The Core Sin of Selfishness

"[I]f we are faithless, He remains faithful--for He cannot deny Himself."

~2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)

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The sum of all unhappiness of man is our determined discontent with both what God has said "yes" to and what God has clearly said "no" to. What God has given, we are prone to want more. What God has not granted, we claim we should possess. But how patient is our God with us. Even though we must learn the lesson of contentment many times, He is yet willing to bless us with another way to learn it. It takes many arrows for the lesson of contentment to sink in to our initially hard hearts, yet He will pierce us if humility will allow Him to.

God never promised a life of ease or a lesson without a piercing. But this kind piercing of God is never so painful as the piercing Christ received for our sin. And this, my friend, gives us every reason to be content. We have indeed received far more than we could ever have imagined. We have indeed been treated far better than we deserve even in the things that we have been denied--the things that if we had received them might well have pulled us, our affections, our time, and our devotion from Him. Isn't this painful mystery wonderful?

How many days I have grieved God with my discontent, yet how Fatherly He is. Never have I approached Him and felt His shunning except when I listened to the false accusation of my enemy, the Devil. Rather, I have come to see that He has always, without fail, been stooped as a Father with open arms to receive the son who has so grieved Him. Forgiveness is His theme, and sanctification His tool to see his beloved children turn from the sin He despises and to His glorious, indescribable Self. He separates love and hate. In other words, because He loves us, He turns us from what He hates.

We would label the affection we have toward things on earth that God has not granted us as love. In reality, it will help to label it for what it is: Idolatry, lust, discontent. We might also label our Father's denial of those things as restriction, punishment, or lack of love. In reality, God's gift of unanswered prayer and denial of things that would do our souls no good is one of the greatest graces we could ever receive.

The Father's blessings knock
And gladly we welcome them in
The Giver Himself knocks
Yet we relate to Him in sin

The enemy knocks with doubt
And faithlessly we agree
The enemy himself knocks
And God's goodness we do not see

But this truth remains
It does not change
In this we find all faith
When we are faithless
He remains faithful
And his patience and goodness here on earth
Are merely a taste

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Challenge and Application Questions

• Through what trials has God been teaching you contentment?

Treasuring Your Tests

"[G]ive thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
~I Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV - Emphasis Mine)

"In Your name, there is mercy for sin, there is safety within, in You holy name.
In Your name, there is strength to remain, to stand in spite of pain, in Your holy name."
-Vinyard Music: Your Name Is Holy

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For what more can we ask? We have mercy for sin! Our sin, deserving of God's wrath, has been washed away by Christ's blood, His own blood!

How faithful God is to remind us of this! I seem to learn a lot of lessons at bus stops. I have previous stories where God has taught me at bus stops, and He reminded me again today. I got home from school on the bus today only to realize as I arrived at my car that my keys were missing. Not only that, it's my second set of keys lost within the last 1-2 months! I've kept track of them well for years, but now I stand outside my car with no keys. The Lord reminded me of what He's taught me about complaining and helped me to realize, "Haha, yes. The Lord is definitely teaching me patience and to be grateful for tests instead of complaining."

Yet, sin remains and I still complained at times. At one point while waiting in a restaurant for key-help to come, the Lord convicted me. "Do you realize that this adventure of losing your keys is such a privilege, that it is paradise to one in Hell? You are learning from Me. You are truly doing better than you deserve. Your sins have been paid by Me in full!"

Sins paid in full.

Strength to remain.

My little tests are gifts from God's merciful and provident hand! Wow! These things, from big trials to little tests, are granted us to strengthen and mature us in Him. There is no suffering going on here. They, as I Thessalonians 5:18 says that contentment in all circumstances is the Lords will for us, are part of God's plan to love us and see His name lifted high above all things. WHAT A LIFE THIS IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN!!

"Lord, thank you for never leaving us alone! Forgive my arrogant assumption that I deserve better when I deserve nothing but Your wrath in the first place. How great You are, Lord! Move me--move us--forth in growth and gratefulness for tests."

Complaining to Contentment: Part 3 - Now What?

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
~I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

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Introduction

The Lord has done work to show us our complaining hearts and how easily we can give in to the temptation to complain, rather than to realize what we as sinners really deserve (God’s wrath and Hell), how blessed we as Christians truly are (to have received His grace and mercy), and to use true Biblical strength to practice gratefulness and cultivate contentment.

Ask the Why Questions

Now that we have looked at these things, what are we to do now? How are we to apply? How do we become a more grateful people on a daily basis? Well, I am no expert, but here are a few things that I need to practice and that indeed help put my focus and pull my practice in the right direction. But before getting to these few thoughts on how to cultivate Godly contentment, we need, as in everything, to ask the why questions. Why desire contentment in God and His ways? Why desire to live life in gratefulness? Because we have been created to glorify God by delighting in Him! He, and only He, is worthy of all glory, honor, praise, and to be delighted in! Only He has lived as a man, died, rose, and ascended to bring us salvation for justification and once-for-all forgiveness and the Holy Spirit by Whose work alone are we able to do our work in this sanctification process to cultivate any Godly characteristic, including Godly contentment.

So, be intentional to think upon, ask, and answer the why questions in pursuit of any fruit of the Spirit and all growth. Now we can move on to a few of endless ways to cultivate contentment, but a ways that prove essential:

1. Begin With the Gospel



Always! The Gospel is indispensable and we cannot do without it. Do only unbelievers need to hear the Gospel? Absolutely not. We as Christians need it as much as we always have! Why do we complain? Is it not because we easily forget the Gospel? I am not saying that we literally declare the Gospel is untrue with our mouths, but do we not do this with our thoughts and in our complaining? How easily we do forget the Gospel and how much we have received. We have received God’s Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He paid the debt we could never pay! Praise God, we are free! How much harder, then, if we make a practice of preaching the Gospel to ourselves every day, will it be to complain? How can we complain in light of God’s mysterious mercy on our souls?

2. Practice the Spiritual Disciplines



I cannot emphasize this enough! The absolute best place to begin your day is in stillness before God in prayer, and in reading, studying, and meditating on His Word. This is one of the best places to apply point one above. Begin your day with the Gospel in God’s Word! Pray for the strength to cultivate Godly contentment in the day you are about to live. Remeber, you are not earning anything from God in doing this, but committing yourself to, in faith, acknowledge your complete dependence on God to even think about growing. Jesus has paid the way in full for you to now live as a Christian in grace.

3. Commit to a Local Church



I cannot emphasize this enough! How can any Christian expect to grow apart from God’s divinely ordained church, the body of sinners and believers for which He died? Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And 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.” Hebrews 13 is full of ways to cultivate the gifts of the Spirit to other believers. It is in the context of constant feeding from the proclamation of God’s Word, worship to God, and serving others that we truly learn to be a thankful and content people.

4. Be Accountable



“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Find two or three other people or persons (of the same sex!) that you trust and with whom you can share each other’s struggles—someone whom you can challenge and someone you know will challenge you with Biblical truth. If someone is regularly asking you the difficult and challenging questions about life and your struggles, you’re headed for growth. Don’t try and do it all on your own. Put down your pride and grow with one another!

These are just a few ideas for how to apply thankfulness and cultivate contentment. But really: These things apply to any area of needed growth! Isn’t that great? Be free to be holy, and may you grow as “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3).

God bless you, my friends!

Franz Schneider

P.S. In fact, let's hear from you! Why and how do you cultivate Godly contentment?

This article was expanded on February 5, 2007.

Complaining to Contentment: Part 2 - On the Playing Field

“[G]ive thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

~I Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)

Click here to read part 1 of this series.

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On the Playing Field

It is almost humorous how the Lord teaches us. We learn a bit about a subject, experience conviction, and then the Lord strengthens us with opportunities to apply all that we’ve learned. But that’s not always an easy thing. One of the primary ways the Lord strengthens our faith is through trial and difficulty. Our sin is no joking matter to God, and He delights to teach us to put it to death.

Running Off-Sides

It was a peaceful school morning and I left early to catch my bus (for once). “I will be waiting for the bus today instead of running after it,” I literally said in my mind. Arriving to the bus stop in plenty of time, I circled the parking lot to seek the spot reserved for me. However, I found none. So, I quickened my speed, only to find that the lot was completely packed! Just a few days after writing about complaining, I said to myself, “This is ridiculous! This isn’t right!” I drove two lots over to the nearby restaurant parking lot as the Lord reminded me of what I had written just days before. With a partial heart I said, “Okay…I’m supposed to do this without complaining.” I parked and ran the two lots back and reached the station just as the bus pulled away. The driver didn’t stop. I ran back and drove ahead of the bus to its next stop, only to miss it again.

What was I left with standing at that empty bus stop? A lesson worth learning. The Lord wanted to teach me something, and He made that clear with a couple more similar lessons later that day. It was so easy for me to complain that morning! Just as stated in part 1, there is no work needed to complain; the true strength lies in the guarding of our hearts and being thankful in all circumstances (I Thes. 5:18).

Paradise

What a good life the Lord has given! As Christians, our trials have a purpose. Our goal is to glorify God and He makes that possible by always providing a way out from the temptation to complain (I Cor. 10:13). Our circumstances are no different than that which everyone else can, has, or is experiencing. But will we display the light of Christ by refusing to take hold of Satan’s temptation to vent our anger, bitterness, and rage? Will you daily ask for the Lord’s provision of strength to “give thanks in all circumstances?”

Too many a conversation over a cup of coffee is wasted in complaint! Let us not be confirmed to this cultural custom, but make conscious effort to come together with our Lord to give thanks, with our brothers and sisters to give thanks, and with our souls to give thanks to the Lord. He has died and risen to pay for our sins! Shall we not give thanks for this life of constant learning and sanctification? When you come across your next trial, or as you face your current difficulties, take them as another opportunity to “give thanks to the Lord, for He is good” (I Chron 16:34). Our worst day would be paradise compared to a split second in the Hell that we all deserve. Let us be grateful that we have been rescued by His blood. And dear unbeliever, do not hesitate to respond to the Lord’s dealing with your doubt of Him. His Son’s sacrifice is all that you need for eternal life and peace with Him.

In Jesus Christ alone,

Franz Schneider

Complaining to Contentment: Part 1 - Reversing Our Efforts

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."

~Colossians 3:15 (ESV)

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Thinking in Terms of Opposites

Complaining is easy! Is that not why we do it so much? Little effort is needed to express our negative thoughts as humans, whether it be about our job, toward a person, about our life or destiny, how much money we don't make--or whatever! There is a powerful antidote to the sin of complaining, and it is thankfulness. That may not be what you thought I would say, but it is so true! If we were to attempt to describe what the antidote to discontent and complaining is, our immediate guess might be that it is some outward expression of strength. Or perhaps we would say it is an inward bracing of one's self that shouts, "I will never complain about this again!" However, God in His Word calls for a much higher goal that a self-confident "commitment."

Where the True Strength Lies

True, Godly strength and power is evidenced not in a strong complaint or by a forceful rebuke in reaction to an offense or disappointment. True, Godly strength is not found in an empty announcement of our "concerns" about the world around us our our circumstances that we despise. No, it is found in the opposite. The opposite of complaining is thankfulness. Contemplate this for a moment: Does it not take much greater work, strength, and trust in God to remain grateful and refuse to complain than it does to just "let it out?" Yes, it does. Gratefulness is harder work, and it is worth the joy God will give to you, even in the midst of trial.

So, how do we reverse complaining and defeat this sin in our lives? Do the opposite; be thankful! Now, before a commitment to thankfulness becomes a self-confident venture, let us realize together how thankfulness is cultivated Biblically. The strength to do so comes only by God's amazing grace! He has saved us by His blood--we have every reason to be thankful and no right to be discontent. We have life pretty good compared to what we deserve.

Blessings, my friends!

In Jesus Christ alone,

Franz Schneider

Click here to read part 2 of this series.