March 3 2013 The Way To Lasting Contentment

/ Great Plains Community Church/

THE WAY TO LASTING CONTENTMENT


Exodus 20:17
Verse 17 - You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Definition:

  • Excessive desire for what I dont have.
  • Envious desire for what others have.


I. How materialism hurts us.

  • Causes us worry.

Matthew 6:25 - Do not worry, is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes?

  • Creates fatigue.

Proverbs 23:4 - Do not wear yourself out to be rich, have the wisdom to show restraint.

  • Can create depression.

I Timothy 6:10 - some men, in the struggle to be rich, have lost their faith and caused themselves untold agonies of the mind.

  • Can cause problems.

I Timothy 6:10 - The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

II. How to learn lasting contentment.
Philippians 4:11

1. Be grateful and enjoy what you have.
I Timothy 6:6-8 - But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

2. Stop comparing yourself with others.
I Corinthians 10:12 - We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who compare themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare, they are not wise.

3. Recognize the limitation of wealth.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 - He who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income.
Proverbs 18:11 - The rich man thinks of his wealth as an impregnable defense, a high wall of safety. What a dreamer.

4. Focus on relationships, not things.
Proverbs 15:16-17 - Better to be poor and reverence the Lord than to be rich and in trouble. Better to eat vegetables with people you love than to eat the finest meat where there is hate.

5. Look beyond what is temporary.
II Corinthians 4:18 - So we fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

6. Become a regular giver.
I Corinthians 16:2 - On each Sunday, each of you should put aside some of what you’ve earned during the week, and give it as an offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn.

7. Evaluate your priorities.
Luke 12:15 - Jesus said watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
Matthew 6:33

8. Find your satisfaction in Christ.
Hebrews 13:5 - Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.