It causes us to want more earthly wealth at the expense of spiritual fruit, or more things at the expense of relationship with God and others. Being successful at work professionally is a good thing. Murmuring, grumbling and discontent is beneath the dignity of the children of God. Discontentment Can Lead to Complaining and Grumbling. Don't let discontentment ruin your life. When, however, discontentment springs from the need to see someone fail, or to be the best, or have the bestthat is when it becomes fatal. Biblical contentment can only truly be found in the Contented One, in Christ Jesus. It is discontentment that leads husbands and wives to engage in adulterous affairs under the mirage that they'll be happier with someone else. Paul warns us in the book of Philippians to "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation" (2:14-15). If we are to continue to grow in our Christian walk, then we cannot be completely satisfied with our current growth. He clearly shows that at the root of our lack of contentment lies . CONTENTMENT WILL NOT COME FROM THE PHYSICAL THINGS that we acquire because no matter how much you have, you will still be unsatisfied. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The Bible has a great deal to say about contentmentbeing satisfied with what we have, who we are, and where we're going. Holy Spirit, come and grant us the ability to walk worthy of our calling. Here are five signs that discontentment is dragging us down spiritually: 1) Envy. David was discontent with all that God had blessed him with; prosperity, a kingdom, a wife, yet as he walked around on his rooftop discontentment joined with temptation and the rest is the sad history of a great king and man after God's own heart. Discontentment By Guy R. Finnie The injunction we read in Hebrews 13.5, 'Be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee' suggests that there is a tendency towards an attitude of discontentment in the church's life. At the heart of discontentment is a lie. . Thankfulness is first of all a matter of obedience ( 1 Thess. She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. His external circumstances were an unjust death of crucifixion on the Roman cross. With the goal of healing and resolution in hand, a few strategies we can use include: 1. For example, you may becom . Even Christian romance novels, films, or social mediaor a Christian man or woman you knowcan tempt you to long for a better or different godly partner. Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied. We should be dissatisfied when brothers and sisters in Christ drift away from God. "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake . Think Getting our spiritual eyes back on the right prize only comes by thinking. In my desire to be sovereign, I think my plan for me is better. It is the inward submission of the heart." Discontentment with Success Think about business professionals and the desire for power and money. Answer. This spirit of discontentment is greatly accentuated after the Fall. It helps me to recognize the sin and the trap of discontentment. As I continue to be laid open and bare by conviction of the Spirit through the pastoral pen of Jeremiah Burroughs, I was reminded of the grace-filled medicine for the believer against the malady of murmuring and discontentment, namely thankfulness. Second, learn to rest in God's providence. God help me. "Can a true Christian have depression?"Dr. Jeremy Pierre answers in Honest Answers | Episode 67Watch more episodes of Honest Answers here:https://www.youtube. Our first step is a sincere desire to heal the discontent and fix what's broken or awkward. Describing his former discontentment with God, the psalmist writes, "When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within" (v. 21). One of the easiest signs that your desires are unhealthyaka covetousand inspiring discontentment is that you have inappropriate reactions to the blessings others receive. . What we ponder is what we perceive. But escapism through fantasy denies God's sovereign, wise, and good purposes for you. . The apostle Paul, referencing Deuteronomy 31:6, calls us to fight discontentment in Hebrews 13:5. Learn the art of discontent. We need to be honest about the fact that all of our dissatisfaction is discontent with God. Discontentment is the attitudinal gateway to other sins. 3. Allow nothing to make you question the Father's love for his child. A Christian may lose more by one hour's discontentment under trials, than he can regain in many months. In a sense, contentment is the absence of worrywhether that be about who we are, what we have or don't have, or what our condition is in life. Christian contentment doesn't mean feeling nothing. Give thanks in all circumstances. Resist with the utmost abhorrence anything that causes you to doubt God's love and his loving-kindness toward you. Even pain and suffering that seemingly cannot be corrected, he can redeem. 1. Here are 4 ways to find contentment in Christ: #1 Accept rejection.That sounds crazy because rejection is not easy. is an artist, filmmaker, and author from Dallas, Texas. Discontentment is at the heart of many problems in the world today. "A man who goes into a restaurant and blatantly disrespects the servers shows a strong discontent with his own being. the most frequent warnings in Scripture against discontentment concern money and possessions, but in this chapter, I want to address what is perhaps a more common form of discontentment among committed Christians, an attitude than may be triggered by unchanging circumstances that are trials to our faith. Amen. Though it seems easy to pinpoint the cause of our discontent, we are often so filled with emotions that we cannot begin to categorize the real struggle we are facing. When we compare ourselves with others we are not walking by faith. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. A Christian blog focused on faith, ministry, adoption, parenting, marriage, and more! But overcoming feeling rejected is a secret to moving past approval seeking. When I am discontented with the circumstances that God has placed me in, essentially what I believe is either 1) God is not sovereign over what is happening, 2) God is not good, 3) God is not wise, or 4) any number of combination of these things. If you are struggling with any of these feelings, take ownership of them and confess it to the Lord. In our discontented agecharacterized by impatience, overspending, grumbling, and unhappinessit's hard to imagine what true contentment actually looks (and feels) like. Satan is the master of mixing lies with truths. 2) Uncontrolled Ambition. Endorsements: "Discontentment among Christians is a far bigger problem than we either realize or acknowledge. Welcome to Christian Forums, a forum to discuss Christianity in a friendly surrounding. We were the first of His creations that He called "very good"! If we forgive the offenses and begin turning to Jesus for satisfaction, that basis of discontentment in our relationships will start to fade. These are admissions of the depression, anxiety, and even anger brought on by his grumbling, discontented, and complaining disposition toward God. The difference between godly and ungodly discontentment really lies in two things: the root and the fruit. This, however, doesn't mean that we are defenseless. The difference between accepting that the world is broken and discontentment (3:46) The root issues of trust and disbelief (9:59) Community and honesty as tools for overcoming discontentment (10:58) The complexity of Scripture on the matter (12:50) The effect of age and wisdom on discontentment (16:18) The effect of envy on our discontentment . Lou Priolo puts his discerning finger right on the real issues and helps us ask probing questions designed to reveal our troubled consciences' covetousness and idolatry. Solomon was discontent with just one wife. Ask Him to forgive you of your discontentment and to help you find contentment in all circumstances. The world is discontent with less and says, "You will find contentment with more.". Here are a few: (1) Spiritual Growth - Not being satisfied with our spiritual growth is a form of healthy discontentment. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. They may begin to neglect family, church, or their job responsibilities because their present circumstances are so full of sorrow. To the Christian currently struggling with discontentment, this week's devotional is for you! 3. As a Christian, her faith heavily influences her writing and is the driving force . I can do no other. Fighting Discontentment with Contentment. 3) Critical Spirit. Discontented with his lot in life, a minister embezzled funds from the church to buy a larger house. As Paul Tripp well puts it, "I love me and have a wonderful plan for my life." Areas of Sinful Discontentment (1) Money and Possessions - When we are unsatisfied or unhappy with our money or possessions, we are sinfully discontent. Greed causes us to want more and more of the wrong things at the expense of the things that matter more. We find it throughout the Old Testament and even in the first sin of mankind. If discontentment is expressing dissatisfaction with the . 4. Contentment is the realization that only God can fulfill our greatest desires. The tendency to make negative, hurtful, cutting remarks about others. The desire to win at all costs, no matter what it takes or who gets trampled in the process. You're discontent because you perceive an obstacle between you and your prize. Deep down he knows that restaurant service is the closest thing he will ever experience to being served like a king.". 1 Timothy 6:6-10 ESV / 102 helpful votesNot Helpful. But God knows that when we grumble, we are finding. I first heard about the concept of godly discontentment from megachurch pastor and leadership expert Pastor Bill Hybels. Name the prize you want. As much as the 'churchy' answer is not often appreciated, reminding ourselves that God alone understands does provide glimmers of hope when discontent lingers. We will be discussing what contentment is all about, what God's Word has to say about contentment, Paul's secret to contentment, practical ways to get out of discontentment, and more! Comparisons get us into trouble for at least two reasons. However, in our sin, our hearts are "prone to wander." A discontent with our position and portion, a craving from something which God has wisely held from us. 5:18-20 ). Discontentment is a feeling of dissatisfaction, restlessness, and unhappiness. Grace us with righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. Before you go to your spouse with this issue - is it really "a thing"? "Discontentment among Christians is a far bigger problem than we either realize or acknowledge. For years, I'd see her out my kitchen window as she would water her garden, carry in her groceries, or talk to her children, and I couldn't help but notice that a deep frown was a permanent fixture on her face. Contentment is a powerful thing. Discontentment makes us altogether unable to resist temptations. The Cure for Discontentment. To know God and love God and work for God. Evaluate Whether the Issue is a Real Thing or a Personal Preference. Thirty-seven years ago, in 1985, the band Prince and The Revolution released its critically-acclaimed album titled Around the World in a Day. The children of the King. The biblical practice of contentment can seem like a lost artsomething reserved for spiritual giants but out of reach for the rest of us. When you have more, learn to be disturbed about the fact that you will leave this world and you cannot take what you have with you (Luke 12:13-21). What goes on in our hearts that causes us to be discontent? "Discontentment among Christians is a far bigger problem than we either realize or acknowledge. When Satan prompted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit God had forbidden them from, they acted on their discontentment. To experience the contentment Jesus offers, we. - Martin Luther 2 Contentment Discontentment is a very common human trait. First, learn to give thanks in all things. Today it is rare that we find anyone who is truly content with his or her condition in life. Paul had learned to give thanks in every circumstance and he exhorted all believers to do the same. For if we are, we will remain stagnant. If discontentment is founded in a desire and plea for health and wholeness for brother, friend, country, and creation, it becomes a life-giving and imperative thing. All that is needful he will supply. The world after the Fall is a cruel and difficult place where there is much hardship, darkness and corruption. The different moods music can convey never cease to amaze me. It's probably not Jesus since Romans 8:38-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from him. . Discontentment is a mistrusting of God. Melissa is a passionate minister, speaker and an ongoing learner of the Bible. If they're satisfying us, then we're far too easily pleased. Discontentment amounts to complaining against God's plan. Discontentment drives us insane, and 2020 has taught us that discontentment drives divisionracial tension, epidemiological confusion, economic downturn, political chaos. We have struggled with discontentment because we have valued and pursued what the world has told us is important. Discontent is the root of ten thousand sins involving God's people. 5:18 ), but it is also a characteristic of a Spirit-filled believer ( Eph. Help us to flee from love of money and covetousness. The good news is that these lies are lies. Those two things are usually created and refined in the fire, not when life is smooth. We accept, therefore, from God's hand that which he gives. Lewis 2 Contentment Here I stand. This weeks message is "The Discontented Christian Life" and I will seek to argue from Philippians 3 that we as Christians should be very discontent with our knowledge and experience of God as the giver of those gifts. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to . In every church, in every Christian, in every person there often appears . He's looking at their whole lifethe past, the present, the futureand He longs for them to make the most of the life He has given them! Contentment is trusting God implicitly. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless . . Greed. There is a desire for an identity and for acceptance, and when it doesn't measure up, there grows an extreme level of discontent and even some dangerous things as a result. As you may have heard before, our heart is designed for worship. 4 Ways to Find Contentment in Christ. It is impossible for a Christian to be a put sin to death when discontentment is being exercised. It leads us to covet what God has given others, and we become ungrateful for his provision in our own lives. A constant desire for more reveals that our money or possessions have taken the place of God in our lives. The reason we are discontent in this area is because we have a desire for more. There is still a gaping spiritual hole in your heart that on God can fill. It's also okay to be dissatisfied with suffering. Be a Christian where you are right now. Thus, discontent is the opposite of faith. Music can be happy, woeful, eager, mournful, exhilarating-the list could go on. And is the founder of Think About Such Things. They have become emotionally and psychologically jaundiced from a sense that their life lacks that "pop"that somethingthat person, thing, or experience that they believe will provide the degree of fulfillment, significance, and satisfaction they've longed for but have yet to discover. From public affairs to public platforms, the desires "at war within" are bubbling over into quarrels and fightson social media, in the church, within homes, among . Thank God for Every Gift. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. The irony behind greed is that it is never satisfied. The difference between ungodly and godly discontent is that the first is centred on us and our needs, and the second is motivated by love for Christ and others. Unlike Eve, Jesus trusts in God's Word. "The Danger of Discontentment" 2022 Darrell B. Harrison Providence Christian College Pasadena, CA. Lou Priolo puts his discerning finger right on the real issues and helps us ask probing questions designed to reveal our troubled consciences' covetousness and idolatry. Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. Let not discontentment have a permanent blight on our character. They aren't true. Lesson 15: Dwarfed by Discontentment. The world continually sends messages that tempt us toward discontentment. (2) Injustices and other evils - We should not be content with . You will need to register to get access to the following site features: Reply to discussions and create your own threads. So help teens understand that God doesn't care what's cool today or tomorrow. Reject any suggestion that God is unduly severe with you. . Usually we take out our frustrations on someone else. Sadly, many Christians today are discontented with their life. There are three things that will not be satisfied, Four that will not say, "Enough": Sheol, and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, "Enough.". The idea behind it is that there is a certain kind of discontentment that can actually propel us to greater heights. He says, "That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish." It is a reminder of who they are! (p71) Just as Paul declared in Philippians 4:13, we can do all things, including learning to be content, through the strength we receive following Christ. Burroughs defines it this way: "Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition . Unlike Eve, Jesus obeys God's law. Wednesday, April 13, 2022. "You must have a level of discontent to feel the urge to want to grow.". Discontentment The cure for the sin of envy and jealousy is to find our contentment in God. It is such a destructive sin that if left unaddressed it canand willdecimate everything in its pathincluding our relationships with other people. One dictionary defines contentment as "the state of being mentally or emotionally satisfied with things as they are.". But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. The problem of our discontent is when we believe earthly gains solve our inner desires. Lord, give us hearts of contentment. And, as a result of that discontentment, we should pursuezealously and eagerly pursuemore and more and more of Christ and . 5:18; Eph. Of all people, Jesus had the best reason to be discontent. Instead, we are trying to control things. Israel was discontent with worshiping God alone and . . Our modern chat room. Lou Priolo puts his discerning finger right on the real issues and helps us ask probing questions designed to reveal our troubled consciences' covetousness and idolatry. Your voice is missing! We have lived by their standards. Why do we, as believers, struggle with discontentment? Contentment is a matter of accepting from God's hand what he sends because we know that he is a good God and wants to give good gifts to his children. The Christian's unhappiness, discontentment, and view of God are directly linked. In verse 15 Paul reminds them that they are the children of God. God's children. Some are so discontent in their trials that they neglect the responsibilities God gives them in life. Do the Heart Check for Discontentment Most often, the problem is our focus. Discontentment produces unpleasant feelings. They wanted what the Lord had, and they thought He might be withholding something from them. 2 "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. { About } { Authors } {STC Believes} {Christian Adoption Link Up } {Advertise } { Where We Share } STC Forums; Defying Discontentment. How can we be earnest and strive for success as a Christian and at the same time be contented . The leech has two daughters, "Give," "Give.". Many people struggle to be content. God says, "Learn to be content with less, and learn to be discontent with more.". Discontentment screams, "You deserve better!" and whispers, "God is not giving you what you deserve." The former screams are blatantly false, but the latter whispers are profoundly true. Unlike Eve, Jesus is content. Proverbs 30:15-16. Contentment means that you're not distracted from your God-given duties. We should be discontent (to a certain extent) with earthly pleasures. Prevailing sin, pride and all other lusts get great victory over such a person. - Jerry Bridges 3 Envy Jealousy Contentment These things are not strange, Small One, though they are beyond our senses. A Christian Cure for Discontentment Pt. 3. The inability to rejoice at the success of others. Christian joy comes as we give ourselves completely in service to . No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting! Human nature tends toward discontentment, but the Bible teaches us that we are to be content with what we have ( Hebrews 13:5 ). Overcoming Discontentment I Corinthians 7:17-35 Ever since the beginning of creation, when the first creatures came from the hand of God, there has always been someone, somewhere, unhappy with his position in the universe. My neighbor Claudine's face was always set in a mask of discontent. 2. 1) They can make us feel . When we bring to light the sinful thoughts. Discontent Quotes. - C.S. The discontented church.

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