CONTENTMENT

Proverbs 15:16; Philippians 4:11; Hebrews 13:5

1. To be content in life brings a great amount of peace. Let us define contentment from Websters’ 1828 dictionary. 1. Contentment; a resting or satisfaction of mind without disquiet; acquiescence. Contentment, without external honor, is humility. Godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 2. Gratification

Contentment is not laziness. Never suffer under that mistaken thought. Contentment is satisfaction with where we are at in life, work, marriage and our relationship with God. It includes the idea of happiness. This does not preclude improvement in all areas of our life. The truth is that without improvement we will lose our contentment. Contentment does not mean that we are satisfied with where we are at but indicates we are striving for betterment without being worried by external influences and wickedness.

Proverbs states this very clearly. “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.” Proverbs 15:16 KJB. Be content with what we have and we will have great peace of mind. We must establish proper priorities that Jesus has given us in His Word. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt. 6:33 KJB. When we pursue proper things that Jesus says to pursue we will dwell in contentment.

What does it mean to be in want? Paul says to the Philippian brethren, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11 KJB. Whether rich or poor, contentment should be our companion. Riches do not make us a better person. Being poor does not make us a bad person. Contentment will make us a pleasing person. Contentment demonstrates that our priorities in life are right. It indicates that we have made Christ the focus and center of our life. We are pursuing the greatest, the most important thing in life and that is a loving relationship with our marvelous Savior, Jesus Christ. Are we content with Jesus Christ? When we have Christ, we have all we need.

Our problem is our eyes. We see the things of the world and desire becomes covetousness. We want and design to get. We see our neighbors and their toys and desire to have what they have. This tears or rips our focus from God and His Son Jesus Christ and the world becomes more important to us than our Savior. Hebrews says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5 KJB. A short definition of “conversation” is appropriate. Webster 1828 dictionary. 1. General course of manners, behavior, deportment, especially as it respects morals. Be ye holy in all manner of conversation. I Peter I:15, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” KJB Our way of living, our holy life should usher in contentment that overcomes all the pleasures of this world, preparing us for the world to come and the Holiness of God and His Son Jesus Christ that resides there. Praise God that He brings contentment into our lives.

APRIL 20 – The Blessedness of Unity

APRIL 20 – The Blessedness of Unity

Psalm 133:1  A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 

2  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 

3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. 

Unity, often discussed, difficult to attain. Unity is so important in the work of the Lord. There are times where dis-unity causes the work of God to be hindered. Unity promotes and encourages the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We should be united in Sentiment. Sentiment is a tender feeling or emotion for others that are engaged in the work of the Lord. It is that part of mankind where joy is shared by all and death is mourned together and those that leave our union brings great sadness. This sentiment is coupled with a union of feeling. This feeling brings a confidence among those that are in union. When we are in union with sentiment and feeling, we will be united in effort. When we are united in effort, the Lord’s work will be accomplished.

Church union is very important. The Church must be united in the teachings of the Scriptures. We must agree on core doctrines that relate to God, Jesus, and the Church. Without this union on Scripture, there is division which hinders the work. Unity is strength. Where there is unity there is strength to do the work. Unity brings happiness. When all are pulling the yoke together we have a unity of purpose that brings us together to pursue a goal. Where there is unity, there is love. A love that overshadows the work that is done for the Lord. Through all of the discussions on God, Church, and Doctrine, we should have unity even in our disagreements.

May we unite for the sake of the work of the Lord.

HEBREW HONEYCOMB

 

HAPPINESS IS IN THE LORD!

 

AUTHOR – William Andrew Dillard

 

Happiness has been variously defined as a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Happiness occurs on many levels of the human psyche. Moreover, its tenants vary both in content and in age. Simple things may bring temporal happiness to a child while more complex things produce the same for an adult. Additionally, some states of happiness are extremely temporal and fleeting while others remain, but it is the state of happiness that claims our attention. Think with me about it.

 

Unfortunately, the term “Happiness” does not occur in the KJV of the Bible, but there are several synonyms which do. Words such as “cheer, joy, rejoice, good cheer, contentment,” etc., are found often in Holy Writ. This state of being is universally sought by men. Even the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America states the “pursuit of happiness” as a God-given right of men. Unfortunately, sin in men causes them to look to the material world in the belief that the blessed states lies in education, acquisition of wealth, power, fame, and most anything else that glitters. Usually their awakening of such grave error, if it comes at all in this life, arrives when life is done and their pursuits of life lie empty before them.

 

But this is not so for true Christians and this addresses that which makes true and lasting happiness. They hear Jesus repeatedly telling the disciples to be of good cheer. They relive the apostle Paul admonishing the sailors on a doomed ship to be of good cheer. They experience the sweetness of the rejoicing themed in Philippians.

 

And what causes it? It is complete and unreserved acceptance and dependence upon the marvelous promises of God’s Holy Word: the Word that tells them of their original sinful state; of the way of salvation; its experience; of wisdom and knowledge about the world in which they live, and how to deal with issues of life; of hope, sweet hope, unwavering hope in the sureness of the future. It is the certain confidence of the promise that brings the blessed state. But unlike the promises of the world, the promises of God are sure and steadfast, and never, never, no, not a single time are they a disappointment that would dash the state of Christian joy!

 

I think of a verse of scripture in Psalm 16:11. “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Surely, true and lasting happiness is in the Lord! Has your happiness been dashed to pieces because it was dependent on this world? Then find it in uninterrupted duration in confidence in His Word.

 

Test of True Prophets

 

“Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him,” Deuteronomy 13:4.

 

“Help yourself to happiness.” “Save money. Live better.” “Have it your way.” “Just do it.” These are just a few slogans of prominent companies which presume to fill voids in the hearts of Americans with their products. These kinds of words, accompanied with slick advertisements and images of happy people, speak with power and authority to those watching or listening. While I assume no Christian would admit to worshiping a product, it is true that we are swayed in our decision making when we give ear to messages presented with authority. When our choices lead us to place products or people on a pedestal with equal authority as God, we have been led astray. What should we do?

 

Test the product. Test the message. Test the authority. See if what you have been led to think about a person or product is actually true. See if what you place on a pedestal of devotion is God or is simply something that God has allowed you to receive as a gift. In the text, God told His people that authoritative voices would compete for their attention and desire to guide them away from love and devotion to Him. He said He would allow it to happen as a test to see whether they were genuine in their devotion to Him. Every day, you and I observe powerful messages from our acquaintances, in print, on the TV, radio and Internet. These messages compete for our attention, claiming to make our lives more abundant, but ultimately serve as daily tests of our love and devotion to God. Have you been passing the test or have you been led astray?

 

 

JUST A THOUGHT

 

Will you hold fast to God today?

 

 

Mark Clements

 

Burned Biscuits – A lesson we all should learn.

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!
All my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing…never made a face nor uttered a word about it!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he said, “Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Mom put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides–a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!”
As I’ve grown older, I’ve thought about that many times. Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people.
I’m not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that’s my prayer for you today…that you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He’s the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn’t a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!
Don’t put the key to happiness in someone else’s pocket, keep it in your own.
So, please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
“Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil–it has no point”

 

HOW TO FIND HAPPINESS

Everybody, everywhere
seeds happiness, it’s true,
But finding it and keeping it
seems difficult to do.
Difficult because we think
that happiness is found
Only in the places where
wealth and fame abound –
And so we go on searching
In “palaces of pleasure”
Seeking recognition
and monetary treasure.
Unaware that happiness
is just a “state of mind”
Within the reach of everyone
who takes time to be kind
For in making others happy
we will be happy, too.
For the happiness you give away
returns to “shine on you.”

Helen Steiner Rice

THE ROAD IS NOT STRAIGHT

“The road to success and happiness is not straight.

There’s a curve called failure,

A loop called confusion,

Speed bumps called friends,

Caution lights called family,

Red lights called enemies, and

Jobs that go flat.

But with a spare called determination,

An engine called perseverance,

Insurance called faith, and

A driver called God,

You will make it to a place called

Success and happiness.”

UnknownTHE

Rules For Happy Living

10. Practice the “Do It Now” habit. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. (II Corinthians 6:1-2)

11. Learn to Laugh and Learn to Cry. Over 70 percent of all physical ills could be overcome if we could learn these. (Romans 12:15.

12. Learn to practice the Happiness habit. Learn to smile and the world will smile with you. (Philippians 4:4)

13: Learn to Fear Nothing or No one. Think on your powers and not on your weaknesses. Crowd our fears with faith. (Hebrews 11:1-6)

14. Let go and let God take over. The only way to find peace and happiness is to let God take the controls of our life. (Psalm 23)