In order to shorten my message up this week, which kind of worked :), I decided to share some addtional thoughts this week on the blog in the area of "Contentment". As we looked at the sin of envy and why it's so deadly, the opposite of envy would have to be contentment. Paul says that it's learned, there is a secret way to it. What does that mean? How can I learn contentment? What's the secret? Looking forward to unpacking this idea a little further this week here with you. Feel free to leave comments and ask questions - will allow us to learn together!
Contentment Defined (from the book "The 7 Sins of Highly Defective People")
The author of Hebrews wrote, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have" (Heb. 13:5). Contentment lies not in what is mine but in whose I am. When I come into a relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, I understand whose I am and what I have. Envy causes one to look horizontally - at what others have - so we are never satisfied. Contentment invites us to look vertically - at God. When we look in his direction, we know he is enough.
John Stott wrote, "Contentment is the secret of inward peace. It remembers the stark truth that we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. Life, in fact, is a pilgrammage from one moment of nakedness to another. So we should travel light and live simply. Our enemy is not our possessions, but excess. Our battle cry is not "Nothing!" but "Enough!" We've got enough. Simplicity says, if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."
Being content with less stuff and not envying those who have a lot is a process that will take more than a quick prayer, reading a book or hearing a sermon!
Tomorrow - Contentment is Learned.
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