To Be Content or Not to Be Content?

(For those of you who´ve been following the blog since I´ve been in Peru, I need to give you a little explanation for this post. As my wife and I are reading through the Bible, I´m posting blogs from my readings. Recently, the Summer months have been so busy that these posts have been sporadic at best. But the following blog is another installment from my Scripture reading this morning in Numbers.)

I´m sure we´re all familiar with Paul´s words in Philippians 4:13, "I am able to do all things through (Christ) who strengthens me" (HCSB). Now, there´s a general principle here that Jesus gives us the strength we need for any and all challenges in life (see John 16:33). After all, Jesus says in John 15:5b that we can do nothing without Him, and Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:3 that God´s divine power gives us everything we need for life and godliness. Yet, the specific context for Philippians 4:13 is the issue of contentment. In fact, Philippians 4:12 says, "I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content - whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need" (HCSB, emphasis added).

Wow! I don´t know about you, but this truth hits me right between my proverbial eyes! Simply put: I struggle with being content. Sometimes I make this struggle sound real "spiritual", and I chalk it up to the fact that I´m an extremist by nature. In other words, I don´t operate with any middle gears in life - it´s always all or nothing! Other times, I try to make this struggle sound real "benign". For instance, I´ll tell myself that my strengths are similtaneously my weaknesses, and so along with my passion to always be on the move in life, I naturally struggle with discontentment. But it´s no big deal. It´s certainly not a sin, right?

But the reality is that my struggle with being discontent is really just another glaring example of one of my infinite number of flaws embedded in my sin nature. And this vile flaw is so embedded within me that I can even be discontent with some of the ways God leads me in life. This is precisely what brings me to my reading in the book of Numbers this morning.

However, before I tell you how God spoke to me today through His Word, I must tell you one other thing. One of the last things I did before I crawled into bed last night was to pray this simple prayer, Lord, teach me about contentment. Show me how to be content with where You´re leading me.

Well, God heard that prayer and answered quickly and clearly just hours later! Here´s how...

In Numbers 20-21, the people of Israel are wandering in the wilderness and grumbling and complaining as usual. Doesn´t sound like they´re very content, huh? Of course, they´re not in the Promised Land because they refused to trust God´s power to defeat their enemies when they scouted out the land (see Numbers 13-14).

So listen how they refer to God´s leading in their lives. In Numbers 20:5, the Israelites complain to Moses with these words, "Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It´s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink" (HCSB)!

Excuse me, but what did they just call the place where God was leading them? An "evil place". Now, some of you Bible scholars reading this blog might take issue with me and protest, "Wait a minute, Pete. They were in the wilderness not the Promised Land." I agree, and it´s my point exactly. They weren´t content to take the Promised Land because there were gaints in the land; they weren´t content in the wilderness because there were no buffet lines (okay, I paraphrased that just a little, but you get the point); and they weren´t content in Egypt for obvious slavery/manual-labor reasons! Do you see a pattern emerging here? They were simply not content. But let me show you this point from one other verse.

In Numbers 21:5 - the very next chapter - the Israelites take their discontentment to a whole new level. In the previous example, they had a problem with Moses (see Numbers 20:3a), but in this text they have a problem with God and Moses (see Numbers 21:5a).

(By the way, just a little word of encouragement here for pastors or leaders: When we´re leading God´s people to follow His will as outlined in His Word and they speak words of complaint and criticism, try not to take their comments personnally. The real issue is not with you; it´s with Christ who is the Chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls - He is the Head of the Body.)

Okay, back to Numbers 21. Here´s how the Israelites voiced their discontentment in Numbers 21:5b, "Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food" (HCSB)!

Just think of a couple of points in light of this second complaint from the Israelites. First, who´s really to blame for the fact that they´re dying in the wilderness? It´s their fault. They refused to believe God. They listened to the ten scouts who brought a negative report out of fear instead of Joshua and Caleb who brought a positive report out of faith. Isn´t it interesting how quickly we forget our faults and blame others for why we feel discontent in life?

Second, the Israelites said they had no bread, but you´ll recall God was giving them manna from heaven (see Numbers 11). So, we can see here how discontentment has a horrible way of blurring reality. The reality was that God was giving them bread from heaven; they just didn´t want God´s bread. Now you know what I´m about to say, right? Another form of discontentment!

I think it´s clear: We all struggle with discontentment. We can even struggle with seeing God´s leadership and direction in our lives as good. Our attitude of discontentment can even lead us to speak evil of God´s direction in our lives because we think things are too hard.

But before I finish this blog, I want to leave you with a positive word of application from another book of the Bible. In Judges 11, we begin reading about the life of Jephthah. He´s an interesting character. Judges 11:1-3 gives us a thumbnail sketch of his background and a powerful word which can speak to us about the area of discontentment.

First, Jephthah´s bio. 1) He was a great warrior. 2) His mother was a prostitute. 3) His half-brothers rejected and disowned him. 4) He ran from home in shame and pain. 5) A band of rough characters joined together with him.

Does it sound to you like Jephthah is in a good place? I would think that most of us, if we were honest, would not want to be in Jephthah´s sandals for anything in the world! We would really be discontent in Jephthah´s position in life.

Second, a word of encouragement about discontentment. Did you notice what the name of the place was that Jephthah settled in when he ran from home? It was the land of Tob. Now, you might be thinking: Okay... And your point is? Well, do you know what the Hebrew word for "good" is? You guessed it: Tob.

The point is simply this: When God is leadning us, we must understand that all of His ways are good because He is good. Even when life is hard and painful and we are very discontent with our circumstances, we must know that God´s direction is good. The Psalmist really puts this truth into words for us in Psalm 119:67-68, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes" (HCSB).

Do we really belive this? Do we really believe that ALL of God´s ways are good even when we find ourselves in very difficult places although we´re seeking to obey and follow Him? I think every time we live with an attitude of discontentment, we betray the fact that in these moments we´re not exercising faith in the complete goodness of God - in the truth that He is good and all that He does is good.

Now, here´s a practical parting point. Whenever we´re tempted to be discontent, let this temptation trigger the truth in your life. This is what I mean. You might consider memorizing Psalm 119:67-68 or Philippians 4:12-13, for example. And ask the Holy Spirit to fire these verses in your memory when you´re tempted to live with discontentment. Remember: "I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you" (HCSB). This is how Jesus defeated all of Satan´s temptations - He quoted Scripture without exception every time He was tempted (see Matthew 4:1ff).

We can walk in victory over discontentment when we ask God to help us see our pain in light of His purpose. God eventually led Jephthah back to Israel to lead them in victory over their oppressors because the Lord used his difficulties to train him to be the mighty warrior Judges 11:1 describes him to be.

Listen, in the world, we will have trouble, but Christ calls us to take heart because He has overcome the world (see John 16:33). We pretty much started with this verse in this blog, and it´s a good point to come back to as we close.

Simply put: Since God is always in control, we can always be content! (I know some of you are thinking: Why didn´t he just say THAT? Come on: It´s not as fun! :-)