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 8^th Commandment, “Do not steal,” focuses on the present. The 10^th 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.