The Power of Contentment Is

Good morning. Welcome to Insights with

Pastor John.

Today I want to talk about the power of

contentment.

A lot of times we spend our lives in

stress and and trying to get through the

day-to-day works and things that we need

and u we be we forget about

one of the most important things there

is in in our Christian walk which is

being content and understanding that

Jesus Jesus said that his peace is

different than the world's peace and

what true contentment is

is the state of peace

body, mind and soul.

And we we often talk about our

emotionals our emotional peace or or the

peace that we have physically but it all

you also have to have spiritual peace.

And uh in Hebrews 13:5, he says, "Let

your conversation

be without covetousness, and be content

with such things as you have, for he

hath said, I will never leave thee, nor

forsake thee." And when you're looking

at this and you you go through what uh

Jesus said about learning how to be

content,

um the sermon on the mount when he says

not to be seeking after these things, he

gets real uh the writer of Hebrews here

is really focused in on letting your

conversation be without covetousness.

And when you look this up, this is you

ever ran into people whose whole focus

in life is on money,

success,

fame,

and the things that they can get in

life. And that's what he's talking about

here. Stop focusing on those things.

Those are things that all they bring is

strife because you're constantly in a

state of I don't have enough. And then

he says be content with such as you have

for and you know learning how to do

that. The apostle Paul, he talked about

that as well uh

in Ephesians or Philippians chapter 4.

Uh

in uh

verse 11, he says, "Not that I speak in

respect of want, for I have learned in

whatsoever state I am therewith to be

content." And in verse 12, he says,"I

know both how to be abased, and I know

how to abound everywhere and in all

things. I am I am instructed both to be

full

and to be hungry, both to abound and to

suffer need." And then verse 13 is a

very commonly quoted uh verse. He says,

"I can do all things through Christ

which strengthenth me."

And you know, we tend to get caught up

in this whole thing of I don't have

enough. Uh I need more. I could be I

would be happy if I had this or I would

be happy if I had that. That is a state

of not being content. Being content is

I'm at peace in my life. I accept the

things I have. I'm working for things I

want. But that working for the things

that I want are is not the driving force

behind what I do.

When you're the driving force behind of

what you do is your relationship with

Christ and building on that

then you are able to fulfill what he

said in uh Matthew 6:33 and 34. 33 he

tells the people this is sermon on the

mount. Seek ye first the kingdom of God

and his righteousness,

and all these things shall be added unto

you. And verse 34, it says, "And take no

thought for tomorrow, for sufficient to

the day is the evil thereof." If you

spend all your time worrying, worried

about how am I going to have enough, how

am I going to pay this, how am I going

to pay that, rather than focusing in on

what he said. And if you read that whole

passage in Matthew chapter 6 about what

things to seek after and what not to

seek after, you'll discover for yourself

the peace that God gives us, which

doesn't make sense to the world. Because

the world's version of peace is if I

have enough, then I won't worry. And

Jesus says don't worry and you'll have

enough.

And it's a it's a it is a change of your

thought process to be thankful for what

you have.

And and you know he says that he in

everything give thanks for this is the

will of God in Christ Jesus concerning

you. So if I can learn to be thankful

with what I have and I can learn to live

with what I have, then I'm opening the

door for increase.

If I spend all my time trying to

increase myself,

I'm not spending the time that I need to

increase my relationship with Christ

because everything is based on that.

Even John says that uh 3R John verse two

it says I would that you prosper and be

in health even as thy soul prospers. So

everything focuses and turns around to

one fact and that is this.

If your soul is prospering everything

else is affected downstream.

So we need to change our focus. We need

to get away from

the mentality that we see constantly

uh in the world of trying to get more

and trying to get more. Stop and

refocus.

The only thing you need more of is God.

Your relationship with him. And if you

focus on that, on building that

relationship, being content with what

you have that God's already given you,

then you're going to find out that he's

going to give you more because you

become a faithful steward with what he

gave you. And when you that when you

show faithful stewardship, you're

showing God, I'm responsible. I can take

care of the things that you have blessed

me with. I'm doing the things that you

have asked me to do and my life I'm

content.

And when you reach that place, that

place of true contentment, then God

opens the doors even more

because he gives to you to give to

others. He takes care of you out of what

he gives you. But he wants you to be a

giver because that's his nature. And so

if we're going to learn to be content,

we have to accept that, you know, um I

run into people on a regular basis and

what we have to accept is we don't have

to have a $100,000 car to be happy. We

just need a car that is dependable to be

happy.

We don't have to live in the finest

house in town to be happy. If we have a

house that's paid for and it's in a good

repair and

uh we get so caught up and people get so

caught up in the need to own and have

the best of the best of the best

that they they

the place they're lacking in their life

is having

an intimate close personal relationship

with God, which is more important than

anything. If you focus on building that

relationship

and letting your testimony speak about

you, that God has changed your life,

that God has done things for you, that

God has taken you to places that uh most

people have never been. If you focus on

that,

God will open doors that you cannot

really even wrap your mind around. It's

important for us to realize that we give

because he gave.

We're content because he gave us his

peace. I don't have to strive with the

world to get the things of the world. I

just need to do what God asked me to do.

And he will supply all of our needs

according to his riches and glory. God

has no lack

if we do it his way. So I want you to

keep that in mind. The power of

contentment

is that you're at peace

mentally, physically, and spiritually.

I would that you prosper and be in

health even as thy soul prospers. Focus

on prospering your soul.

Be the best person you can be. Do the

work as of as if unto the Lord. And God

will honor it for you. He will show you

a better way. So I want you to keep that

in mind this week. Jesus loves you. He

has great plans for you.

Do it his way and you'll be amazed by

what changes in your life. I can share

with you things that God has done uh in

my own life when I learned the power of

being content to be thankful

in everything. Uh God began to use me in

ministry and then he began to increase

me through ministry and he will do the

same for you because the Bible teaches

us clearly. God's not a respector of

persons. Whatever he's done for one, he

will do for another.

But to get what he he did for this one,

you're going to have to do the same

thing. So rather than being envious or

or

anything like that, take a look at this

person's life. See what God what they're

doing in their relationship with God and

then do the same thing in your

relationship with God. And that doesn't

mean, you know, comb your hair the way

they comb their hair or whatever. It's

about that commitment to the

relationship they have.

Have the same commitment to relationship

in your own life and God will increase

you because of it. So we'll see you guys

next week. I want you to have a great

week. Learn to be content. Being content

is the key to everything that you want

to do. So, God bless you and we'll see

you guys again next