Tonight, I want to address once more this topic of the normal Christian life, certainly not being exhaustive. I want to touch on some things that I think get lost somewhat in the shuffle, shall we say. Two weeks ago, I started with a question. What is your Christian life supposed to look like? And I contrasted that with the false idea that is often perpetrated within evangelicalism in the United States, a false idea of the normal Christian life that tries to present something that conveys that we ought to be living an extraordinary life. And sometimes it's mentioned various different ways. Overcoming faith, changing your world, A better life, the best life that's characterized a lot of different ways. But what is your Christian life supposed to look like? What is the normal Christian life? And I presented, first of all, the normal Christian life is a quiet life. And we looked at First Thessalonians, and if you would look there again with me, just remind ourselves of that passage. I hope you will meditate upon it, consider it. yourself. I'm sure there are depths there to mine if you will take the time. After he spoke about the importance of sexual purity and the love that we express one another in that regard, he says in verse nine of First Thessalonians four, but concerning brotherly love, you have no need that I should write to you for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. And indeed, you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more and that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your own hands as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside and that you may lack nothing. The great significance of the normal Christian life is that it's a life of brotherly love, of diligence, discipline and labor. In this way, you declare something of who God is to unbelievers by the way you live. You give them a picture of truth, a picture of grace as you live out your life. Well, I followed that then with a consideration of what I call the inward life. The quiet life grows out of the inward life. And we looked at Matthew five and six and saw their The teaching of Christ as he constantly was speaking of things in such a way as to cause us to consider our motives, consider our concerns, our understanding of the law and how we approach everything in life. It works out in our actions. But there is, first of all, this great concern about what's going on within so that the Great activity of a Christian is the activity of dealing with himself in his inward person. It's as you deal with the inward person, your soul, your spirit, who you really are, that you take on the life of a normal Christian. You've embraced the truth by faith. You've come to understand it. That's changed your thinking about everything. And as you as you did that and as you do that, you took up the process of changing your behavior based upon a change of thinking, inward changes that were followed by outward changes. Your goal is to successfully bring the scriptures to full influence over your inward person. And that way you would change outwardly more and more, obeying God's word and whatever responsibilities he has given you. So as you deal with that inward person, that you set in place that which is needed to evangelize. It's shaking the salt out. It's shining the light. That's what Christ taught us. And in your outward obedience, then you bring attention to God. Certainly, you're going to have to speak about that, but the life ought to be that which provokes that speaking and the life ought to be that which provokes maybe a measure of curiosity for, I don't know how else to put it, but it's your life. that people see and then they want to hear. And and often even if they reject you in the message, you've you've done a work that nothing else could do in them. So as you live out the normal Christian life, your life is your main witnessing tool. The inward life worked out displays Christ to this world. And that's what we need to be concerned about. Now, I want to go a little further tonight and considering the apostolic picture of the normal Christian life. I suppose that any believer may harbor a suspicion that they've settled for less than a full life, a full life that's out there somewhere, right? I think young people are especially susceptible to this. You may want to avoid the life that your Christian parents live, thinking that their life is too mundane and too ordinary. Let me just say that the older you get, the more mundane you want life to be in some ways. But anyway, what are we to do then? How will you keep a right perspective regarding yourself and certainly others and the way you live your life and the way you think about life? Well, tonight, what I want to speak about is this issue of the contentment of soul. It's called for from the scriptures. An essential aspect of the normal Christian life is the contentment of soul that arises from trusting God. Now, I want us to look at three passages primarily tonight. We will look at some others, but primarily I want to bring your attention to three different ones that I've listed there on the handout. But I want you to keep in mind as we go. And this is crucial. I do not know how to overemphasize. I don't think I could overemphasize this. This issue of contentment. Now, think about this, please. This issue of contentment rests on knowing God. It rests on grasping something of who he is, what he can do. What he has said he will do. And I think too often we attempt to to. Target some Christian virtue, for instance, contentment, as if we're just shooting in a vacuum. Well, you know, I'm trying to be content, I'm aiming at being content and really contentment, though it's certainly something that you should work at arises from. A knowledge of God and of God, who God is so that one of the greatest blessings in your life, if you come from a history of Arminian doctrine, where you've not understood and you've not been taught that God is absolutely sovereign, which the scriptures teach. If you've come from that, there should be a measure of comfort of soul that just came with that doctrine, so to speak. I think there were several things that I can look back and see that just came almost unlooked for when I became a Calvinist. And I began to submit myself to this teaching that it is God who is at work in men's souls, and that He is the great evangelist, and that He is working out every detail. One of those things was love for other believers. It didn't matter whether a believer agreed with me or not. If someone's a believer, why, they were chosen to that before the foundations of the world. And if God chose them, That's fine. We may differ, but I can love them and care about them and be kind to them and and not worry about whether everything is exactly as sometimes we think it should be. OK, so here we are. We're thinking about the same contentment. So I have three, three ideas that I want to communicate to you. And they're and they're both can be taken two ways. Contentment with submission. In other words, contentment is going to there's a connection between contentment and submission or the idea of godliness. Secondly, contentment with circumstances. And then thirdly, contentment with faith. And you can see how they can be taken both ways. Look with me, first of all, on First Timothy. First Timothy, chapter six. I know this is a familiar passage, I'm just going to point out a few things to you about this passage. Pick it. Let's start. Let's go ahead and begin at verse one. Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor. So the name of God and his doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. If anyone teaches otherwise, there's the contrast and does not consent to wholesome words. You see, it's it's a wholesome word that one is submissive in their position that requires for submission. Even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. And to the doctrine, which is according to godliness, if someone teaches otherwise, he's proud knowing nothing and is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words from which comes envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain from such withdraw yourself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out and having food and clothing with these, we shall be content. Now, the immediate context here is this issue of the submission of a bond servant to his master. Now, you are a 21st century citizen of the United States of America. There are probably few things that are further from your mind than what a bondservant is. But just for a moment, imagine with me what it must have been like to have come into this world or through war or some other circumstance. You have become a bondservant. Now, this is not just an employee. This is not somebody who sent out resumes and hoped that the highest bidder would would snatch him up. Now, this is someone who through some set of circumstances was purchased by another human being. As property like real estate. I don't know about you, but that's rather repugnant to me. But I can't go with this thing with 21st United States citizen sensibilities, I go at this thing looking at what God is saying, because this is the word of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is wholesome words. That if you found yourself in such a position, a slave to someone else, there was a word from God to you that you were. To count your own masters worthy of all honor, in other words, You looked beyond the situation you were in at something far more important. What is that thing that's far more important? Look at the text. So the name of God and his doctrine may not be blasphemed. Now, the issue comes down to this, that humanly speaking. Unless there was a lawful way to do so, you were not going to get out of this. You had been given a set of providential circumstances in which you had to deal with another human being, believing or unbelieving, another human being who had power of life and death over you. Now, what's your perspective supposed to be? What's one of submission? It's one of trusting yourself to God. We'll talk more about that. In other words, Paul condemned very clearly any so-called Christian teaching that advocated rebellion against God's providence. Now, let's let's round this out a little bit. Hang on to first Timothy, we'll come back in a moment. Look with me to first Corinthians. Look with me. It's first Corinthians seven. Notice in first Corinthians seven. We'll pick it up at verse 17. And these are notice these statements of the Apostle Paul in which he simply assumes God's absolute sovereignty over all of these details. But as God has distributed to each one, you are a slave or you are a master. You might look at the set of circumstances that brought you to that, but the reality is God is the one who who set this all up. God is the one who providentially ordered this. As the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. Was anyone called while circumcised? Called to salvation. So let him let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. But keeping the commandments of God is what matters. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise, he who is called while free is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price. Do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that calling in which he was called. You look at your set of circumstances. You consider what God has ordered out. If you cannot change what we would consider to be a bad circumstance, then submit yourself to that for the glory of God. Nurture within yourself a contentment of heart with God and his work in your submission. Paul commanded us back in First Timothy. God is with contentment is great game for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out and having food and clothing with ease. We shall be content. Paul commanded us to be content with food and clothing and many see here the idea in addition to clothing, the idea of shelter, the word carries that of covering. In other words, the basic necessities of existence. Now, consider this with me, folks. We all live in pretty nice homes. We all drive pretty nice vehicles. We all wear pretty nice clothes. We all pretty much, as far as I know, have air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. We probably all have more than one TV if we want to. Computers. Machines of all sorts. All these are extra. Paul lays a benchmark here for us. Where is contentment to be settled on if you have food and shelter and clothing? Be content. Now. I disagree with those who take this A step further, and some of the commentaries do, they say that this means that you should labor to not be wealthy. Well, I think that's adding something to the text. It's not there. But the point is, is well taken, though, that we ought to nurture a contentment that's rooted in basic necessities met. In other words, this is your standard of comparison as to how well you are doing, not how well others are doing around you. Now, don't get the wrong idea, I'm not saying that if you're poor, you ought to be proud of it. Contentment and pride don't go together any more than Calvinism and pride. We are what we are because God has been kind and gracious to us. If he had not been, we would not be in any way walking with Christ. But here's your standard of comparison. This is how you judge your situation. Not what has befallen you, such as in this context, believers that were members of the church at Ephesus, some of whom were slaves, The situation is that you have food and clothing and shelter. Then you have the basis from which to nurture contentment. Within your soul, as you submitted yourself. To the situation in which God had put you. OK, let's move on. Philippians, chapter four, again, meditate on that, think about that, nurture your heart with it. This is so contrary to the cultural influence. You've seen, well, have you seen the new Lowe's commercial? I think it's Lowe's, where the people are admiring somebody's kitchen cabinets and the guy walks out in his pajamas with a flashlight and says, OK, the party's over. It's, you know, it's 230 in the morning. What are you still doing here looking in my cabinet? Kind of a twist on keeping up with the Joneses, they used to say when I was a kid. People want to be thought well of by the things they possess. People want to find a sense of well-being based on the things that they have. And the way they judge that is they compare themselves with what other people have. Don't you dare fall into that trap. It will destroy contentment. God has not called you to find your fulfillment in material possessions, but in himself. Philippians chapter four, contentment with circumstances. The immediate context is that Paul is in jail. I don't know which you would pick if you had a choice between the two. whether it was being a slave or in jail. Neither one of these were real comfortable positions, especially in that time in mankind's history. He speaks of here, well, let's read the text, first of all, Philippians 4, verse 10. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again, though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. In other words, they are supplying some of his physical needs. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well that you shared in my distress. Now, I've brought this I believe to your attention before I want to bring it out again, don't ever, ever quote Philippians 4.13 without keeping it in its context of contentment. Now, certainly it has wider application, but its primary concern is a strengthening of soul that causes one to deal with want or luxury in a way that brings glory to God. He referenced a time when he had been hungry and suffering. He had been poorly clothed, beaten, homeless. He had gone through sleeplessness, cold, shipwreck. We've we've heard those things as we've looked at the book of Acts. No matter what the circumstance. No matter what God had ordered providentially for his next few days or weeks or months, Paul says he had learned whether he is full or hungry, whether he's abounding or suffering, to be content with what God was doing in his life, with how God was at work, even being in jail. He sorts through that and comes to the conclusion his life continues to be in the hands of God. Now, it was not that he sought out poverty, abasement, as if they are somehow spiritually worthy in and of themselves, nor was it that he was passive, failing to labor to provide for himself and others. It's that he rejected the temptation to base his sense of well-being on outward circumstances. I don't know about you, but when I say that, that strikes right to my heart or to my soul, to my inward being. Because I will be the first to tell you that I am very much affected by my outward circumstances. Far too much affected by my outward circumstances. I'm not sure I've yet learned this lesson. But Paul had learned it. He trusted in every circumstance, whether it was pleasing physically, difficult physically, that God was at work in ways he did not understand. He had learned to trust that God was distributing his life as God saw fit. And his job was to be content, not lazy, not passive, not fatalistic. This is not some kind of biblical apologetic for deism or fatalism of some pagan sort. It was this knowledge that God was ordering his steps, that God would accomplish his purposes with him and that God was trustworthy. Paul was convinced in the innermost being of his soul that God would not fail him. And that even if the circumstances fell out to his death, it was gain. Now, that requires a tremendous amount of discipline to think that way. And to continue in that circumstance, behaving in a godly fashion. What do you tend to do when things around you go bad. We'll talk about that a little bit more. The problem with us is we tend, you tend, I tend to focus more on the circumstances than obedience. Where does peace come from? Peace comes from not you ordering your life the way you want it. Because Paul, though shipwrecked, could have peace. Though in jail could have peace, though suffering, loss and hunger could have peace. Peace for us is found in this issue of obedience. Notice, I think it's very appropriate that he says right before this in verse nine, the things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do and the God of peace will be with you. Now, folks. Only the faithful can say that's more important than having my material possessions around me and my circumstances ordered the way I want them to be. And you can labor all your life. To keep your material possessions around you and order your life the way you want to be ordered and never, never know peace. And in the midst of the worst circumstances, Paul is giving us his own testimony here and commanding us with apostolic imperative that if we will do what he has said, the God of peace will be with us. And we can rest our souls there. OK, third passage, Hebrews 13. I commend the Philippians passage as the first Timothy passage to you for your meditation. Godliness with contentment is great gain. I've learned whatever circumstances I am to be content. But there's also this issue of contentment with faith. Faith and contentment going hand in hand, one springing from the other. If there's a true submission of soul, there's going to be something of contentment there. There's a true submission to God and the circumstances he orders for your life, whether it's abounding or abasing, though I will admit this. My wife and I have talked about this many times. We've we really came that we've come to the conclusion that that being content while you're abounding is much more difficult than being content while you're being abased. I don't know what what what that is exactly, but there's something there about that, working that out. Hebrews 13 is talking about this issue. of contentment that arises directly from our faith in God. We get to this chapter. In Hebrews, the immediate context is an encouragement to Christians who faced ostracism, that persecution that was upon them, because they were being ostracized from their family. They were being ostracized from society. And some even faced violent persecution. Hebrews 13 has gone, you know, the writer has worked through the doctrine of the New Covenant. It's a tremendously important book. And by the time we get to chapter 13, it's not that he hasn't touched on practical things, but he just almost completely devotes himself to practical, almost staccato imperatives at times. For New Covenant people, for those who are in Christ now. What we must remember is that. Even though you're in Christ. Every root issue in you. Is still sinful. You're still struggling with those things that. That have yet to be conquered. Why is contentment so difficult? Why is it we must have these imperatives about this and why is it that that we have to to work at something that sounds on the surface somewhat passive contentment? It's because we still have this issue in us of covetousness. Now, follow with me. Look, pick it up in Hebrews 13 and verse five, let your conduct Be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. He makes that connection there. If you're covetous, you're not going to be content. If you're struggling with this content, it's a good thing to look at yourself and say, wait a minute, is there some covetousness at work here? Some of these people in this context had some of their possessions stolen. Now, theft. What is theft? Well, it's passive or indirect physical violence. Somebody steals something of yours, even if they don't lay a hand on you. They are stealing something you labored over. They have set up a set of circumstances in which you are going to have to spend your body and energy to retrieve those things, either chasing them down or working and laboring to get the money to purchase something again. Theft is violence against your person. Some of these people had their things stolen because they converted to Christianity. But if they had anything left, what was to be their perspective? Be content. What does he say? Look at the text. With such things as you have. So somebody has despoiled your goods. You can almost picture it, can't you? You see, all you need is a crowd of people to pick up on You are persona non grata. You have the audacity to become a Christian. That means I get to take your stuff. This is kind of the way people think, isn't it? Now, you're left with a situation. Maybe you've got a few things left, maybe what you've got left is broken from the crowd. Who knows? Paul. I believe Paul probably wrote Hebrews. I'm sorry. The apostolic word is be content with such things as you have. Now, he's not saying quit working and go to a mountain and join a nunnery or a monastery, that's not what he's saying at all. He's talking about something inward in your soul, a perspective about things, a perspective about your life. But it's not done in a vacuum. Look what he says. Let's pick it up. For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Why? How is it you can be content even though you have had your goods stolen or broken? And I'm sure that within the churches, little churches that these books, the book of Hebrews went to, there were people who maybe had all their stuff destroyed and stolen. There were people maybe had been barely touched. You know how life works out from our least the way we look at things, we see these things. But but where was the confidence? To be content going to come from in that set of circumstances. Faith, faith in what? Faith in the Lord God, in his promise, I will, I will, I will never leave you. Now, if you have that, You have every promise in the Bible that was given to believers. If you have him, you have everything, though everything be taken from you in this world. I'm not saying that any of us would deal with this well. I'm just saying it's true for us as believers that were we to find go home and find our home burnt down and all our goods burned, it would be difficult, wouldn't it? And we would still be rich beyond imagination. Now, that's not just a nice little way of packaging this picture. It's true that if we have the Lord God. We have all we need, so we may boldly say this is not just simply something where he wants us to capitulate finally. After all, the weight of the truth of who God is falls upon us. And oh, yes, I should be content. No, it's a boldness. Based upon who God is. That this one who sent his own son to die for me and suffer on the cross and shed his blood has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. Listen, I can be content. And I can rest. If my thinking is dominated by this. The Lord is my Helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?" He can take your stuff. He can fire you. But you can approach those situations with boldness, confidence, faith in God, content. You don't have to get into the bitterness and resentment and vengeance. And railing on people. There's a contentment of heart now that opens up a whole nother door, I'm not going to walk through. But you have to think about that, let's let's go on now. How can a believer be content when through? Providentially ordained means he's lost What he rightfully, what he believes rightfully belongs to him, he must believe in the Lord God. He must have confidence in who his father is. Now, let's bring a few applications. Are you living the normal Christian life? Does the way you live and the way you speak display contentment? If it doesn't, you've got some work to do. The fundamental issue regarding a content heart is your reaction to God's providence. He's assured you that life in a sinful world will be labor filled. And it will involve suffering. Someone tells you otherwise, they are lying to you. Do not believe them. They are not trustworthy. Christ suffered and you are going to suffer In similar ways, God's people have always suffered. Do do a study on it in the scriptures that that will help you. And by the way, I encourage you, and I think I've said this before. Look in Psalm 119 and look up the word affliction in Psalm 119. You think you're going to live something different than the the apostles lived and Christ lived and the saints of old lived, you're fooling yourself. You have much more knowledge than they do. And that's a wonderful thing. God's been very kind to us. That we are on this side of Christ's work and his coming. But that does not mean that we're not going to suffer. We're all going to die. And some of us are going to die long lingering deaths. And some of us are going to probably die quickly. But we're all going to die. And that's not going to be wonderful. The process, anyway, is not going to be the outcome for believers will be. Well, at times in this life filled with labor and this life that has suffering in it, he will afflict you, afflict you more. Now, that's a pretty terrible statement. I looked at it and thought, Larry, you have to put it that way. Well, it's the truth. He will afflict you more in order to develop your maturity. To cause you to think biblically about yourself and your circumstances. Now, what delivers that statement from being just harsh and horrendous? Well, the Lord God does. He's not arbitrary. He's always good and he's always loving and he's always just. So if there's someone who is going to bring affliction into your life, wouldn't you want it to be that kind of person or being? Excuse me. So how you react to his providence is what's crucial. It's not the providence as he chooses to deliver you, because we're all going to face a different set ourselves. Some of us will have similar things. Some will come and go and some will come and stay. How you react is what's the is the issue. For your well-being and His glory, He wants you to learn to trust Him implicitly." Now, you know who else does that in life? Parents. They want their children to trust Him implicitly. When my kids were little and they were running across the yard, heading for the street, and I yelled, stop now, I wanted them to trust me implicitly and stop now. Sometimes children don't trust their parents implicitly. And they kick the dust, drop their heads and mutter. Are you a child or adult in your reaction to God's providences and God's commandments and God's Word to you? Do you distrust Him? Are you at peace in His love? You got to know something about him. Look with me back again to Philippians. This time, look at chapter two. We all like to turn to this passage. It's one of those great statements in the New Testament. Of God's absolute sovereignty. Therefore, I'm in Philippians chapter two, verse 12. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. By the way, I think that's an excellent brief description of the quiet life. Normal Christian living means I work out my salvation with fear and trembling. There's that inward work and outward results. For it is God and Calvinists, we love this verse. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. Now, what's the next verse? Do. Well, you know, most of what you do. No, that's not what it says. This is one of those universal alls. Do all things without murmuring and disputing. that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world. Do all things without murmuring and disputing. Now, we taught that verse to our kids because we wanted to control their complaining and murmuring. And we didn't want to listen to their complaining and murmuring. And we wanted harmony and peace in our home. We were very selfish about this whole thing of having them memorize that verse. Can I say I've heard a whole lot more complaining and murmuring from adults than I ever have from my kids? Of course, they're adult now, so I won't go there. No, that's fine. I'm just teasing them. If you react to God's providence With unbelief. The unbelief of fear. Complaints. Envy. You are not thinking biblically. You are thinking sinfully. You are transgressing God's law. Problem is, most of us find it easy to complain. Some find it easy to worry, give in to frustration or disappointment. Why are these sins? Why is something as simple and as quiet as murmuring? Against God's providence, why is that sinful? Why doesn't he cut us some slack? Murmuring within the soul produces complaints on the lips and both Charge God at least with negligence. And worse with evil intent. And God is neither negligent or malicious. Do you know God? Then think about what you're doing when you complain. When you nurture discontent, And you allow yourself a little bit of murmuring, self-pity time. Think about what you're doing. Think about what you're saying. Think about the message you're communicating. Think about the lies you're believing. These are born from idolatry. There may be more involved, but think about this. The idolatry of ignorance. Or the idolatry of rebellion, the idolatry of ignorance is rooted in laziness or bad priorities. This kind of person refuses to study who God is. He's so preoccupied with the demands of life, he will not take time to investigate God's word about himself. He stays ignorant. And that's idolatry. The idolatry rebellion is rooted in a desire to be God. I'm sorry, folks, this one just hits me right between the eyes. This is the person who refuses to adopt the mindset of a creature. And labors to assume control over their life. Now, that's I understand that's an illusion, but we all do it and you you've got to examine yourself and watch yourself because these destroy any sort of contentment. They make oneself the center of the universe. And unchecked, unchecked. You will nurture resentment and bitterness. You'll shoot your mouth off in complaining, murmuring ways. And don't you dare tell people you're a Christian. Because you've just destroyed any witness you might ever have. You see why the life is so very important, this is of paramount importance. Let me go on. The normal Christian life is not easy. Like I say, contentment on the surface sounds like almost a passive sort of thing. It's not. It requires inward discipline. It requires activity of the heart and soul, that soul pursuing godliness. You've got to work to develop contentment along with the other virtues, nurturing a content heart as you labor to be Christlike, establishing in your thinking a biblical concept of who God is, of his being, of his nature and of his character. Look with me real quickly over Lamentations. And you may have looked at this yourself. It's a good passage. There's so many passages you need to just indulge yourself in. to conquer your mind about who God is. When you hear yourself complaining about some set of circumstances you're in, you need to say to yourself, there's a part of my being and thinking that's not conquered by who God is. I've got to go to work on this. Lamentations, chapter three. We're just going to read a small portion of this. Verse 31. And by the way, Jeremiah is speaking about the theocracy. We're making. A secondary application in a way to to to us individually, but it's just tremendous statement here for the Lord will not cast off forever, though he causes grief. Now, just get it down. You may think it's that boss. who's got it out for you that's causing you the grief. No, you need to look beyond that boss to the hands of the one who distributes your life as he sees fit. So you can deal with that boss like a Christian should. But you got to see God or you're not going to do that, that he's the one who causes grief. Women now, isn't this beautiful? Yet he will show compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he does not afflict willingly. Now, nor agree with the gentleman. Don't misunderstand that passage. He's not saying that there's someone else making him afflict you. Now, what he's saying is he doesn't get a personal kick out of it. God is not some kind of. Masochist, you know, that just wants everybody in the world to suffer because he gets kind of enjoyment about, say, this whichever side it is. OK. God. Afflicts and causes grief. Because he is a compassionate and loving God who is at work. To bring glory to himself. And well being to his people. And that moves his every decision and movement and what he's ordained in our lives. He goes on. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, to turn aside the justice due a man before the face of the Most High, or subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve. He's just. He causes you grief. He's a God. He's not suspended his love of justice. He's not all of a sudden approved sinfulness on the part of his creatures. Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass when the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed? Why should a living man complain? A man for the punishment of his sins. Folks, you nurture contentment because you know who God is. You can nurture contentment because God is the one who's in charge of your life. And he's bringing woe or well-being as he sees fit because he's the only one who has the wisdom to do so. And when he grieves you and he brings difficulty into your life. You can't feel this. You must take just the word of God for what it says. He's also compassionate and comes with a multitude of mercies. Essential to working out a contentment of soul is thanking the Lord then for everything he gives. Do you have something more than food and shelter and clothing? And I know you do. Every last one of you do. Then you ought to be full of thanksgiving to him. Because he has been kind to you beyond imagination. Be thankful. That's a state of mind. First Thessalonians 5 18. In everything, give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. What's the will of God in Christ Jesus for you? To be thankful in everything. Now, let's don't get ridiculous. Tragedy comes. Grief comes. We don't say thank you, God, for that particular thing right there that hurt me so much, but I'm thankful That you're in charge of this. I'm thankful that you ordain this in wisdom. And I'm thankful your grace comes with it. I'm thankful you're glorifying yourself. You will sort that out in wisdom as you go. Last thing, a normal Christian life is the most effective witness you can give to the unbelieving around you. An inward life based upon what Christ taught, producing a quiet life of labor and love. that's content in the circumstances God has put you, in the providence in which He is working upon you. Confident. The normal Christian life is the most effective witness you can give to the unbelieving world around you. And if you don't have something of this, please, don't open your mouth. Because your mouth is going to contradict your life. Your life is going to contradict your mouth. It makes what you say something they can't even hear. Listen, the world around you is given to unbelief. It's given to accusations against God. It's given to complaining and murmuring and discontent. If you're like them, why should they listen to you? I'm being a little tough. I want you to think about this seriously. Put a guard on your lips, on your mouth. They're used to seeing and hearing similar reactions in those around them all the time. But you, if you settle this issue of contentment with God's providence in your life, you are going to be an anomaly to them. You're just not going to fit. And they're how they figure things out. Pray that God will use that to cause them to think. We stopped in Philippians 2. Turn back there one more time. We'll close with this. Philippians 2. We stopped reading at verse 14. Notice what Paul says. We stopped at verse 15. Do not do all things without murmuring and disputing, verse 14, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault. Now, here's the issue in the myths. of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world. How do you shine as lights in the world? You're not complaining and murmuring about God's providence and how God has distributed your life. What are you doing? Well, you're not moping around saying, oh, I got to submit to God. No, that's not what I'm saying. You are thankful. And confident and bold. Because you know something about who God is. holding fast the word of life. You know the truth. You're not going to sell it. You're not going to let it go so that you may. I may rejoice in the day of Christ, but I have not run in vain or labored in vain. You know, God. And you're basing your life on that knowledge of God. And you're quiet. And you're content. And folks, believe me, people around you don't know what to do with that. Because they've not seen the light very often. Let your light shine. in a quiet and content life and pray that God then will give you opportunity to speak of the one who had mercy upon your soul, who has mercy upon sinners. May God give us grace. I hope this is helpful to you. Think about that.