Finding Contentment: Overcoming Discontentment Through Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting in God's Sovereignty and Goodness

Discontentment often arises when we doubt God's sovereignty and goodness. When we covet, we question whether God is truly in control or if He is genuinely good. Trusting in God's infinite wisdom and understanding, as described in the Belgic Confession, can help us find peace in His plans. Our limited understanding can lead us to question His plans, much like a small dot questioning the vastness of the universe. By recognizing God's control and benevolence, we can find contentment in His divine orchestration of our lives. [03:14]

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you struggling to trust God's sovereignty and goodness? How can you actively choose to trust Him today?

Day 2: Recognizing Our True Home

Viewing this world as our true home leads to perpetual discontentment. Recognizing that our true home is elsewhere allows us to enjoy our earthly journey, knowing that the comforts of our eternal home await us. This perspective fosters contentment and hopeful living. Like living in a foreign country, we must remember that our true home is elsewhere, and the discomforts of this world are temporary. This understanding helps us to focus on the eternal rather than the temporary, finding joy in the journey. [12:08]

Hebrews 13:14 (ESV): "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."

Reflection: How does viewing this world as a temporary home change your perspective on current challenges? What steps can you take to focus more on your eternal home today?

Day 3: Embracing God's Grand Purpose

Our dissatisfaction often arises from a misunderstanding of our purpose. God envisions a grander plan for us than we can imagine, aiming to mold us into the image of His Son. Embracing this purpose helps us find contentment in His transformative work. C.S. Lewis beautifully illustrates this with the analogy of a house being rebuilt by God, who envisions a grand palace rather than a simple cottage. Our dreams for ourselves are often much smaller than God's plans, which aim to mold us into the image of His Son. [14:22]

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV): "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel dissatisfied with your current purpose? How can you align your understanding of purpose with God's grand vision for you?

Day 4: Cultivating Gratitude for the Cross

Discontentment reflects a lack of gratitude for the cross. When we covet, we question God's love, despite the ultimate declaration of love through Jesus' sacrifice. Recognizing the grace and salvation we have received helps us appreciate the unfairness of life in our favor. The contented Christian recognizes that life is not fair in her favor, as she has been given grace and salvation instead of the wrath she deserves. [19:17]

Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV): "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Reflection: How often do you reflect on the grace and salvation you have received through the cross? What are some practical ways you can cultivate gratitude for this gift today?

Day 5: Understanding the Path from Discontentment to Disobedience

Discontentment, rooted in unbelief, can lead to disobedience. By examining the stories of Eve and Achan, we can understand how coveting leads to greater discontent and disobedience. This understanding encourages us to trust in God's provision and plan. When we covet, we question God's love, despite the ultimate declaration of love through Jesus' sacrifice. Recognizing the grace and salvation we have received helps us appreciate the unfairness of life in our favor. [21:30]

James 1:14-15 (ESV): "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."

Reflection: Can you identify a time when discontentment led you to disobedience? How can you guard against this pattern in the future by trusting in God's provision?

Sermon Summary

In today's session, we delved into the heart of discontentment, exploring the underlying causes that lead us away from the contentment found in God. We began by examining a personal story from a park, where children, despite having a playground full of amusements, were fixated on a field they were not allowed to play in. This image serves as a metaphor for our own lives, where we often focus on what is denied rather than what is given. This tendency to covet stems from unbelief, as Thomas Watson aptly put it, "Discontentment is nothing but the echo of unbelief."

We explored three primary areas where unbelief manifests: unbelief in God's character, unbelief in our true home, and unbelief in our purpose. When we doubt God's sovereignty and goodness, we question His control and benevolence in our lives. The Belgic Confession reminds us that God governs all things according to His holy will, offering us unspeakable consolation. Yet, our limited understanding often leads us to question His plans, much like a small dot questioning the vastness of the universe.

Our discontentment also arises from a misplaced belief that this world is our true home. Like living in a foreign country, we must remember that our true home is elsewhere, and the discomforts of this world are temporary. This perspective allows us to enjoy our earthly journey, knowing that the comforts of our eternal home await us.

Lastly, we examined how unbelief in our purpose leads to dissatisfaction. C.S. Lewis beautifully illustrates this with the analogy of a house being rebuilt by God, who envisions a grand palace rather than a simple cottage. Our dreams for ourselves are often much smaller than God's plans, which aim to mold us into the image of His Son.

Ultimately, our discontentment reflects a lack of gratitude for the cross. When we covet, we question God's love, despite the ultimate declaration of love through Jesus' sacrifice. The contented Christian recognizes that life is not fair in her favor, as she has been given grace and salvation instead of the wrath she deserves. As we continue this journey, we will explore how discontentment leads to disobedience, using the stories of Eve and Achan as examples.

Key Takeaways

1. Unbelief in God's Character: Discontentment often stems from doubting God's sovereignty and goodness. When we covet, we question whether God is truly in control or if He is genuinely good. Trusting in God's infinite wisdom and understanding, as described in the Belgic Confession, can help us find peace in His plans. [03:14]
2. Misplaced Belief in Our Earthly Home: Viewing this world as our true home leads to perpetual discontentment. Recognizing that our true home is elsewhere allows us to enjoy our earthly journey, knowing that the comforts of our eternal home await us. This perspective fosters contentment and hopeful living. [12:08]
3. Understanding Our True Purpose: Our dissatisfaction often arises from a misunderstanding of our purpose. God envisions a grander plan for us than we can imagine, aiming to mold us into the image of His Son. Embracing this purpose helps us find contentment in His transformative work. [14:22]
4. Gratitude for the Cross: Discontentment reflects a lack of gratitude for the cross. When we covet, we question God's love, despite the ultimate declaration of love through Jesus' sacrifice. Recognizing the grace and salvation we have received helps us appreciate the unfairness of life in our favor. [19:17]
5. The Path from Discontentment to Disobedience: Discontentment, rooted in unbelief, can lead to disobedience. By examining the stories of Eve and Achan, we can understand how coveting leads to greater discontent and disobedience. This understanding encourages us to trust in God's provision and plan. [21:30]
** [21:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:08] - Introduction to Discontentment
[00:21] - Exploring the Heart of Discontentment
[00:34] - The Park Story: A Metaphor for Coveting
[02:03] - Missing What is Given
[02:56] - Unbelief as the Source of Discontentment
[03:39] - Unbelief in God's Character
[05:44] - The Dot and the Infinite God
[07:56] - God Plus Something Else
[09:08] - Unbelief in Our True Home
[11:41] - Enjoying the Journey
[13:19] - Unbelief in Our Purpose
[14:54] - God's Grand Plan for Us
[18:11] - Ingratitude for the Cross
[21:30] - Discontentment Leading to Disobedience

Sermon Clips

"Discontentment is nothing but the echo of unbelief. Remember distrust is worse than distress. You hear that our distrust of God is actually worse than whatever distress we may find ourselves so our discontentment is simply reflecting back to us our unbelief." [00:30:08]

"When we covet, when we are discontent, we are primarily distrusting two characteristics of God: his sovereignty and his goodness. We either want to say God can't be in control of my life because he never could have planned this, or we want to say he clearly can't be good if this is part of his will for me." [00:04:04]

"We believe that the same God, after he had created all things, did not forsake them or give them up to fortune or chance but that he rules and governs them according to his holy will, so that nothing in this world happens without his appointment." [00:04:52]

"Essentially when we covet we are either saying, God you're not really in charge like this says, or we're saying you're not really good. The image I like to put in my head to remind me of what I'm doing when I start questioning God's will for my life is this one." [00:05:37]

"Just because I do not understand how something could be for my good does not make it not true. It just means I am limited in my understanding, and I am trusting a God who has no limits. So essentially my discontentment comes from my disbelief of who God is." [00:07:30]

"When we put all of our eggs in this basket called earth we are going to find ourselves perpetually discontent. This earth is not our home, but we like to live as though it is. I don't know if you've ever had the experience of living away from your native country." [00:09:04]

"When we view ourselves as fellow travelers, we will find that we are more content because we expect less. But when we expect this world to satisfy us like the world we're made for, then we will find ourselves being discontent when we consider this our home." [00:12:05]

"Imagine yourself as a house. God comes to rebuild that house. At first, you can understand what he is doing. He's getting the drains right, stopping the leaks and the roof and so on. You knew those jobs needed doing so you're not surprised." [00:13:48]

"The explanation is that he is building quite a different house than the one you thought of. He's throwing out a wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage, but he is building a palace." [00:14:20]

"Essentially our coveting says, we look at God and we say, yeah I think you might love me, I'm not really sure because you're denying me whatever x, y, or z might be in our lives. But essentially what we're saying to God when we say that is the cross was not enough of a declaration of I love you." [00:18:22]

"Life is not fair. The contented Christian woman says to herself you're right life is not fair and it has been not fair in my favor because the contented Christian woman says, I deserve hell and wrath and destruction and I have been given eternity and life and hope and peace with God." [00:19:47]

"Our God has saved us. We as women, as we remember that we have been rescued, we will rest content in all things. It is our unbelief that leads to our discontent, that we will see in our next session that will lead to our disobedience, and that will lead to greater discontent." [00:21:22]

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