Freedom, Contentment, Presence Part 4

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 4
Presence

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper;...."

I find this part of the passage very convicting.  It's easy to pray for God to just change us - and he can - but it is all together a different thing to ask Him to be our helper.

The whole idea here is that I initiate the actions and efforts and God provides what I lack - He makes up the difference.  Be it great or small there is a gap in my ability to attain to what I want and God is the only one who can bridge that gap.  I must have His help!

And the writer says we can confidently say that the Lord is our helper!  This is ony possible becaue of who our Lord is.

Philippians 4:13 ESV
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Oh how often we use this verse and that without conviction.  It has become a by-phrase, a quick yet empty statement not because it isn't true but because we too often are found to be doing nothing.  We quote this verse as though it were some kind of magical incantation that would make things different without any effort on our part.

To move from covetousness to contentment is a great battle taking great effort on our part and demanding that He help us.  We can not - WILL not do it without His help.  To move from covetousness to contentment is too hard, to radical, too much for us to ever think we could do it without the help of God.

But - we must be the initiators - the actors - He the helper.  Why?  That is not a productive question and too often and excuse for inaction.  We must be active, energized for the fight.

First we must WANT to move from coveousness to contentment.
Second we must ACT to move from covetouness to contentment.
Third we must seek His POWER to move from covetousness to contentment.

We're very prone to do the third without the first two and they are critical to success.

The "want" needs to come from a firm conviciton of the sin of covetousness and a need for contentment.  Contentment is an oblgation, a duty of our faith.  He and He alone is to be sufficient for us.  If we are in Him and His Spirit is in us we are to be content.  This is not some super-spiritual option but a fundamental duty of every believer.  If we do not have a desire for contentment we are sinning - plain and simple.  A lack of contentment tells God that his provision is not enough - not good enough.  It is the mirror sin of ingratitude and murmuring.

Can you see how in the matter of covetousness and contentment the Lord's help is critical?  Can you see how we must submit to and depend upon Him as we take the appropriate actions to rid ourselves of covertousness and idolarty?  Are you grateful that he is indeed our helper in all things?

Freedom Contentment Presence Part 3

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 3
Presence

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

"For he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Luke 12:22-23 ESV
And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. [23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

Luke 12:28-31 ESV
But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! [29] And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. [30] For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Do we believe what our Lord has said?  Do we really?  Or do we believe this only when we are comfortable and at our ease?  Oh believer know you not that there is much great danger in comfort and ease?  Know you not that you risk much when your dependence strays from His promises, when you demand and aquire more than He would have you - and for reasons of satsfying yourself?

Is the great thing in your life the presence of Christ or is that presence obscured by the presence of possessions and covetousness?

Let me bunny trail here and plainly state that it is not just in plenty that we obscure His presence but we can do that when in need as well.  We can so focus on the need that we darken our ability to acknowledge and rejoice in His presence.

We must consider being free from the love of money-stuff, being content with what we have and the presence of Christ being inseperable and necessary to the life of the believer.  His promise to never leave us or forsake us needs to be seen in opposition to the love of money and lack of contentment.  They conflict one with another and ceate in the heart of the believe a raging torrent of grief - or at least I hope they do.

But there is one work here we must take seriously.  It is the word "FOR."

Reread the verse this way:
"Becasue he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have."

Does that change your perspective just a little?  It is His presence and His non-forsaking of us that is the justification for freedom and contentment.

But, more importantly His promise of His presence and not to forsake us should be the core of our freedom and contentment.  He should be enough.  He and His promises are for ever.

Think on this oft used passage:

 1 John 2:16-17 ESV
For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions-is not from the Father but is from the world. [17] And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The question we must ask is, "If someone looked at my life and how I use the blessings and mercies of God (especially money-stuff) could they tell I find freedom and contentment in His presence and promises?"

Oh Lord, deliver us again and again from the bondage of our corrupt natures that we might be free of idolatry and covetousness and content with using Your provision for Your glory and honor.  Father make the presence and promises of Your Son rise in my heart and indeed in my life.  Make me a simple satisfactory steward of all You entrust to me and keep me safe from myself, the world and the devil.  Let me not yield to the conventions and covetousness of my culture and to see everything You provide as a challenge to my faith and my heart.

Freedom, Contentment, Presence Part 2

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 2
Contnetment

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

"And be content with what you have,"

First we get rid of the love of money-stuff and then (only then) can we begin to seek contentment with what we have.

But we do not have to wait for our freedom to be full.  When we cease to covent and act on that coveting we can also begin to reduce the clutter in our lives.  Look around your place - are you really content with all you have or is some of it convicting?

Does some of it make you feel foolish?  Does some of it show you your covetousness?  Does some of it make you, well, ashamed?

Can you answer the question, "Why do I have this and do I need it?"

OK - yes, you work hard and have a "right" to have nice things, to enjoy the fruit of your labor------MAYBE!  Maybe you have some culturally endorsed "right" but do you carry it too far?  Let me ask you this.  If you see a brother or sister in need how well fixed are you to really help them?  How much better could you care for those in need if you were content with less?  "Oh," you say, "I give to this and that cause and ministry and the church!"  Yes - many of you do but who gets the lion's share of the spoils?

1 John 3:17 ESV
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

This closing of the heart takes place long before the need is ever seen.  Read Deut. 15 and watch as God's heart breaks for the poor.  Read it slowly and carefully and watch the corruption of covetousness bring God to finally and I believe tearfully conclude that we will always have the poor among us becasue we will NOT obey Him in regards to our money-stuff.

I have learned that covetousness can be a subtle enemy of contenment.  We buy just a little, we keep it simple and we do it often.  Doing it a little and often exposes our covetousness and our lack of contentment - two ends of the same stick.

But I wander.  Are you content with what you have?  No, not do you have enough? - Most of us have too much.  What I am trying to get you to ask is; Does what I have satisfy me, fulfill me or convict me?

What do you have that was bought through a covetous spirit?  What was indeed bought as an idol?  What do you have that was bought so you would feel better about yourself apart from God?  What do you have that you bought to show others how acceptable, successful and good you are?  How can you be "content" with these things still in your possession?  It is little different that Israel in the OT wanting to be like the nations around them so they began to aquire little idols and ended up worshipping alongside the Pagans.

Colossians 3:5 ESV
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

I do not believe we can ever experience the contentment Christ would have us experience unless we work at "killing" the covetousness in our hearts.  So, if you indeed want to be content, covetousness - past - present and future has to be attacked with all our energy and all the help the Holy Spirit can give!

Let me ask something that I ask myself.  How can I be content when I am surrounded by things that are in truth idols?  Must I not cast them down - cast them out?  Must I not cleanse my home of these evil idols to money-stuff?

If that sounds silly, I'll pray for you.  If that sounds legalistic my heart breaks for you.  If there is a twinge of ache in your heart, a glimmer of conviction I thank my God for you and encourage you in casting down and out all the "idols" you have accumulated and surrounded yourself with.

Contentment can not compete with covetousness.  You must choose - and pray.  Contentment comes over time and through effort and is empowered by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Philippians 4:11-13 ESV
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Synopsis - wisely said 101013

Mark Deckard write (base upon a work by J. Burroughs (the Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment)

"Contentment is not found in obtaining our desires, although God may sometimes grant them to us if they are not harmful.  Rather it is found in finding God in the midst of our unmet desires and in the end discovering that he is all we trule need (Matt. 6:25-33)."

Matthew 6:25-33 ESV
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? [27] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [28] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [29] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

How hard it is to lay aside our own answers and solutions and to wait upon His!  The flesh is strong when we are in distress and contentment seems so far from us.

The occassional Christian who runs to God when they have run out of themselves will find times of trial and discontent harder to bear than that believer whose habit it is to go before the Lord regularly seeking His will and the mortification of the fleshly, abiding sinful desires.  

I have come to think that we are to see our lives as a moment by moment battle not just an occassional skirmish with the world the flesh and the devil.  To see our lives as having but an occassional struggle is to see our lives as needing God only occassionally.  This leads to spiritual weakness and desperation in tiimes of great confrontation.

There are "musts" in the Christian walk.  Prayer, worship, stewardship to name a few.  They are not intended to gain us favor with God but to keep us close to Him to facilitate our growth and usefulness.  They also prepare us for those times of trouble and discontent that we must know we will face in this life.  When we fail in these Christian duties we are simply setting ourselves up for pain and agony.

Is he all you truly need?  Can you accept that and settle your soul?  Are you seeking to discover that through faithfully engaging with Him?  Are you seeking His kingdom, His kingship and all the mercies that come with them?  

Or, are you simply getting through life as best you can under your own power and effort?

Contentment is wonderful but without godliness it is an empty shell, a fractured pillar, a damaged foundation.

The cost - 051113

Luk 14:28  "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

"cost" = expense

How can we ever clearly count the cost of following the Master?  I don't know that it's possible to specifically enumerate the cost but in general He Himself makes it plain.

Paul puts it well:

Php 3:7  But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

This is an interesting perspective that the English fails to convey clearly.  It's not just that Paul counts all that gave him place and status in the world as loss - but also that he counted it as damage/detriment with a view to violence.  It was violently damaging.

We put sooooo much confidence in our achievements here and in doing so we damamge ourselves - especially our walk.  If there is nothing we can do to be His we can't place confidence or take fleshly pride in our achievements.

It's the "not I but Christ" conundrum.   We did and do things that the world and the flesh applaud and encourage us to build our view of ourselves upon.  Education, training, talents, skills - all these things the world encourages the flesh to revel in and use to get ahead in the world with.  

But where are we told we are to, "get ahead" in the world - especially by the world's criteria?  Paul saw, in comparison to knowing Christ, all he had achieved (which was considerable) as damaging and detrimental.

Here is a nice insight into:

Rom 7:18-24  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.  (19)  For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.  (20)  But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  (21)  I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.  (22)  For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,  (23)  but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.  (24)  Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

We're currently "downsizing" and I've found certificates and plaques and awards - all kinds of neat things that I could take pride in and use in the world to advance there.  But - is that where I really want to advance?  Do I want to fight my way downfield just to score a goal for the other team?  Do I want to run their plays - work their gameplan?  Even use their players?  I don;t think so.

Dieing to self is not some weird nebulous hippy dippy idea - it is a very real and necessary and intentional giving over all "we" have done, do and will do to His glory and honor.  all I have achieved in all of my life is His to glory in not mine.  It is His glory and - my sorrow (when it takes my eyes off Him and put them on me.)

D. Bonhoeffer said it well, "Christ calls men to come and to die."  Dead men achieve nothing.  But Christ makes us alive and lives in/through us so we may, in His power, in His divine mercy and grace "do" - whether it "achieves" ought or not is in His power to determine ( as well as "what" it does or does not achieve).  We can claim no credit, accept no applause, hear no accolades.  

We are dead men made alive again and that life is not our won (never really was).  We are not of the Kingdom of God and not of the world.  

Paul writes:

Php 4:12-13  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  (13)  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

We soooo abuse verse 13.  Paul is calling us to "contentment."  The "all things" here are aimed at verse 11 and 12.  

Php 4:11  Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Consider:

2Co 12:10  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

1Ti 6:8-10  If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.  (9)  But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.  (10)  For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Heb 13:5-6  Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"  (6)  so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?"

The cost of our redemption was Him - the cost of our sanctification is "me."

Am I willing to meet that cost.

Luk 17:33  "Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.