Contenment Part 2

Luke 12:15

15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of

greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

 

Have you ever thought………

If we just had a little more money, not a lot, just enough to___(fill in the blank)_____ (vanity of pleasure Ecclesiastes 2;10,11)

 

If we could just have a simple life, with fewer gadgets, more free time, less hustle and bustle……. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ecclesiastes 7:10)

If I had a college education……….. (grief of worldly wisdom Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 vs value of practical wisdom Ecclesiastes 2:14; Ecclesiastes 7:12 )

If I were just a little prettier, or had a better body, if my eyes were only blue, if I didn‘t have gray hair….……..

If the house was just a little newer, or the living room was just a little bigger, or we just had________ like the Jone’s have.

If I could just be popular among my friends and family……. (Popularity passes away-)

Have you ever said (or thought) any of these ??? Could these signs of being discontent?

What are some causes of discontentment?

*improper expectations- Acts 8:14-24 Simon the Sorcerer

Simon was likely accustomed to being the center of attention. He in some way expected to be like the apostles and be able to impart the Holy Spirit, although he was obviously a babe in Christ. Verse 20 gives us the idea that Simon may have wanted it for monetary gain. Peter told Simon that he had no part in this matter and that he needed to repent. Simon’s expectations were improper weren’t they?

*lack of humility- Esther 6: 6-12 Haman 

 

Philippians 2:3,4

3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
*Comparing yourself to others- 2Corinthians 10: 12-17 

12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you) for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; 15 not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men's labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, 16 to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another mans sphere of accomplishment. 17 but he who glories let him glory in the Lord.

*dissatisfaction with being a simple human being? Eve- Genesis 3:1-7
 

3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Contentment: To be sufficient, to be enough to a thing, to be satisfied, willing to accept circumstances

What really makes us comfortable in this life?

Food, clothing, shelter- 1 Tim. 6:8; Hebrews 13:5,6

What are some practical ways to avoid discontentment?

 

Count your blessings; Ask yourself- WHY do you need it?; embrace humility; recognize what is enough; surround yourself with happy people; express appreciation;

Philippians 4:11-13: 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.

Luke 12;15: 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”


Psalms 37:3-5: 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding

Proverbs 30: 7-9 : Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches—

Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contentment Part 1

Our Attitude towards different situations we face everyday of our lives is really what makes us stand out.  Let take a look at contentment and how our attitude towards it can change how we see ourselves, and how we deal with the problems of life.
 

***Fine as frog hair split four ways: A man once laid in ICU after a serious heart surgery. He couldn’t move his arms, he couldn’t turn his head because of the wires and tubes, yet he explains to a visitor that he is feeling “as fine as frog hair, split four ways”.  Lesson-A difficult situation can be improved with a good attitude.
 

Proverbs 26: 13-16

13 A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!” 14 As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. 15 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. 16 A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly

 

I understand the sluggard here has made an excuse by saying there is a lion in the road. The sluggard only sees the problems of life and it gives him an excuse for being lazy. Maybe he imagined there was a lion in the road. Sometimes our minds can play tricks on us. We see things that are not there.

It doesn’t matter if life’s problems or actual or imagined does it? We all have problems. However, those who get up in the morning and decide to face any problem with the best attitude possible are the ones who will have a better day than those who only see the glass as half full.

***A few days after the heart patient got out of ICU someone asked him how his recovery was going. He answered “Better than I deserve, but not as well as I hope to be” What can we learn from the attitude behind this response? “Better than I deserve,” is a clear admittance that if he got only what he deserved it wouldn’t be much. It is through the grace of God that he has been blessed with what he has. Yet he also honestly acknowledges his hope for something a little better than his current state “not as well as I hope to be.”

 

Matthew 7:7

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will

be opened to you.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 Difficulties teach us to be happy and they can make us a better person.

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature complete not lacking anything. 

James 4:1-3
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 

Contentment- Its all in your mind! ??? Its all in your mind is only true when we are talking about the heart, our attitude. So what about our attitude towards our life, what we have, how we look, where we live….. Am I content? Are you content? How can I

know if I am discontent? What can I do to improve my attitude towards what I have, or who I am?

Its Been A Long Time!

 

  Here is a recent picture of me with my children.  Starting on the left; Me (Brandy), Jake (15), Jordan (13), Emily (10) and Thatcher (3). 

  Jake and Jordan have just finished the 9th grade!  Can you believe that?  As you can see Jake is taller than I am now and Jordan is almost as tall.  Where does the time go?

  Its been a long time since I have put much effort into this blog.  At one point I had three different blogs going.  I  not only had this one I had one for our homeschool stuff and another for a diet I was trying that ended quickly and was horrible! 

  So now I am going to try to dedicate myself to this one blog and putting everything on it.  I don't know if I still have any active followers.  If you are still actively following this blog would you please leave a comment?   Also if there is anything you'd like me to post about leave that in the comments too :-)  Thanks!

Cell Phones in Worship

Cell phones ringing and people texting during services is not only distracting to other members who are trying to listen to the lesson, it can be a source of discouragement for anyone who has taken the time to study and prepare a lesson or sermon.
We all need to ask ourselves what  kind of example am I to others who see my behavior during worship? Can those around me tell by the way I sit and listen that I believe that God’s word important (2 Tim 3:16)?
Texting and accepting phone calls during bible classes or sermons is just as disrespectful as filing ones finger nails, balancing ones check books or reading secular materials. You can also be cold hearted and distracted with a pencil and paper! What kind of message are you sending when you do these things? Are you showing others that God is first in your life?
Are you showing others that what happens in God’s church is completely different that what happens in the world?
Hebrews 12- Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

How do we KNOW we are Saved?

Thanks to Pat Donahue for writing this one!

Many religious people say they know they are saved because they feel saved, or they have had some “better felt than told” experience. But I John 2:3 reads “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” So we don’t know we are saved based upon our feelings, but instead it is based upon whether or not we are obeying God’s new covenant law.

Remember the story in Genesis where Joseph’s brothers smeared blood on his garment so their father (Jacob) would think Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (Genesis 37:31-34)? It worked - Jacob mourned, just as if Joseph was dead. But the reader knows Joseph was still alive. Jacob’s feelings were based upon false information, and were therefore unreliable. So might our feelings be unreliable about our own salvation – if they are not based upon the truth of God’s word – only the truth will make us free from sin (John 8:32).

Revelation 22:14 makes it clear that our salvation is dependent upon our obedience to God’s word, as it reads “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (referring to heaven). Our feelings are unreliable as they can be deceived. The only way to be sure of your salvation is to keep God’s commandments.

Back to I John 2, verses 4-5 read “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” So keeping God’s commandments is how our love for God is completed, and is how we know that we are in (fellowship with, a saved relationship with) him.

For more information on how to be saved see links below

How to be Saved

What Must We do?

For more about Pat Donahue go here Bible Debates.info