What is contentment? The oxford dictionary states:

“A state of happiness or satisfaction.” I wonder who here can say they are truly happy or satisfied?

We are all quite aware that the world is going through economic turmoil and thousands of people have lost or are going to lose their jobs. You may be in that situation today. So here’s a question…If I were to lose my job, my family, my health….would I be content?

Have most of us seen the movie Forrest Gump? Do you remember that line “"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

It’s true isn’t it? Our life is full of peaks and troughs. Of course, some of us have experienced more of this than others. Can we be just as content in times of poverty as we are in times of abundance? Or just as content in times of sickness as we are in times of good health? In other words, is contentedness dependant on our circumstances?

It was only a few years ago that I was earning something of a minimum wage. I can still remember being content and thankful to God for the job I had. Today I get paid substantially more…I have a house, a car, and lots of fancy gadgets. Yet, if I were to be honest with myself there has been this hunger inside of me for more. A bigger house in a pricier suburb… the latest gadgets...a higher level of salary. We live in a society that feeds off consumerism...an addiction that has consumed the lives of multitudes.

Mignon McLaughlin, an American journalist and author wrote “Be glad that you're greedy; the national economy would collapse if you weren't.”

Paul Heyne, a widely regarded economics lecturer commented: “The gap in our economy is between what we have and what we think we ought to have - and that is a moral problem, not an economic one.”

You know, there were days when I would be caught up thinking of ways to expand my internet business and earn more money. I’ve been working hard at trying to advance my career putting in extra hours, committing myself to further studies. You know what, bit by bit, the more time I spent thinking and working on these things, the less time I had for God. Is this true for you?

You may say, Chung, you’re a single guy with no family and fewer commitments. Perhaps for you the time and money may be placed into a more noble cause. Putting kids into the top private schools or buying a more spacious family home…you know, so you have more room to hold a monthly homegroup…

Now, don’t get me wrong. There is nothing sinful in earning money or advancing your career or providing for your family. Paul was a tentmaker and did not make himself a financial burden on the church as we shall see later. God also calls us to work with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. But these things in themselves will not give us lasting contentment. In fact, if not balanced properly, the busyness of all these activities can take us away from the source of contentment and imprison us.

It has been said that contentment in society is highly prized but most elusive. People continually strive but never truly achieve perfect contentment. You can never have enough possessions or power, the perfect relationship or perfect circumstances. If that is what contentment is then sadly it is unattainable.

How many of you remember John Rockefeller? John was a well known multimillionaire. He was asked how much money would be enough to him. After considering this for a while he replied: 'Just a little more than one has'. Isn't that it? Just a little more than one has - and world's wealthiest man has yet to say: 'I have enough to be satisfied'.

You see, Discontentment stems not from what possessions you have but whether the possessions have you. (repeat)

King Solomon in the bible experienced what could only be described as the peak of human achievement and came to this conclusion:

Ecclesiastes 5:

    10 Whoever loves money never has money enough;
       whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
       This too is meaningless.

    11 As goods increase,
       so do those who consume them.
       And what benefit are they to the owner
       except to feast his eyes on them?

    12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
       whether he eats little or much,
       but the abundance of a rich man
       permits him no sleep.

    13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
       wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

    14 or wealth lost through some misfortune,
       so that when he has a son
       there is nothing left for him.

    15 Naked a man comes from his mother's womb,
       and as he comes, so he departs.
       He takes nothing from his labor
       that he can carry in his hand.

    16 This too is a grievous evil:
       As a man comes, so he departs,
       and what does he gain,
       since he toils for the wind?

To paraphrase what Anthony spoke to us at camp, Let's say we live to a hundred...all that we achieve in that century is only a second in the vastness of eternity. With the passing of time memories fade as will the legacy we leave behind. We can spend an entire lifetime building an empire of material prosperity...but it's all going to look quite silly once we leave it all behind to meet our creator God.

See, contentment is not an economic, social or physical quality - it is a spiritual attainment. This is an absolute truth that people will come to realise...some later in life than others.

I have been very much challenged by this topic. But the more I’ve delved into the word of God, the clearer the answer has become. So let’s see what the bible has to say about the source of contentment.

One of the best examples is Paul. Paul was a Jewish Rabbi, a Roman citizen, highly educated and born to rich parents. He lost all of these things and suffered greatly for his faith in Christ Jesus. He was imprisoned with no possessions and chained to guards when he wrote this:

Philippians 4:⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus…. ¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

You see, the source of contentedness is not ourselves. It comes from knowing God. As King David said in Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing”.

Paul knew that his God is all powerful, all knowing and in complete control of the situation. He had complete confidence that God would see him through the roughest situations. He knew that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”(Romans 8:28). The same God who did not spare his own son who died that cruel death for our sins. Paul knew with unshakable faith that through his provident and loving God he could conquer all things whether it be shipwreck, or floggings or imprisonment. With this assurance he could be truly content and have peace of mind.

He could do this only because he put God first in his life. No matter what the situation he knew what his ultimate purpose was in life…a purpose that was obedient to the will of God, where he could be confident that God was with him all the way.

Philippians 3: ⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ … ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Notice that because Paul’s sights were set on God everything else faded away. He considered them garbage…his status in society, his wealth, his secular education…all garbage. It didn’t matter if he lost his freedom or his health or his earthly possessions. Nothing could compare to knowing Christ and having salvation and an eternal inheritance in God’s kingdom. If we focused on God then it really doesn’t matter if we didn’t get that promotion or our house is not quite as magnificent as our neighbours or the clothes we wear aren’t quite as trendy as our friends. Unlike the covetousness of the world Christians are content with their lot in life. Christians give thanks to God for everything (Ephesians 5:20) and use what God has blessed them with to serve others (Matthew 5:35).  Difficult circumstances are simply an opportunity for God to mould us to serve him better (Romans 5:4). What a contrast from the way the world sees things!

A while back we attended a conference on internet business. They played a video on the screen where a group of people were moving around passing a basketball to each other. Are there any basketballers here? During the game what do the players eyes on? Now, during this seminar while the video was being played we were told to do count how many times to ball was passed. This video continued for about a minute. And right in the middle a mascot in an animal suit slowly passed through the group of people in full view – yet not a single person in that conference room of over a hundred noticed that mascot. And the same thing happens in our walk with God. If we focus on God the troubles of this world fade away. But if we focus on the world we lose sight of God and lose everything.

The key to contentedness is to put God first…then and only then will everything else fall in place. If we put God first then we would have peace that only He can give rather than constantly worrying about this and that.

Matthew 6: ²⁵ "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

    ²⁸ "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

What is our attitude? Are we like the Israelites whom God freed from the hardships of bondage yet grumbled against Moses and Aaron. Exodus 16: ³ The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." So God rained down bread from heaven and provided quail. Then we see in Exodus 17: ³ But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" So God provided a river from a rock. And what did these ungrateful people do later? They built a golden calf to worship and forgot about God.

We might be thinking that these Israelites are just unbelievably ungrateful. But aren’t we like that sometimes? We don’t quite have the wife/husband of our dreams, or don’t have the job we’ve strived so hard for and on and on it goes. Have we lost sight of God altogether amongst all our selfish desires?

Or do we rejoice ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing”.

I’ll leave you with this poem by Stephen Eardley
"Reconnections & New Directions" 2003 Conference
Lester B. Pearson College

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

You are so blessed in ways you may never even know.