Learned To Be Content
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
6/30/2013 PM
|
Text:
|
Philippians 4:11
|
Psalters: |
57, 114, 150, 159 |
- Contentment is an attitude of being happy with what one has or is, not desiring something more or different, satisfied.
- Contentment has to do with earthly things that are external: material possessions, relationships, circumstances.
- Contentment is the harmony of the things we have and the desire for those things.
- It is an equilibrium between the two; the continuous adjustment of our inner state with our outward situation.
- It is a sense of serenity, peace, joy, and well-being which fills us in every state and condition.
- The source and cause of contentment lies in the heart, not in things (from within, not from without).
- The reason for his satisfaction was because he learned to adjust the inner state to the outward.
- It is the spiritual power to adapt our inner state to our outward circumstances.
- This is a gift of beautiful grace; it is not a natural character trait.
- Natural man is carnal and always at enmity with God, so he cannot be content.
- There are attitudes which appear to be contentment, but really are not.
- Natural man’s delight is in self and in the things of the world, seeing them as ends in themselves.
- Contentment is a gift, given by the God of all grace through Christ to His regenerated and justified children.
- Redeemed from this present evil world (Gal. 1:4) we are delivered from the power of sin.
- The root of this gift of grace is the love of God in Christ for us.
- It is the tranquil assurance that all things work together for good.
- This grace is beautiful because it is from the gracious (beautiful) God.
- Contentment is a grace given, but also it is a lesson learned in God’s school of trying circumstances.
- Paul declares that he had to learn this lesson, i.e., be willing to be taught it.
- He and we have to go into God’s school and learn this lesson in the way of experience, prayer, and self-denial.
- This alerts us to the fact that contentment is obtained only by learning it in God’s school.
- For every Christian contentment is a gift of grace, acquired in the way of experience.
- It is a difficult lesson because God’s ways are often dark and rough, with no account given to us.
- We learn to be content in the way of trusting in our heavenly, wise, and loving Father.