QUOTATION
“During that season of my life,
I did not know Jesus. Instead, I was looking for help in the wrong places. If I
had known Jesus, I would have known He was the one person who could help me,
because He had defeated death, He had overcome the severe depression of being
rejected by God, when He took on the sins of the world as His own, He was able
to overcome the severe depression and hopelessness He felt when He cried out
with agony, ‘My God, My
God, why hast thou forsaken me!’"
Barry Denzil Haney
SCRIPTURE
“But godliness with contentment
is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can
carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But
they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish
and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love
of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But
thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay
hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good
profession before many witnesses.”
1 Timothy 6:6-12
REFLECTION
“I am so unhappy! In order to
be happy, I am going to strife to do more, I am going to strife to get more,
and I am going to strife to be more. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!”
Discontentment! Since the fall
of Satan, discontentment has been around plaquing mankind. As Jordan Gross
tells us in his article, “3 Commonalities of Discontent People”, an analysis of
discontented people will identify three common themes:
- “Incongruence between what they
say they’re going to do and what they actually do.
- They place more emphasis on
their destination than they do their journey.
- They forget about the story of
the tortoise and hare. They lack patience.”1
Why are people discontented?
Why do they have a profound sense of emptiness in their life?
According to the secular
worldview, this emptiness is caused by our insatiable pursuit of happiness, an
attempt to fill this emptiness we feel in our heart, with things that will make
us happy. This worldview would tell you the problem resides in our focus. We
are focused on getting what we want in this world, forsaking the people around
us who have desperate needs. The following verse from Abba’s hit song, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!, captures
this search by mankind for something more to fill the void in their heart:
Gimme,
gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away
Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
The secular worldview on how to
fill the emptiness in our heart sounds good, right!
However, according to the
biblical worldview, every human has a God-shaped void in their heart. It is
this void that causes us to be discontented. This void exists because of sin.
Sin separates us from God, preventing us from having a relationship with our
Creator God. According to Colin Smith, in his article “The Three Sins Behind
Your Discontent”, there are three sins that lie behind discontent:
“Hell is a place of perpetual
discontent. People in hell are always angry and never at peace, always
frustrated and never satisfied. That is surely the significance of our Lord’s
words about ‘gnashing of teeth’ (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).
There are three sins that lie
behind discontent—pride, rebellion and unbelief. These are the original sins of
the devil and his angels. They are sins that come from hell itself, and they
continue in hell forever.”2
These three sins led to Satan’s
downfall. These same three sins will lead to the downfall of each of us as
well, unless we know Jesus! When we get to know Jesus, when we begin
experiencing a personal relationship with Him, it is then we will stop focusing
on what we don’t have and begin appreciating what God has given us! When we
know Jesus, we will be saved by grace with faith!
ILLUSTRATION
A little Swiss watch had been
made with the smallest of parts and great skill. Yet it was dissatisfied with
its restricted sphere of influence on a lady’s wrist. It envied the position of
the great tower clock on the city hall. One day as it passed with its owner by
the city hall, the tiny watch exclaimed, “I wish I could go way up there! I
could then serve many instead of just one.” Now it so happened that its owner
was in a position with the city that gave her access to the tower clock, so she
said, “You shall have your opportunity, little watch.”
The next day, a slender thread
was let down from the tower and the little watch was tied to it. Slowly and
carefully, the watch was pulled up the side of the tower, rising higher and
higher each moment. Of course, when it reached the top, it was completely lost
to view. In this dramatic way, the watch learned that its elevation had
effected its annihilation!
Pray that you too may not lose
the small influence you now have for Christ by coveting something larger for
which you are not equipped, and which God constantly refuses you in his love.
Learn to be content.246 (3)
PRAYER
Our Heavenly Father,
Help me to avoid the sin of
discontentment!
Help me instead be content, by
thanking you for
what You have given me! Please
help me withstand
the temptation of Satan to
focus on what I don’t have!
Help me avoid the temptation to
fill the void in
My heart with worldly things!
Help me to instead
Focus on what You have given me
as a gift,
Your son Jesus, through whose
work on the Cross at
Calvary, I am saved through
faith in Jesus!
In the glorious name of Jesus,
Amen!
SONG OF WORSHIP
Gethsemane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvPsRgIU3qg
God Bless You,
Barry
1Gross, Jordan. “3 Commonalities of
Discontent People.” Mind Cafe, June 19, 2020. https://medium.com/mind-cafe/3-commonalities-of-discontent-people-b78f7d424f23.
2Smith, Colin. “The Three Sins Behind Your
Discontent.” Unlocking the Bible, June 28, 2018. https://unlockingthebible.org/2017/06/the-three-sins-behind-your-discontent/.
3Michael P. Green. 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 2000. Print.