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Thankfully, we don’t have to give in to our condition as if
there were no other option. Because of Jesus, we have
hope that contentment not only exists, but it is also
attainable. Puritan preacher Jeremiah Burroughs puts it like
this: “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet,
gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and
delight’s in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every
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condition.” Does that not sound better than the
discontentment we’re used to? Jesus was born, crucified,
and resurrected so we may live this kind of life.

DON’T LET IT FESTER

Although Jesus fulfilled His part to save us from
different job, a different city to live in, you name it, will discontentment (before we could even ask), there are steps
make our lives better, but we all know this is not true. we must take to war against the daily infestation that tries
Furthermore, being discontent is dangerous because it is a to reopen old wounds. For example, realize that this is a
root problem that manifests in many other symptoms: war that requires effort. Satan wants to discourage us, using
ingratitude, arrogance, lust, greed, entitlement, idolatry, any method he can to get us to give up on God. Don’t.
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and self-protection. Effects likes these are hard to keep to When our hearts rage for things we crave but can’t have,
ourselves. They spread to others, destroying our look to God. Remember all that He has done and is going to
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relationships, and they pull us further and further away do in the future. Keep an eternal perspective.
from God.
Also, everyone feels discontent about different areas of life
THE GREAT PHYSICIAN so pay attention to what triggers your heart to be
unsatisfied. Are certain friends and relatives a bad
Like a loving father who watches over his children, God influence? Do certain apps like Pinterest or Instagram
knew from the very beginning, in Genesis, that we needed produce fantasies of a perfect life? Does following the lavish
to be rescued from our desperate condition because we lifestyle of certain celebrities create an inappropriate
couldn’t be content without Him. Therefore, the entire longing for wealth? Once these areas are known, run! Even
Bible is about His incredible plan to come to us, through if it means unfollowing accounts, unfriending certain
Jesus, to restore the relationship that was broken. During people, or learning to undo habits, be on the offense in the
Jesus’ ministry on earth, He described the kind of people He war against discontentment.
came to save: “Those who are well have no need of a
physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the Finally, imitate the Apostle Paul. He wrote from a jail cell,
righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17, NKJV). “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in
Therefore, if we see our discontentment for what it is, sin, whatever state I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11, NKJV).
we are the perfect candidate to receive His loving kindness Being content does not happen overnight. It is learned
and mercy. If we confess our sin and draw near to Him, we through a multitude of experiences over the course of life.
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can receive the abundant life that only He provides. In other words, don’t give up if you see discontentment
return. Keep returning to Christ, learn from mistakes, and
Jesus is relatable because He is not beyond discontentment thank Him for another chance to build character.
Himself. Before He was to be hung on the cross, He prayed
to His Father, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass In the end, we all battle discontentment and that should
from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You bring us together. If we happen to be in a season of peace,
will” (Matthew 26:39, NKJV). He is our example because we can help someone who isn’t. Remember:
though He wished for His circumstances to be different, it discontentment is not benign. If left untreated, the smallest
did not lead Him to sin but to obedience. He felt what he of issues can manifest into major consequences. Even if it’s
felt, to the point of sweating drops of blood, yet He pursued just about chocolate ice cream.
His Father’s will anyway. So, too, can we follow God in
obedience despite the discontentment that attempts to
destroy us.
1 tvcresources.net/resource-library/sermons/learning-contentment
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John 10:10.
3 Burroughs, J. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Chapel Library.
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Colossians 3:2, NKJV
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