Contentment and Disappointment

Contentment
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11-13)

I can be content through Christ who strengthens me! Scriptures tell us in Philippians 4 what a great thing it is to be content but most of the way churches and preachers try to motivate is by discontentment. "You're not doing enough. You need to get out of your comfort zone. You should never be satisfied with your walk in God." God doesn't want you to be discontent. He wants you to be satisfied with Him and to rest in Him. The secret of contentment is Christ's strength working through you!

"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." (2 Corinthians 12:10)
"Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." (1 Timothy 6:8)
"Be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere men do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6)
"Already you are satisfied! You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle!" (1 Corinthians 4:8)

Disappointment
When God doesn't do what we expect we need to voice our disappointments to Him. If we don't we are going to put up a barrier between us and God. That barrier is us not caring to listen to Him because He let us down by not giving us what we wanted when we wanted it.

When God disappoints our desires we distance ourselves from Him and we "take back control" of our lives without going to Him for input. The reality is that we never actually yielded control to God because we were set on using God to get our desires met in our time frame instead of trying to follow God's desires for us in His timing. God's desires for us are better than our desires for ourselves. His timing is better for us than ours also. He loves us more than we love ourselves. While it may not be as easy and comfortable as what we want God knows what is best for us and when it is best for us.

Disappointments happen when your appointments fail. Disappointment is defined as "the state of being depressed or discouraged by the failure of one's hopes or expectations." When you don't get what you want you are disappointed. When you expect a gift at Christmas and don't get it you are disappointed. We treat God like Christmas morning. We expect things of Him and if we don't get what we want we are disappointed and sometimes like children we throw a fit. "It is Christmas day! You have to give me what I want today! Now is the time!"

But gifts are better when they are a surprise. You appreciate them more at a day and time when you don't expect them. God has already given us much much more than any of us realize. And God is always giving to us. His love is self-giving. His Spirit is a breath that only breathes out. God will give us freedom we never dreamed of and things we never knew we wanted.

I'm a participant in the gifts of God today. God doesn't give me on any given day everything I want the way I want it. We can be like the child who doesn't get the one present he wants most so he is ungrateful and doesn't enjoy the many presents he did get. When my focus is on what I want instead of what God is giving me I will be frustrated.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:31, "What I'm trying to get you to do is to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving."
There is a great change in the heart of a person when they no longer have the fruitless tension of trying to get. Instead they have the relaxed sense of "I'm going to participate today in what God gives me, so God what are you giving me today?" That changes the whole nature of the relationship from anxiety and pressure and manipulation to "I'm really buddied up with Papa and my God has the best ideas about everything. So I'm not convincing Him to do things my way. I'm looking for the way He is doing things and joining in them." It is good to discover an attitude that says, "How do I live in the gifts of God instead of the need of myself?"

Romans 8:32 says, "God who didn't spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with Christ freely give us all things?"
God gave us the ultimate treasure of the universe, Jesus, so is there anything greater than Jesus that God has got for me? How do I come to the awareness of the value of what He has given?

In Context: "Forsake not.." & "I can do all things.." Revisited

There were no chapter or verse separations in the original texts of scripture. The presence of these separations cause us to read a chapter or memorize a verse yet have no understanding of the story and the context.

Many bible studies are based around "reading a chapter" when the next chapter often in the first few verses clarifies what the previous was about. I have come across places in scripture where chapter breaks the context and where verses break the sentence. Many of those places are very popular such as:

Hebrews 10:24-25

"Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

A small portion of this text is used to get people to frequent a church building when the meeting doesn't even involve the "one anothers" mentioned not just in the context but in oft quoted verse itself. "One another" means "each and everyone involved." In a typical church service a few perform in front of many and the many have little to no interaction with anyone. The modern church service bares almost no resemblance to the assembling that is being talked about here in Hebrews. Today there are a few big mouths talking to a multitude of passive ears. Is an impersonal and non-interactive monologue (sermon) the same thing as everyone "encouraging one another"? Obviously not. Yet "forsaking not the assembling" as it is taught has ignored the context and come to be taught as "You must sit in the audience at church every week or you are in sin."

Philippians 4:12-13

"I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Of course "all things" is still "all things" but I find it interesting that contentment, one of humanity's most elusive features, is the context in which Paul says "I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This is often taken as a license to follow my own selfish ambition in God's name and chase after "greatness" rather than God enabling me to be content with wherever He has me right now.



Read The First Visits:  In Context: "Forsake not the assembling..", In Context: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Feelings

I feel bad things (sadness, anger, hopelessness, frustration) for little to no reason and when I do these feelings linger. Because the feelings linger it causes me to think things that are harmful to think. For many these feelings can lead to worse feelings of guilt and inferiority.

Often we do have legitimate things to cause us to feel certain ways but we can't shake the feelings thus we entertain the damaging thoughts. But so what if that means we are immature? Aren't we all immature? I sometimes don't feel the way I want to feel and I can't/won't change it. If we are thinking "What is wrong with me?" or "What is so and so thinking about me?" or "I'm so mad at whoever for whatever reason" then the fact is that we aren't resting in Christ.

"If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things" (1 John 3:20). Jesus Himself said "From within, out of a man's heart, come evil thoughts" (Mark 7:21). We must remember that love thinks no evil, love has hope in all things. When scripture says "love believes all things" we know that believes means trusts. We can rightly say that "love entrusts all things to God."
"My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26).

Our feelings, our condemning hearts, lead us to fretting, to basking in misery, sorrow, and shame.
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm" (Psalm 37:7-8).

If God doesn't take the feelings away that just means that we need to stay close to Him even more, that we need to rely on Him more to comfort us and keep us from entertaining destructive thoughts. God wants us to be in relationship with Him more and more. He will do what it takes to make it happen. Perhaps He will even use our feelings to show us our  weaknesses and continual need for Him.
"Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually" (1 Chronicles 16:11).
"God will always give what is right to His people who cry to Him night and day, and He will not be slow to answer them" (Luke 18:7).

Freedom is a growing reality. Freedom is being in a relationship with God. These 6 verses give us pathways to greater freedom.
Trust in God at all times! Pour out your hearts before him! (Psalm 62:8)
Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell your requests to God, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6)
The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
May I never forget the good things God does for me. (Psalm 103:2)
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8)

Yes bad things happen to us and things bother us. I must ask, Are we exalting those things we hate because we spend more time thinking about them than we think about God? May we always remember the goodness of our Lord!

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28)

The Lord is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom. (Isaiah 33:6)

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. (Isaiah 43:2-3)

I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12-13)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

In Context: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

What is often said: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

What the Bible actually says:
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." -Paul, from Philippians 4:11-13

I can be content through Christ who strengthens me! =O

See these posts for more:  Contentment and Disappointment, In Context: "Forsake not.." & "I can do all things.." Revisited