Contentment

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, For I have learned in every situation I am to be content." Philippians 4:11

I received a free book on my kindle the other day by Thomas Watson. Watson was a English Puritan that was jailed for his beliefs in 1651. It seems that alot of great writing occurs while believers are imprisoned. I am just a little over 10% into the book and I was so inspired, I wanted to summarize what I had read so far.

Watson hits the nail on the head that contentment must be learned. I think of the marathon runner. He does not go out and run a marathon one  day when the idea hits him. He must train. We must train if we are to be Christ-like. We must train to be content, not just try. 

Watson states, " The doctrine of contentment is very superlative, and until we have learned this, we have not learned to be Christians." Discontentment has been the sin of sins since the beginning. It is what caused Lucifer to fall. It is what caused Eve to eat from the tree of Knowledge, Cain to kill Abel. Our human nature wants more and we pay for that.

Thomas Watson sums up sanctification like I have never heard before," Some of you have heard much ------ in the forty, fifty,sixty years under the blessed trumpet of the gospel,---what have you learned?" I wanted to say "thanks I needed that." That is a hard pill to swallow. He goes on to describe me very well. Of all the reading, hearing, witnessing of the Lord's teaching what have I really learned? What have I heard and cannot remember? It does take effort and training. I realize that I have sat back and taken alot in but not actually trained to internalize the Lord's teachings. How is that done? Watson outlines some steps in these first pages. First, I need to pray for the Holy Spirit to be mold me and change me. Second is to become a fool. To trust that Jesus' teachings are true and to follow him. We often try to rationalize His radical expectations as impossible in our modern lives. Watson wrote this in 1650 and his listeners suffered the same problems! Thirdly, practice self-denial. I have often said,"I pretty much have everything I could want." I didn't even realize how arrogant that sounded. I need to appreciate my blessings but also deny myself so that others may see Christ.

Before we can change our behavior, we need a change of heart.