Dave’s Monday Blast – March 7, 2016
Lately I have been thinking about contentment…or more specifically, its antecedent…a spirit of discontent. There is no question that a lack of gratitude leads to a discontented heart. Both of course, are acts of disobedience to our “Good, Good Father” (I love this song by Chris Tomlin). Jeff Robinson, in his blog for Founders Ministries, rightly claims that “contentment may be the most elusive of all Christian virtues.” Are you naturally content my friends? In MY fallen nature, I am naturally discontent. Robinson goes on to say, “I am not content because I am always playing out in my mind what (author and conference speaker) Paul Tripp calls the ‘if only” life. If only I had more money in my back account, I’d be content; if only I had a church that follows my leadership; if only my children were better behave; if only I had a job that I enjoyed…for the progeny of Adam, the “if only’s” are endless. In our self-idolatry, we tend to think that a change in circumstances will bring us joy and contentment. For us, the grass is always greener unless we learn to find our contentment in something that is transcendent and eternal.” That’s good isn’t it!
Men of Intention know that the Apostle Paul waged this frustrating internal war as well. In Philippians 4, he tells the church that he had “learned the secret” of being content in any and every circumstance. THE SECRET! It is found in 4:13, a verse we typically deploy to make Christians seem like Popeye with Christ as the spinach, a people who can accomplish literally anything their minds can perceive because of Christ: “I can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens me.”
Actually, Paul’s words, when properly understood, are far more expansive than the quasi-prosperity interpretation of that verse: Because of Christ, we can truly be content no matter what circumstances a day brings into our lives. This begs the question: Why is contentment so important and why is it so elusive?
My favorite class at Biola University as an undergrad was entitled “Puritanism”. As expert physicians of the soul, the Puritans wrote much and thought deeply about this critical topic. A very good and inexpensive e-book titled “The Art and Grace of Contentment” is available on Amazon which compiles many Puritan books, sermons and articles on contentment. Puritan Thomas Boston, in his sermon entitled “The Hellish Sin of Discontent” (included in this e-book) argues that the 10th commandment shows the practical atheism that a lack of contentment insinuates. Next week we will unpack the 10th commandment to discover why and how it forbids discontentment. For now my friends…ask the Lord to forgive any spirit of discontent you may be harboring, avoid comparisons, and have a grateful heart.
