says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Paul is not self-sufficient. He is God-sufficient.

Whether He has little or much, in every circumstance, Paul is content. Why? Because if He has God, He has all that He needs

Note that Paul emphasizes His contentment both when He has little and when He has much. For both lead to temptations:

  • The temptation to murmur and be dissatisfied when we lack material goods.
  • The temptation to have contentment in possessions when we have an abundance.

Indeed, in 1 Timothy 6 Paul warns us against the love of money, whether that love is aspirational (“I long to have more!”) or is delighting in what I have now (“This money gives me such joy!”). In contrast, the Apostle says, “If we have food and clothing, with these we will be content“ (1 Timothy 6:8). That is, if we have enough food to keep us going and covering to protect us from the elements, that should be enough. We should not lack contentment because of what we don’t have. We have Jesus. We have the Father. That’s the secret of contentment.

Similarly, the author of the book of Hebrews writes, “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Again, the author tells us not to be self-sufficient, but God-sufficient. If I have God, and if He will never abandon me, I have all that I need. I can be satisfied. I can be content.

2 Corinthians 9 brings out the same idea:

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

The Greek word here translated “sufficiency” is the same word mentioned above, the word we get “autarky” from. The NIV translates it here, “having all that you need.” That is, we can be content because at all times God gives us all that we need to accomplish His good work. He gives us whatever inputs we need to produce His desired outputs. We may discern a lack – and we should pray for what we think we need to fulfill God’s work. But His provision is perfect. And if, after prayer, we still lack what we think we need – we don’t really need it. We can step forward, content that He has provided all that we truly need.

Thus we can have the attitude of the psalmist, “Earth has nothing I desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25), because if we have Him, we have a sufficiency. We can be content.

So the Puritan pastor Jeremiah Burroughs writes,

Have I health from God? I must have the God of my health to be my portion, or else I am not satisfied. It is not life, but the God of my life; it is not riches, but the God of those riches, that I must have, the God of my preservation, as well as my preservation. (The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Chapter 2)

That’s contentment: “My people shall be satisfied with My goodness.” If we have Him, we have all that we need. If we have Him, we have all that we should desire.

 

Is It Wrong Then to Desire the Things of This World?

Many philosophers over the centuries have argued that it is wrong to desire the things of this world. Someone once asked the Greek philosopher Socrates who was the wealthiest man. His reply: “He who is content with the least – for self-sufficiency is nature’s wealth.” (Socrates uses here the same Greek word we’ve been considering.)

Epictetus, who lived shortly after the time of Christ (50 to 138AD), wrote, “Destroy desire completely.” And Epictetus, though not a Christian, unfortunately influenced later Christian thinking. His message is: Don’t desire the things of this world at all.

Does the Bible teach the same?

Coveting vs Desire

Consider the 10 Commandments. We are commanded not to steal; we are commanded not to covet. Does that mean that we are to stifle all desire?

No. As God’s child, God has given you Himself. That never changes. At this moment, at every moment, He gives you all you need to fulfill His purposes. So you don’t need to steal to obtain what you need.

Thus, when soldiers come to John the Baptist, asking what they should do now that they have repented, he replies, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14). God has provided them with wages. So they are to be content. Be satisfied. They are not to think they need to take what belongs to another in order to be happy.

And this holds for the future as well as for the present. The 8th Commandment, “Do not steal,” focuses on the present. The 10th Commandment, “Do not covet what belongs to your neighbor,” focuses on the future. If you are in Christ, you are God’s child. He will give you all you need in the future to fulfill His purposes.       He will never abandon you. So don’t look at what another person has and think, “I should have that instead of him. I deserve that instead of him. If only I had what he had, I would be happy. If only I had what he has, I could do great things for God.” Instead, rejoice wwith those who rejoice! Rejoice that God has been good to them, confident that the same God is good to you – even in your lack. Confident that the same God can and will work through you for His glory, whatever you might think you lack.

So we are never to lose our joy because someone else has joy. That’s a terrible sin. We are never to hold our own joy hostage to our receiving some good, or some relationship.

But this is very different from saying, “Destroy Desire completely.”

How can we have good, biblical desires, and yet not covet?

Contentment and Holy Dissatisfaction

Biblical Contentment is consistent with strong desire on our part. Consider again the commandments, “Do not steal,” and “Do not covet.” Neither commandment tells us, “Never desire what your neighbor has. ” Rather, if what your neighbor has is good for you and is to God’s glory, and if you can obtain it in a God-honoring way, work for it! Earn it! That’s one of the purposes of work. Be content today in what you have, and strive to earn that good tomorrow. When tomorrow comes:

  • if you’ve earned it and obtained the object of your desire, thank God.
  • If you haven’t been able to earn it, still be content in the present, and consider whether you should continue to work for it.

2 Corinthians 12 gives us an example of such a desire from the life of the Apostle Paul. Verse 7 speaks of a “thorn in the flesh” that Paul had – evidently some disease. He writes:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  [That is, he desired to be healed. And there is nothing wrong with that desire. But God’s answer is, “No.”] But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

Prior to Paul’s prayer in verse 8, did he know that God’s grace was sufficient? Surely He did. But he did not know he would have to live out that truth in the case of this disease. His desire for healing was right. But when God said, “No, I will not heal you – I have better plans,” Paul was content.

Just so with us. When we are weak, when we seem ineffective, when we are lacking, our desires for change are good. We desire change so that we can be more effective for God’s glory. But God in His sovereign wisdom may use that very weakness, that very ineffectiveness for His purposes. If so, we can be content with being God’s child. We have Him. We have His power. That is enough. We can be content.

Thus, being content is consistent with having a holy dissatisfaction:

  • I can have a holy dissatisfaction that I don’t know Him better, and yet be content in my personal relationship w Him (consider Paul in Philippians 3)
  • I can have a holy dissatisfaction that my neighbors, friends, family, and all the nations don’t know Him, and strive to bring that about, yet be joyful and content in Him
  • I can have a holy dissatisfaction in thinking marriage would be for my good and God’s glory, and yet remain content in Him while single
  • I can have a holy dissatisfaction in thinking that raising children would be good for me, good for my marriage, good for the children, and for God’s glory, and yet remain content in Him while childless
  • I can be content with the food and covering I have, and yet have a holy dissatisfaction in thinking what more I could do for my good, the good of my family, and the glory of God if I had more income
  • I can be content with my job or my lack of a job, and yet have a holy dissatisfaction with my skills and abilities not being used, and thus actively seek ways to use those skills for my good, the good of my family, and the glory of God.

Holy dissatisfaction is a gift. It spurs us on to work harder, to strive with all His energy that powerfully works in us (Colossians 1:29). God gives us these longings, these desires.

But in the midst of these longings, we are to be content. For we already have Him – whatever else we might lack.

 

3. Channeling Our Desires Godward

Think of your desires as a raging river. There’s a lot of energy in that river, a lot of power. That energy and power can be harnessed for good. But that same energy and power can wreak tremendous destruction if it overflows the banks.

We have to dredge a deep channel for our desires in a Godward direction,

  • so that our desires do not turn into coveting
  • so that our longings do not transform into lack of contentment
  • so that our passions result in God’s glory rather than His dishonor

How do we do this? How do we channel our desires?

Consider these three maxims:

a) Keep reminding yourself of the identity, security, and joy you have in God. Contentment is the fruit of finding these three in God. Meditate on the Scriptures we have looked at in those first three sermons. Pick some to memorize. Praise God daily as your Father; praise Him for faithfulness; meditate on Him as your joy.

b) Pray for singleness of purpose and purity of desires. Fight the fight to believe that what God says is true. Pray specifically psalm 119:36, “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!”

The fight here is similar to the fight to be faithful to your spouse in marriage. I must cultivate a desire for Beth, and for her alone. If I find my eyes wandering, I must remember who she is – her love, her character – I must remember the joys we have shared. I must remember our covenant promises. And I must remember God’s promise of provision. I must not downplay the importance of such wandering eyes – I should call it lust, call it adultery (Matthew 5:27-30). Instead, I should dig the channel of sexual passion deep in her direction.

Just so: If I find my desires wandering to the things of this world instead of godward, if I begin to feel as if I can’t be happy without obtaining some good or some relationship, I must not downplay it. I should call it spiritual adultery. I should call it idolatry. So I must fight the fight to believe. I must remember who God is, who He has revealed Himself to be. I must remember His love, the joy that can be mine in Him. I must remember His covenant promises, and my own commitment to Him. I dig the channel of desire deep in His direction.

c) Act consistently with that singleness of purpose, and then pray that  your affections and desires would follow your actions. Sometimes the right desires simply aren’t there. In such cases – act out of duty. Act as if you had the right affections and desires for God. Duty is a crutch. A healthy person shouldn’t go hobbling around on crutches. That’s foolish. But when your leg is broken, praise God for crutches! Just so, we sometimes need the crutch of duty. In my experience, often when I act out of duty, God grants the right affections while I am in the midst of dutifully obeying.

 

Conclusion:

We often sing, “You are my only worth.”

Can you sing that without lying?

As long as we are in this world, we will face temptations to find worth elsewhere. So pray, “Father, use the truth of Your Word to channel my desires toward You today. Enable me to fight the fight of faith to find contentment in You alone today. I desire to desire you. Answer my prayer, O Father!”

So sing such lines as your aspiration, as your hope, as a true statement about God’s worth which you long to be true in your heart.

For there is no lasting joy, no genuine security, no true identity apart from Him. We are created to delight in Him, and nothing else will satisfy. To reject Him is to reject your very purpose, and will be the destruction of your joy.

So come to Christ for cleansing.  Confess your rebellion, your seeking contentment elsewhere. He promises acceptance – indeed, He promises that He’s been the one drawing you all along.

So repent – come to Him – and find true contentment in Him. “My people shall be satisfied with My goodness.” May that be true in each one of us.