The Secret to Contentment Part 1: One Day at a Time

This week, I was reminded of the fragility of life when a good friend of my father passed away. He was fine the one day, and two days later he had passed on! Needless to say, it was a great shock to his family and many friends.

We often live our lives thinking that we’re invincible, but little do we realize the fine line between life and death. One could hope that all of us are alive to be caught up in the air with the Lord at His glorious return, but that would be wishful thinking. Some of us will not be alive then, although that will not detract from the excitement of the resurrection that awaits us! (1 Thes 4:15-18, Phil 1:21)

Life is fragile. It can end at any time, meaning the close of probation for each individual may well be closer than the general close of probation. Wise King Solomon said it well when he said that the living know they shall die, but the dead know not anything. Since life passes so quickly, it should be all the more reason to find those things that matter the most and make your life count for something bigger and better than your wildest dreams -  something that will last for eternity! I speak of the Kingdom of God which will never pass away. Jesus said: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things will be added unto you.” (Matt 6:24-34, Matt 6:19-21)

Are you stressed about things that often seem beyond your control? Do you feel like a headless chicken, or a wave in a tempest, tossed to and fro? Do the little annoyances in life leave you feeling angry and bitter, and then worst of all…ALONE? Are you suffering the negative physical effects of a body and spirit that is exhausted from the relentless pressures of life and the wild dreams and fantasies you chase that mean nothing in the greater scheme of things? Do you feel like a hamster on a wheel, running as fast as you can, but going nowhere? Are you trapped in a vicious cycle of debt that leaves a lump in your throat and feels like an anaconda squeezing the life out of you?

I speak from personal experience when I tell people that Jesus is the answer to true contentment. After all, if the Spirit of the Lord of the Universe dwells within you, what more could you want? I felt my colleague’s sentiments this week when he said that if he didn’t have Jesus, he probably would have committed suicide a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with forward planning and a healthy sense of God-given ambition. God wants us to use all our talents, but most times we take it beyond the boundaries for healthful living. None of us is given a guarantee that we will have tomorrow; all we have is today. Make it count! As the old hymn goes: “…one day at a time, Sweet Jesus; that’s all I am asking of You…”

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."- Matt 6:24-34

Scripture refs: Read the whole of Matthew ch 6, 1Thes 4:15-18, Phil 1:21

The Secret to Contentment Part 2-Born to Serve

Last week’s message focused on the secret to true contentment being trust in Jesus Christ who saves us, obedience to His commands because we love Him, and making His Kingdom the overriding passion in our lives.

However, the question may arise: How exactly does one make Jesus’ Kingdom your passion? This week’s message seeks to explore this question. (Matt 6:19-34)

Making Jesus’ Kingdom your passion involves making His mission the priority and central focus of your existence. We are to seek the lost and erring in the same way that the Saviour sought them i.e. with a heart of compassion. The fulfillment of the Great Commission should override your desire for wealth, prestige or status in this world. Let God take care of you, as you focus on serving Him  by taking care of those He loves and gave His life for. (Matt 28:19-20)

There is no career more rewarding than that of being a minister of Christ. It is indeed the highest privilege and calling. Most of us spend at least eight hours at our places of work, but this is no excuse to leave God’s calling on your life unfulfilled. Your place of work is your mission field – don’t wait until you retire to labour for the Master; rather do it now in the days of your youth and vigour when you can offer Him the best years of your life in humble service for His Kingdom. In ministering to the needs of others by tending to their spiritual, emotional and physical needs, you will gain an audience for your promotion of the Gospel of our Lord. The days spent at your work place where you used to complain and experience monotony will be revitalized as you gain new purpose in working for the Master. In His employ, you will find peace and contentment as never before! (1 Tim 4:12; 6:6-12, Lam 3:27, Jer 22:21)

God created us in His image and likeness. When Jesus walked this earth, He revealed His character to be that of a servant leader. Therefore this means that we were created for service! When Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was healed by Jesus, the first thing she did was to arise and wait on the Lord. In the same manner, Christ has brought us into His Kingdom to serve others and to worship Him. In doing so, we will find rest for our souls, for we will then have exchanged our burdens for His yoke of service which is “easy and light”. (Matt 8:14-15; 11:28-30, John 13)

This quiet contentment is evidenced in the life of Paul the Apostle, when as he languished in a damp prison cell, all he asked for was his coat, books and parchments.The degree of contentment you experience is directly proportional to the amount of “dying to self” that you do. Contentment stems from having a meaningful purpose –Jesus is our reason for living. He is our purpose, His mission and passion, ours too!

The Secret to Contentment Part 3-Sabbath Rest

In the fast paced modern era we live in, many struggle to find some quiet time for rest and repose. However, God has always emphasized the need for His people to come away from worldly concerns for a time of reflection and communion with Him. (Gen 3:8-9, Gen2:2-3, Mk 6:31)

We were not designed to operate in a 24/7 working environment. As the Creator and Master Designer of the Universe, God alone knows the optimal conditions in which we should live. Just as you would not subject your car or a piece of expensive machinery to undue stress by using it contrary to the operating instructions (abuse), so you should also take care to heed God’s operating instructions for your own well-being, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.

It is the same Lord who decreed the boundaries of the oceans who also has decreed the boundaries of time and space, giving us six days in which to labour and commanding us to rest on the seventh day to commemorate the great work of Creation that He had accomplished. It is also a time to contemplate the restoration of all things which He has already set in motion by His redeeming death, victorious Resurrection and atoning priestly ministry.

Jesus, when He was on this earth, showed us in what spirit we ought to keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath is God’s gift to man. This is what Jesus meant when He said that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. (Mk 2:27) No gift is a burden; hence the Sabbath ought not to be kept in legalistic tradition, but in joyous freedom and should be our delight. (Is 58:13-14) Also notice, He did not say: “The Sabbath was made for Jews…” He said “man”, meaning ALL of mankind, non-Jews included.

Many have neglected the Sabbath or have chosen to replace God’s Holy (sanctified*) Day with a day of their own choosing. At Creation, God rested on the Sabbath (seventh day), setting a pattern for us that was to last for all eternity. If the Sabbath had been changed to Sunday (first day of the week), surely something as important as this would have been an explicit command of Jesus Himself! Yet we see no such command in the entire Canon of Scripture. We see the price of neglect of God’s Sabbath all around us, in the maladies of the depressed and anxious. People are suffering from stress, overwork and depression from their youth. God has given us a command to rest – if He has decreed it, why should we fight it? In God’s Kingdom made new, ALL peoples will celebrate the Sabbath. (Is 66:22-23) Why not embrace and enjoy it now!

* to sanctify = to set apart for holy use

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD."-Is 66:22-23

The Secret to Contentment Part 4-A Learned Behaviour

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have it all, yet never find true happiness? Scripture is fraught with examples and wise lessons on how being physically rich in the wares and treasures of this world makes it even harder to find entrance into the Kingdom of God. Since the Kingdom of God begins in our hearts, if our hearts are full of restless striving for worldly treasures, one can clearly see the problem! Jesus Himself said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt 19:24) The love of money is the root of all evil, and those who possess such greed will never experience true contentment. It is not impossible for rich people to enter into Heaven; it’s just a lot harder! (1 Tim 6:10)

True contentment comes from recognizing the value of the eternal and unsearchable riches of God’s grace. After all, your heart is where your treasure lies (Matt 6:19-21). Those who practice the art of contentment make it look easy! However, contentment is a behaviour that often comes by way of learning some hard life lessons. I must confess, I myself only started experiencing contentment after the year 2008 which to me was one of the worst years of my life! It took  spending my first stint in hospital, escaping unscathed from two car accidents (one from a horse and trailer truck which would have demolished my poor Tazz had it not been for the hand of God), having one cell phone destroyed from liquid damage and another stolen, together with a season of unemployment and depression to teach me contentment. Yet despite this, I consider it one of the most valuable gifts I have been given – the ability to treasure and savour each passing moment of life, valuing it for the precious gift of God it really is.

The Apostle Paul states in Phil 4:11-13: “…for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” From this, we can clearly see that contentment exists in the heart of one who is totally surrendered to God and who gives up his own willful passions, plans and desires placing them subject to the Will of God. In this he takes up his cross and follows the Master, and in denying himself he finds true contentment (Matt 16:24-26). Contentment is a learned behaviour. It is when everything is stripped away from us that we learn that we really don’t need that much to survive after all! God will take care of you; if you make His business your priority, He will make your business His priority. (Is 33:6,16)