Contentment: The Attitude I Should Have

From the third stanza of Ira Stanphill's famous hymn:

Don't think me poor or deserted or lonely,
I'm not discouraged, I'm heaven bound;
I'm just a pilgrim in search of a city,
I want a mansion, a harp and a crown.

Just another thought on contentment.

Thoughts on Contentment, Part 2

The thesis in the evening's sermon was this: Too many people today are satisfied—and they shouldn't be! They are content to be unsaved, saved but sour, spiritually mediocre, inconsistent, worldly, hypocritical, self-centered, "average," etc. Our pastor summed up five wrong ways of "contentment:"

• When contentment really is complacency.
• When contentment really is compromise.
• When contentment really is carnality (read 1 Cor. 3).
• When contentment really is callousness.
• When contentment really is carelessness.

He also gave us some ways to avoid this wrong sort of contentment:

• Be in and under the Word.
• Be "being sensitive" to the Spirit of God.
• Be submissive to the authorities in your life.
• Be involved with people.
• Be active with your faith, exercising and expressing it.
• Be growing in grace and wisdom.
• Be honest and willing to change.

(Thanks to Pastor Rawsthorne at Faith Baptist Church, Mattawan, MI)

Thoughts on Contentment, Part 1

Yesterday (Sunday 10/7/07), our Pastor spoke in both our morning and evening services on the subject of contentment from Philippians 4. Here are some key points from the morning sermon:

We can be content. It is possible to be content whether we have much or whether we "suffer need" (vs. 12). Verse 13 reminds us that we can do all things Christ wants us to do.

Giving is a closely related concept to contentment. The Christians of Philippi demonstrated a desire to help both Paul and others. Paul also desired to see them bear "fruit that may abound". These Christians, especially Paul, also demonstrated an attitude of gratitude. In verse 19, there is a promise of provision—contentment is admittedly easier when you recognize that your needs will be met! We do not always know when God will meet our needs, or how, or in what specific way; but His provision in His time is always best for us. Notice that the passage ends with a pronouncement of praise in verse 20.