Pastor Aaron Cordeiro
October 27, 2013 - W1343

What is contentment? In life people search and seek contentment, but fail to grab a hold of it.  It seems elusive and out of reach.  People seem to find more discontent and dissatisfaction in life.  People are unhappy in their faith, home, work, or relationships.   Living in discontentment can have negative consequences in people’s lives.  It is like a weed; when discontent sprouts in one area of life, it can infest other areas.

In the Book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul teaches us a valuable lesson of contentment and how to attain it.  Paul was once a man of status; he was a Pharisee and he persecuted Christians.  When he had his encounter with Christ, he became a Christian.  When he converted, he went from being a person having everything then to having nothing.  When he gave his life to Christ, he went to prison, lost friends, was persecuted, and beaten.   Even with his hardships he was able to find contentment.  Through his experiences, he is able to teach about contentment.

Contentment is about the mind.  Dale Carnegie said it this way, “It isn't about contentment.  It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy.  It's what you think about it.”  The mind has great control of our happiness.  The Apostle Paul explains about his contentment through all circumstances. He states, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. I know how to get along with humble means or how to live in prosperity. I have learned the secret of being filled and being hungry … I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ” (Phil. 4:11-13).  Paul makes it clear that contentment is not about circumstances.  Contentment is a way, not a destination.  Contentment is not a place at which you arrive - it is how you view things. 

The enemy can use our discontentment.  When Jesus was in the wilderness and faced temptation, the devil was using temptations to get Jesus dissatisfied with life. Here are some contentment killers that may get thrown into your path:

CONTENTMENT KILLERS:

DISSATISFACTION

- Not having enough.  Needing more.

JEALOUSY

- Envious of what others have

TEMPTATION

- The desire to do something wrong or unwise.

DISOBEDIENCE

-The failure to obey rules or someone that’s in authority.

Paul has learned the secret of contentment.  Through his life he wrestled through the contentment killers. Through trials and tribulations he learned what it meant to be content.

A.    CONTENTMENT IS SOMETHING TO BE LEARNED.

Learning is active; it requires involvement.  To learn you must be teachable and willing to learn.  Contentment is something that you can learn. Paul tells Timothy,

“With food and clothing therewith to be content.” (1 Tim. 6:8).

Paul is explaining to Timothy that if you have food and clothing, its going to be okay.  Contentment is not about having more; it’s about being satisfied with what you have.

* Jealousy, the art of counting your neighbor’s blessings rather than your own.

* True contentment is not having more. It is desiring less.

Desiring can sometimes cloud judgments and decisions.  It can get in the way of the present and what you have now.  Having less desire can help you be content with what you have.

In Psalms, King David explained what happened to the people of Israel when they got what they wanted, he writes, “He gave them what they craved but sent leanness into their souls.” (Ps. 106:15)

The Israelis got what they wanted but at a high cost.   They received the leanness of their souls.  The soul is life and it the connection that we have with God and to one another.  The leanness takes away the depth and body to the relationship.  Contentment is not about having more.  It really is desiring less so that we have the energy and capacity and the mental capacity to grab ahold of all that God wants for you, so that you will have the energy for the things that are important to God.

• Contentment isn’t having what you want. It is wanting what you have.

Our society is filled with consumers, we are always wanting more.  For instance when you are single, you want to be married, and then once you are married, you want to be single again.  Contentment is about wanting what you have.  This means that you should be satisfied and appreciative of what you have and where you are in life.  

In order to be content, we must be teachable and willing to learn.  Contentment is not a state of being to achieve, it is a way of life.  Its not about the destination, its about how you travel. 

The next step to contentment is:

B. LEARN TO MARK GOD OUT AS THE SOURCE OF YOUR BLESSINGS.

God is the source of all blessings.  He is the one who creates all and He is the source of our contentment. 

Paul warns, “For even though they knew God, they did not give Him thanks as God, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hearts were darkened…” (Rom. 1:21)

Without giving thanks to God for all blessings, makes one to try to take on creating contentment.  God is the source of contentment.  Trying to create something that we are not designed to do can create hardness of the heart.  Always acknowledge God as the blesser, and it will help the heart be content.

The final lesson of contentment is:

C.    CONTENTMENT CAN NEVER BE ATTAINED THROUGH GODLY ACTIVITY, ONLY THOUGH GODLY INTIMACY.

Paul explains, “In Him you have been made complete” (Col. 2:10).  It is through God that we are complete. 

Paul also affirms, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13).  Paul is saying that when you walk with Christ, He will give you strength to do all your things.  Contentment is a way of life, not a destination.  Paul was a man who had everything and lost everything in the eyes of the world.  When he gave his life to Christ he planted churches, healed people, but yet he was beaten and imprisoned.  In Everything He was able to find contentment by having an intimate relationship with God, not by the Godly activities he had done.  In our relationships intimacy is more meaningful than just the activity.  When a child is hurt, the presence of a parent caring is meaningful.  Contentment in a relationship is the bond that you have with others.  Contentment also is found in the eternal bond with our Heavenly Father. 

Contentment is a way of life and it is something learned.  Having a content life consists of understanding and acknowledging God as the source of all Blessings.  Contentment also comes through Godly intimacy, not Godly activity.  Having that relationship with God and walking with Him daily and allowing His word to speak in to your lives can be fulfilling and satisfying.  It can also be a gift that you can share with others.    

Discussion

1. What does it mean to be content?
2. How important are your thoughts in living a content life?
3. What does it meant to be intimate with God?
4. What are contentment killers?
5. Why should you acknowledge God as the source of all Blessings?