Christian Living Today

Not only am I taking my ‘through-the-Bible’ reading slower and giving myself the freedom to stop and dig a little deeper this time, having just received a new study Bible, I thought it might be useful to also do a brief ‘overview’ of each book before I read it. My goal: to gain a deeper, more substantial, and (most important, perhaps), more useable understanding of God’s word. Thus, although I am well into Genesis, I decided to collate my notes into a ‘useable’ form.

Even people who do not read, perhaps even have no desire to read, the Bible, know the first book is entitled, ‘Genesis.’ However, how much do we (Christians) know about this book?

Surely we can say it is the first book. We might even know most scholars agree the author is Moses. We might know the origin of its name. We might even be able to give a basic outline - creation, fall, and the beginnings of life outside the garden. But, do we know its historical importance, if any (outside of its religious value)? Do we know the author’s point? Do we know its significance to the rest of Scripture? These, and other questions, were what I sought to answer as I stopped to look at the book (in total) before I commenced reading.

Outside of its religious value, Genesis is an extremely important historical document. It is considered the oldest written book preserved today. Furthermore, it certainly the oldest written document still read and studied today.

While this book is full of extremely valuable and relevant insight into our hearts and our world and our origins, perhaps the most interesting thing about the book (which John MacArthur pointed out) is: the author makes absolutely NO attempt to defend or prove God’s existence. Obviously this was not an issue in his mind. He knew God. Thus, it is important we come from that viewpoint as we read its contents.

If you look at any study Bible overview of a book, it usually contains a ‘key word.’ Because each word the author chooses is significant, the word or words he use most frequently are (usually) especially significant. It comes as no surprise, Genesis’ key word is ‘beginning.’

In fact, the book’s title, “Genesis,” means ‘in the beginning’ in Hebrew and ‘origins’ in Greek. Most believe the book’s title was taken from its opening words (as were the titles of the other 4 books of the Pentateuch).

The book of Genesis plays an important role in our understanding of our origins - our beginning. It helps us understand where we came from and why we are who we are. It was considered important to other Bible writers as well. This is shown by the frequency with which it is quoted and alluded to throughout the rest of Scripture. You will find Genesis quoted 35 times in the New Testament and hundreds of other allusions to it appear in both the Old and New Testaments.

Some books tell us their author. For example, many of Paul’s epistles are written in letter form. Thus include information on their original recipient and their sender. Genesis, however, does not. Since it is such an old book, it comes as no surprise there has been some controversy over the book’s author.

It appears the greatest controversy is not whether Moses penned the book, but whether he penned all the book. However, the Jews and most conservative Bible scholars attribute the entire first five books (the Pentateuch) to him. To further support Moses as the author we find Jesus, himself, giving credit for Pentateuch writings to Moses (for example: Jn 1:45, 5:46).

No one knows with exactly when Genesis was penned. We do know the Israelites heard the book before they entered the promised land. Some would say Moses wrote the book during his sojourn in Midian before he returned to Egypt to lead the children of Israel from their bondage. However, most would support the idea the book was written in the wilderness after Moses returned from his extended stay on the mountain with God. Based on this information, it is estimated to have been written about 1,500 years before Revelation (or about 1,400 BC).

This book’s contents certainly cover a large time frame - about 2,300 years. Its theme is clearly history, religious history. It begins broad with the history of the world and the human race (the first eleven chapters) and then narrows its focus to the history of the Jewish people.

It contains the creation story, genealogies since man’s beginning, the laws given to Adam, Noah, and Abraham, the entrance of sin and death, the promise of redemption, the invention of arts, the creation of nations, and the beginning of the church. Without this book we would certainly be in the dark about many very important aspects of our faith and belief.

Thus it is even more shocking that so many so-called Christians are willing to twist and turn and trade the clear teachings in Genesis for mysticism or evolution or some other man-based system of belief on ‘who’ we are and ‘where’ we came from and ‘why’ we do what we do and ‘what’ is the only possible source of redemption from this mess in which we find ourselves.

Genesis’ main theme is man’s sin and the introduction of the Divine covenant made with the human race. It is here we begin to see the first steps God takes in redeeming an unworthy people. We are shown God’s goodness in the garden. We are shown man’s rebellion while living freely in paradise. Perhaps, however, the most amazing aspect Genesis reveals to us is God’s grace. Over and over the honest reader must shake his/her head at God’s continued grace in the face of man’s belligerent sin - especially in chapters 1 through 11.

Every book worth reading has a ‘point’. What was Moses’ point (or, more specifically God’s point) in giving us the information contained in Genesis?

Without Genesis, we would never understand man’s fall into sin. Any honest Christian will say the sin which has permeated our lives since our earliest coherent thoughts is something we fight - something we do not WANT.

Clearly sin is a key theme in Genesis. The ‘fall’ is shown in much detail while whole generations of mankind are passed over with only the briefest mention. Thankfully it doesn’t end there, however. Immediately after learning of the fall, we are shown God’s response. It seems to me He could have responded in at least three ways:

One - God could have thrown up His hands, walked away, and created another ‘perfect’ planet somewhere else.

Two - God could have destroyed our sinning fore-parents, and started over with new prototypes.

Three - God could chose to ‘fix’ the problem mankind had brought upon himself and all his posterity.

Thankfully God chose the third option. Thus, God’s plan of redemption becomes the primary theme which weaves its way through the rest of this book - indeed, the rest of Scripture. Certainly this explains why the fortunes of nations are skimmed over while the biographies of three patriarchs are covered in the minute detail.

Smith’s Revised Bible Dictionary says, “And this not merely from the patriotic feeling of the writer as a Jew, but from his religious feeling as one of the chosen race. He lived in the land given to the fathers; he looked for the seed promised to the fathers, in whom himself and all the families of the earth should be blessed.”

We must also remember Genesis is just a piece of a larger work. “The five books of the Pentateuch form a consecutive whole . . .The great subject of this history is the establishment of the Theocracy. Its central point is the giving of the Law on Sinai, and the solemn covenant there ratified, whereby the Jewish nation was constituted “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to Jehovah.” With reference to this great central fact all the rest of the narrative is grouped.” (Smith’s Revised Bible Dictionary)

It is for this reason we see the prominent ideas within the book are the people of God and the land they were promised. Thus, Smith’s Revised Bible Dictionary sums it up: “The book of Genesis has thus a character at once special and universal. It embraces the world; it speaks of God as the God of the whole human race. But as the introduction to Jewish history, it makes the universal interest subordinate to the national. Its design is to show how God revealed Himself to the first fathers of the Jewish race, in order that He might make to himself a nation who should be His witnesses in the midst of the earth. This is the inner principle of unity which pervades the book.”

Next time you sit down to read the book, take special note of God’s plan and purpose as revealed in its pages. Look also at where Moses places his focus. Consider the perversions which could have resulted were we left in the dark as to our origins, how sin came to being, and God’s graciousness in choosing to redeem us instead of giving us what we really deserved - eternal death!

Jeremiah Burroughs was an extremely practical man. Not only does he speak direct to the issues in his book, “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment,” he also leaves Christians without excuse for their discontented hearts. Nonetheless, he is not only point out the negative. He does not leave his readers with all the ‘thou shalt nots’ but instead ends his book with practical helps on how to attain contentment.

As I have gotten to know Burroughs a little, I have come to the conclusion this man knew what it was like to struggle against murmuring and strive for true contentment. Thus I am glad he spends the final two chapters of his book, sharing practical insight into how to build contentment into the fiber of my being.

His first point is, perhaps, the most basic. When tempted to complain, we do well to ‘count our blessings’ (as the old song used to remind us). We must speak to ourselves in remembrance. Remembrance of the mercies we now enjoy (regardless of our current situation) and the true worthlessness of anything we lack. In his usual pull-no-punches-style Burroughs puts it this way, “Why should you be troubled so much for the want of something which a man or woman may have and yet be a reprobate?”

His second and third points build on his first by admonishing us to remember the abundant mercies we now enjoy as well as the blessings we have enjoyed in times past. He says, “You have had mercy enough already to make you spend all the strength you have and time you shall live, to bless God for what you have already had. . .afflictions. . .consider[ed] with the sea of God’s mercies. . .are not much. . .in comparison.”

Fourth he tells us to look to God’s superintending care over the rest of His creation. While it is not always summer, neither is it always winter. While the winter days may seem long, daylight is not far beyond the horizon.

His fifth point also speaks to creation reminding us of the curse born by creation because of our sin. Because of us, all of creation groans (or suffers). Can we, the cause of their suffering, not endure some unpleasant days, too?

In his sixth point, Burroughs reminds us to number our days. Our present sufferings will soon be over, and we will enjoy peace for all eternity. Furthermore, as he says in his seventh point, many saints who have gone before have suffered much more and endured far greater trials than what we are now called to face. Besides, as Christians, we have Christ. Why then, he asks in his eighth point, must we have the world and its offerings as well?

Returning to an earlier statement, in his ninth point Burroughs brings us back to the result of our discontentment. Our murmuring dishonors God. Is this how we would treat our Lord and Savior? He then ends this chapter by reminding us of all the good we receive from God’s hand, even when we are experiencing trials.

In his final chapter, Jeremiah will conclude this section on how to attain contentment. Stay tuned.

I have been ‘journaling’ my way through the Bible this time. As I mentioned in a prior post, I have read through the Bible several times over the last few years. I have also chosen to read just the Old Testament some years (or just the New Testament other years) in an attempt to read slower and glean more.

However, while I agree it is very important for Christians to read their entire Bible (if only for the same reason it is important to read an entire passage not just a verse or a portion of a verse), I also wanted to go a bit deeper. Thus I decided to slow down and read through my Bible taking however long it takes to read and make notes and stop and dig and ask myself some questions and attempt to make more application - all this and more.

So, while I am certainly not doing an ‘in-depth’ study, I am seeking to glean more and giving myself the freedom to stop and look a little closer at a passage if I feel the need. Thus my ‘through-the-Bible-in-a-year’ reading plan has become a ‘through-the-Bible-in. . . . (however long it takes)’

Already I have picked up on things which I never noticed before. However, I want this to be more than just a ‘trivia’ gathering quest. Thus I am seeking more than just interesting tidbits. I believe God is honoring this desire. Thus I wanted to share with you a few things I have noticed (and sought to apply to my own heart) in my through-the-Bible reading this time in hopes it will encourage you to dig a little deeper, too.

If, like me, you grew up in the church, you have probably heard the Bible stories hundreds of times. However, it is also likely you (like me) have become a bit unresponsive to them. Thus we commonly skim stories we think we know well - assuming we have learned everything there is to learn. Nonetheless, not only does this reveal an improper attitude toward Scripture in general, it shows how quick we are to assume we ‘know it all’.

Take the story of Noah. You probably know it well, right? Well, there are those out there who would suggest man’s heart is not deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9). At its most basic level, God’s destruction of the earth in Noah’s time shows how wicked we are at our core. However, Christians often assume they are ‘less’ prone to wickedness because they are God’s children.

Yet, what is the second recorded act (the first was to build a vineyard) done by Noah (the righteous man) and his children after they left the ark? Sin! (Gen 9:21-22) What was the first recorded act done by a group of Noah’s descendants? The Tower of Babel (11:4) - direct rebellion against God.

Can we really doubt sin is latent within the human heart?

Nonetheless, while sin is a powerful actor upon man’s heart, God’s power is in no way stymied by it. Not only does God disperse the people and stop their organized rebellion, He goes further and chooses for Himself, once again, a man. However, He not only chooses the man, He works upon the man’s heart to make Him willing to follow.

Abraham’s story which begins in Genesis 12 and 13 is another well known Bible story. However, it is another which holds important truths we often overlook.

Remember God called Abram to leave his homeland and family to journey to ‘where I tell you to go.’ Not only did a ‘strange’ (to Abram) God command this man to obey Him, He called Him to do so in faith. In other words, Abram didn’t know who He was obeying. He didn’t know where he was being sent. He didn’t know what would happen when he got there (although God did give him four awesome promises). He didn’t know how　it would go with him. He didn’t know when he would receive the promises (if he received them at all). He didn’t know why his going was necessary. THAT is a lot of unknowns.

Yet, we learn some powerful lessons from Abraham’s story. That Abram went shows God’s power working on the human soul. I’ve already demonstrated the unlikelihood of his going based on his own inclination and foreknowledge. That only Abram was called (note: no one else in his family was chosen) shows Divine election. That Abram responded shows human responsibility.

What a picture of our redemption. What a lesson in faith. What an example of how we ought to respond to our God - a God we know MUCH more about than did our forefather, Abraham!

Because we are so quick to justify our sin, Burroughs dedicates an entire chapter to the excuses given by Christians for their discontented hearts. This chapter, like every other in the book, was hard hitting. However, perhaps because it knocks the supports out of so many of my ‘explanations’, it felt especially heavy.

As he says, “. . .there is none who is discontented but has something to say for their discontent.” Attempting to reveal the sin hidden in our various ‘reasons’ for being discontent, Burroughs lists thirteen of our most common excuses for murmuring and then methodically exposes the sin they hide.

He begins by addressing what I suspect is a more common excuse: If I weren’t so sensitive to the situation my trial has brought into my life, I wouldn’t be so upset by my affliction. Then he exposes the forgetfulness and unthankful spirit from which this attitude stems. If we were more aware of and thankful for God’s mercies, we would be much less upset and irritated by our trials. In fact, he points out, “When one is discontented with their condition, they have an envious spirit at the conditions of those who are delivered from what afflictions they bear.” Not a pretty sight!

Next he looks at another common justification: It is my awareness of my sin which is the source of my unhappiness. Pulling no punches, Burroughs asks whether we were upset by our sin before the affliction placed it in the spotlight. Further he wonders if we will, then, only be truly content when the sin (not the affliction) is gone. If our sin is truly the source of our upset, we ought to respond in submission and stop murmuring as that attitude only increases our sin.

Third the author speaks to the excuse: I am so upset because I feel as though God has withdrawn from me. This defense, too, stems from an incorrect response - and Burroughs wastes no time revealing the real heart issue. If God has pulled away from us, should we not be pursuing Him not sinning more to drive Him further away? Pointing to Exodus 17:7, Jeremiah says, “God calls it a tempting of Him, when He afflicts anyone, for them to conclude and say that God has departed from them.” Further he points out, “Your disquiet drives Him from you, and you can never expect God’s coming to manifest Himself comfortably to your soul, until you have gotten your heart quiet under your affliction.”

The fourth alibi he addresses is the faulty reasoning: these trials are from man, not God, thus I am justified in my murmuring. Again the author strikes at the root of the sin reminding us men are but instruments in God’s hand. The fifth excuse he uncovers is our complaint that God has brought us a trial we never expected and were unprepared to face graciously. Reminding us we should expect affliction of any type, Burroughs challenges us to glorify God by a proper attitude regardless of the situation we face.

Sixth he addresses our murmuring which stem from feeling our affliction is above and beyond the norm. To counteract this wrong response, we need to remember what we really deserve (hell) and the offense our discontentment is to God. Along the same line, excuse number seven proclaims my trial to be greater than someone else has to bear, thus I have cause to complain. Again Burroughs reminds us what we deserve and the underlying ungraciousness in this attitude. In other words, we do not bear all we ought and yet we complain because God shows grace to others which He is not, at present, seeming to show to us. Shame on us!

The eighth justification the author addresses claims that I would be more content to accept my afflictions if only the affliction were different. Jeremiah strikes at the heart of this excuse by reminding us God chooses our trials. The ninth reason given for discontent blames the trial for making me unserviceable to God and thus feeding my discontent. Burroughs reminds us, as Christians we are part of the body no matter how ignoble our role.

Excuse ten blames the trial, itself, for making me discontented. The author again reminds his readers ‘Who’ is in control and turns their eyes to their eternal destiny for strength to move on with the right attitude. Perhaps, he postulates, God is making your life unsettled so you will put your trust more fully in Him. He says, “Many times it falls out that the worse your outward estate is the better your soul is, and the better your outward estate is the worse your soul is.”

The eleventh excuses claims the loss brought on by affliction is to blame for my improper attitude. Burroughs reminds us we must remember and be thankful for former blessings even when we face a loss of those blessings. Then he hits where it really hurts. He says, “What God gives to me, He gave it as a pledge of His love, let me return it to Him as a pledge of my obedience.”

The twelfth excuse he covers is the reasoning: the loss of my previous time and effort which has resulted from this trial is the cause of my murmuring heart. The author challenges our attitude again, this time calling us to submit to God’s plan and show more concern for our Christian testimony before man than for our personal losses.

Finally he addresses the most insidious response to trials - the one which afflicts us all at some point or another and which may fool others but hides nothing from God. He warns us of the danger of having a discontented heart but feeling ‘secure’ in our ability to keep it masked before the world. He reminds us true contentment is much more than skin deep. “It is not enough for your tongue to be silent; but your soul must be silent.”

“The Hebrew word which signifies ‘ to lodge,’ ‘to abide,’ signifies ‘to murmur’ . . . murmuring is a disorder that lodges in men. . .it lodges, abides, and continues.” If discontentment is quick to lodge in our hearts, we must be diligent to seek it out and destroy it before its roots become firmly entrenched in our souls.

While my fellow readers have completed this wonderful book, I am still finishing up the final chapters. I cannot help but say it again. This book is worth the time and effort. In fact, I would go so far as to say every American Christian would do well to read this book - regularly.

As Americans, we have perfected the ‘art’ of discontent. In fact, we seem almost proud of our murmuring spirits. What should be called a vice, our culture has labeled a virtue. Since we are ‘in the world’, we are going to be effected by our society. Thus arming ourselves with the truth about this far-reaching malaise is definitely to our benefit.

In the tenth chapter, Jeremiah Burroughs speaks of the aggravations of the sin of murmuring. As he says, “because it is very hard to work upon a murmuring spirit. . .we must consider. . .the greatness of this sin.”

A murmuring spirit affects us on every side. However, we do well to not only realize its pervasiveness, but to remind ourselves regularly how evil this sin is in God’s eyes. Thus Burroughs lists 10 more situations where we often fall into this sin.

While we are often tempted to complain, we need to counter this attitude by remembering the great mercies we have received. Burroughs says, “Nothing is more grievous to the heart of God than the abuse of mercy. . .to be discontented in the midst of mercies. . .aggravates the sin of discontent and murmuring.”

We are prone to count it but lightly, but our salvation is the greatest mercy we can ever receive. Are you saved? In light of that one fact, murmuring is even more exceedingly vile. “That you have the day of grace and salvation, that you are not now in hell. . .that you have the sound of the Gospel still in your ears, that you have the use of your reason. . .That you have the use of your limbs, your senses, that you have the health of your body. . .your mercies are more than your afflictions.”

We would do well to plan our attack against this prevalent foe. When murmuring arises in our hearts, we ought to take Solomon’s advise and ‘consider’ (Ecc 7:14). Consider what? Consider our mercies. Jeremiah warns, “If you do not make the mercies of God help you against your murmuring, you will make them aggravations of the sin of murmuring.”

While most of us readily complain about the big trials in life (and we are quick to condone this attitude in ourselves and in others), murmuring over small inconveniences is also a great sin. I dare say most of us have assumed that if God would only bless us richly with material possessions, we would be happy. However, if God does thus bless us, the sin of murmuring is still ingrained in our hearts - and, when it speaks out under such blessings (which, quite frankly, most Americans enjoy), we compound our sin. As Burroughs says, “It is too much for anyone to murmur over the heaviest cross. . .but to be discontented and murmur over some small things, that is worse.”

Still others believe they will be happy if God but would make them a person of importance and endow them with wisdom and prestige and position. Yet when we are thus blessed and still murmur, we compound our offense. Burroughs warns, “. . .for those. . .men of understanding, who have wisdom, whom God employs in public service. . .to be always murmuring and repining. . . .is an exceedingly great sin.”

Thinking we can murmur with less fault because we see ourselves as less endowed materialistically or mentally or positionally is a fallacy. Are we to complain with a full belly? Are we murmuring children of the King? Do we murmur surrounded by God’s blessings? Do we complain because God isn’t using us as we want or giving us what we want and putting us where we want to be? All these are the sins of a fool!

The author addresses each of these attitudes in some detail. He says, “. . .we are at God’s table every day, and it is free. . .for us to be finding fault and to be discontented is a great aggravation of our sin. . .we are not well, either full or fasting.” We would do well to remember, “. . .you are a poor beggar, and God has, as it were, taken you into His great family. . .to be of use and service in the place where God has set you; now will you be discontented because you have not everything you desire?”

Perhaps the most hard hitting point Burroughs made in this chapter, was his reminder of ‘who’ I am. I am a child of God. He has saved me. He has made me His own. He has taken my heart of stone and given me a heart of flesh. While many others turn and walk the other way, He has given me a desire to follow His path. What on earth am I complaining about?

Jeremiah put it this way, “We are but sinners, why should we not be suffers who are sinners? . . .we are such great sinners, guilty of such notorious sins that it is a wonder that we are out of Hell. . .for us to be discontented and murmur, how exceedingly this increases our sin!”

Perhaps it would help if we would redirect our viewpoint. When God brings trials into our lives, we tend to react like Eve - we question God’s goodness. However, if we were wise, we would realize most of our trials are designed to humble our pride. I found Burroughs references to Enoch and Noah in this section interesting.

He asked the question, “What does it mean to walk with God?” It means they “observed what work God [was] now about and . . .[joined] with God in that work. . .so that according as God turn[ed] this way or that way, [their hearts turned]. . .with God.” No wonder so few of us walk with God!

He went on to say, “The great design God has in afflicting you, is to break and humble your heart; and will you maintain a spirit quite opposite to the work of God?. . God is doing you good if you could see it, and if He is pleased to sanctify your affliction to break that hard heart of yours, and humble that proud spirit of yours, it would be the greatest mercy that you ever had in all your life.”

Thus, the more we can see God’s hand at work in our trials and afflictions, the more we should rest in His control and care. Otherwise, as Burroughs so plainly put it, “When you have been a long time in the school of afflictions, you are a very dullard in Christ’s school if you have not learned contentment.”

Ouch! May I not be the ‘very dullard in Christ’s school’!

“What? Another post on contentment? This blogger must really be an unhappy person! Me? I’m just the opposite. I like where I live. I’m happily married. My kids are great. I even like my dog (or cat or fish).”

Dear Reader,

Forgive me for postulating and possibly putting words in your mouth. I suspect some of you are wondering if I am really that unhappy. My suspicions are based upon my own reaction to the suggestion I read Jeremiah Burroughs book, “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment”.

Tim Challis is not the first person to recommend this book. In fact, he is probably the third or fourth person. And, quite honestly, were it not for a growing desire to learn and dig and grow - and thus my decision to join with his group of readers, I would probably not be “stuck” on this topic.

You see, I am not an unhappy person. I absolutely love where I live. I have a terrific husband. My children have brought me much joy. My job is more pleasure than pain. I even have a great dog. Thus I was perfectly content to remain blind to lack of real contentment in my heart.

Don’t get me wrong. My life hasn’t been perfect. I have not always been happy. Dark clouds have covered my life. Difficulties and sorrows have camped on my doorstep. However, even after hard providence revealed the shallowness of my happiness, I still did not get the real point.

Remember, real Christian contentment is not being happy with what we have. It is not even bearing up gracefully when we face easy trials or hard. It is so very, very much more! It is, as Jeremiah Burroughs so aptly put it - a RARE jewel with many facets! THAT is why I keep examining it, turning it over in my mind, and seeking to develop it in my ‘happy’ life.

Real Christian contentment is total and complete satisfaction in God! I am finally grasping the reality that I will never be truly content until He is my all-in-all.

During a particularly dark time in my life, a wonderful friend advised me to not read Job. After all, while in Job we can usually find someone who has it worse than us, the story seems - at least at first blush (and especially when our own hearts are struggling) - a bit dark.

Here we have the story of a man who lost it all - EVERYTHING! It doesn’t get much worse than this. And, while most people focus on what is going on behind the scenes (the part Job knows nothing about), I have recently realized Job is actually a great book to read at any time if we focus on Job’s response both to the tragedies in his life (initially) and then to the words of God (at the end).

Here is a man - a truly HAPPY man. Not only was he considered “the greatest of all of the men of the east” (1:3), he was also a godly man who revered God (1:5). He had everything and every reason to be happy. Then, in the space of a few hours he lost it all!

The only thing remaining was his wife, and she was no longer a helpmate but a burden. While Job is the focus of the story, a brief look at his wife is very telling. Without doubt she, too, had been a ‘happy’ person.

We know Job was a godly man, and thus we have no reason to believe he was anything but a good husband. She was an extremely wealthy woman who most likely enjoyed every convenience of her day. She had several children who appear to have been happy and successful - and thus would have made her feel like a good mother and brought her much happiness.

But, look at her reaction to tragedy. Who can doubt what she says to her husband is what she has done (at least in private) already herself? Do you remember her words? “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (2:9)

It is interesting to note the dialogue the Septuagint adds to this verse, “Much time having elapsed, his wife said unto him, How long dost thou stand steadfast, saying, ‘Behold, I wait yet a little longer looking for the hope of my Salvation?’ Behold thy memorial is already blotted out from the earth, together with thy sons and thy daughters, the fruits of my pains and labours, for whom with anxiety I have laboured in vain. Thyself also sittest in the rottenness of worms night and day, while I am a wanderer from place to place, and from house to house, waiting for the setting of the sun, that I may rest from my labours, and from the griefs which oppress me. Speak therefore some word against God, and die.”

Who can blame her? Can any one of us suggest we would not feel the same? Why then, does Job’s response read so differently? After the loss of his children (whom he loved greatly - revisit 1:5), and all of his wealth and possessions Job responds, “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”" (1:20-21)

After the loss of his health (and thus, any hope of ever regaining even a portion of what he had lost), and after his wife encourages him to curse God and die Job responds, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (2:10)

THIS is why I believe reading Job’s story is not an exercise in futility, even in the darkest times in life. Job, my friend, gives us one of the best examples in Scripture of a truly contented Christian! Here is a man who lost it all. There was nothing more, outside of his life - and that would have been gain - he could lose. Even his friends are Satan’s tools for further torture.

The danger is seeing Job as a stoic. Yet Scripture makes it clear he was NOT. He tore his robe. He shaved his head. Furthermore, he dared to seek answers to his situation. And yet, in all of that, he blessed God. Me - well, I have come far too close to mimicking Job’s wife.

God was Job’s ultimate source of happiness. It was not his position or his possessions. It was not his friends or his family. Otherwise, like his wife, there is little doubt he would have cursed God. Yet, as Burroughs has pointed out, a truly contented person finds their ultimate happiness in Christ alone. Everything without Christ = nothing. Christ with nothing else = everything. THAT is true contentment.

Briefly, however, I need to touch on the second point I brought out in part one. Here, again, Job’s story is instructive. Look at 2:8 - “And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.” At first glance one might assume this was just another ‘sign’ of mourning. To a point it probably was. However, verse 7 says Job’s body was covered with “painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”

Several commentators suggest the scraping and the ashes may have been a primitive treatment for the ulcers which covered his body. In other words, even in his darkest days, Job does not give up. He does not stop living. He does not stop trying to ‘deal’ with life. Furthermore, at the end of the story we see Job more blessed than at the beginning. Only a fool would suggest he played no role in the production of further children and the regaining of greater wealth. Yes, God blessed his efforts, but God blessed Job’s efforts.

In other words, while he was content to not curse God and die - he was not content to become a victim. Or, to put it another way, as long as we can honestly rest in God’s hand, content with the way He is handling our lives, it is not wrong to seek to remedy our situation.

Returning to our example in part one, if I find myself disabled due to an automobile accident, as a contented Christian I would count the loss of my abilities as nothing in comparison to the glories of knowing Christ. Yet, this does not mean it would be wrong to seek every lawful and reasonable means to improve my situation or even to seek to regain what I have lost.

As long as I treasure Christ above my restored health / limb, as long as I see Him as the ultimate good, as long as I am willing to take from Him whatever answer He sends, there is no sinful discontent in trying to better my situation in any way which is not contrary to His word.

So, like everything else in life, real Christian contentment exists in a tension. We tend to find our ultimate happiness in what we have and who we are and thus seek, at any cost, to protect, maintain, and preserve these things. The stoic, on the other hand, finds his satisfaction in standing emotionless as the waves of life roll over him - and then taking pride in his lack of response or desire to change the situation.

Christian contentment, however, is found at neither extreme! Take another good look at Job’s life if you doubt this reality.

If you are starting to feel like I’m stuck in a rut, if you are thinking, “Enough already on this contentment thing”, if you are feeling like this blog can’t get beyond contentment - you are probably right - at least for now - and I say this without shame. In truth, I cannot get past this lesson - not yet.

Every time I think I’m finally getting a grasp on what I have to learn - every time I think I’m finally gaining ground in my battle against discontent - every time God shows me another facet which I have yet to consider or another area in my life where discontentment is well heeled. Thus, I suspect, I have a long way to go before I run out of lessons on this subject. Yet, as I say that I must also add, God continues to show my how badly I need to learn these lessons so - bring on the lessons Lord, and give me a heart willing and desirous to learn.

Recently I listened to a sermon series by Pastor Jim Osman on Phillipians 4:11-12. Phillipians is one of those books we would do well to read and study and re-read and re-study, especially if we are seeking to learn the lesson of contentment and joy. However, this section of chapter 4 probably speaks most directly to this subject.

One key point Pastor Osman brought out in his four sermons on these two verses was: Character qualities have to be forged in us by life. I had never really thought about that, but experience certainly proves it is true.

Have you ever prayed for patience? If so, you can probably relate to the little song which talks about the ‘something which happens when I pray’ and then goes on to describe the challenges one faces when God starts to answer that prayer. People rub us the wrong way. The car quits. The grocery bag busts. The kids suddenly become extremely irritable and fussy. And on and on it goes!

Learning contentment is similar. In fact, the thing which has amazed me most is how murmuring underlies so many of my sins. My frustrations at my mate can usually be tied back to some facet in his life (or our lives together) about which I am not quite happy. My irritations at my children usually stem from some area where they are not performing up to the level I want.

So, this begs the question - is discontentment always wrong? Is biblical contentment just another name for stoicism? Are truly contented people the ones which weather everything life throws at them without flinching? Does contentment mean we have suppressed our emotions to the point we no longer react to people and events?

This is an interesting question, especially when one realizes stoicism was a common belief held by many in Paul’s day. However, there is a HUGE difference between a stoic and a contented Christian. A stoic finds their contentment in themselves - they are self-satisfied. Thus their focus is inward, on me! A contented Christian finds their contentment in Christ - they are God-satisfied. Thus their focus is outward, on Him!

If you think this through, you see the great divide between the stoic and the Christian. For example: Say you are in an automobile accident. As a result you lose the use of one of your limbs. While you may be thankful to be alive, how you respond to your disability is the real test of who you really are.

As a contented Christian your response would probably be two-fold:

1) A peaceful resting in your Father’s hands, content not only that He is in control, but content to have Him, even if you have nothing else.

2) A realistic working toward overcoming or at least making your disability as little of an imposition as possible.

The first point is, in my mind, the big difference between believing in God’s sovereignty and really believing to know God, to experience His presence, to have a relationship with Him is the ultimate good in life. There are many people who would be able to say, ‘God allowed this (or even brought this) into my life.’ There are a lot less who would be able to say, ‘Even if this never changes, I have God, and THAT is what really matters to me!’

The first person understands God is sovereign, but I can attest knowing God is sovereign does NOT make you content. I know God is sovereign. I have no doubt He is controlling every event and every situation - down to the mosquito bite on my arm. Even more, I can believe (in my head) He is good and thus this thing which is making my life miserable is for my good.

Yet, this knowledge does not mean a relationship with Him is my highest goal, my deepest heartfelt desire, my ultimate passion in life. In fact, if I only believe God is sovereign, I will probably be seriously discontent because I will see God as sovereign but bad. In other words, I will doubt His goodness because I do not like what He is doing.

This reveals, however, the difference between where I am in my walk and where a truly contented person is. I have a knowledge of God. In fact, it may be quite a good knowledge which has stood me through the showers and breezes of life. However, when the hurricane hits, I discover I know God but He is not my all-in-all. If He were, He would be sufficient and I would satisfied, and my circumstances would, ultimately, be irrelevant to my heart attitude.

Pastor Osman hit the nail on the head. If I have Christ and if He is everything to me, then nothing else really matters. This is true biblical contentment in a nutshell (and, this is what allows people like Joni Erikson Tada to have peace while living a life which would drown many of us).

Until God is my ultimate satisfaction I will NEVER reach this point. Until I stop chasing ______ (you fill in the blank - we all have our want list) and focus on pursing Him, I will never be content. If Christ is not enough for me, I will never, ever be content!

Next time we will look a little more at how #2 also fits into the definition of a contented Christian.

Humility and contentment - if one were to pick two issues nearly every Christian needs to address on a regular basis, these would probably top the list. Certainly Scripture warns us much about pride and murmuring.

I have been convicted much of late about my discontented spirit. Even (maybe especially) when I think I’m finally digging up this deeply rooted sin, God allows me to be rubbed from a slightly different angle - and what should raise its ugly head but discontentment! This is one reason I am so thankful for Jeremiah Burroughs’ book “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment”.

The longer I read and meditate upon his words, the more convinced I am this is one of the books which needs to be placed on my ‘reading shelf’ at the beginning of each year. I MUST, I NEED, I WANT to be content. I pray that is your prayer, too. If it is, read and re-read and re-read this book and spend just as much time meditating on what you read and the verses related to contentment.

Several times Burroughs has turned to the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Canaan for examples of a discontented people. If you know the story at all, you know he has not had to look far for verses dealing with their discontent and God’s anger at their discontent. I find it interesting to note two things:

1 - How easy it is for me to see someone else’s discontent, yet how willing I am to turn away from similar responses in my own heart.

2 - While discontent was the ‘obvious’ sin in Old Testament Israel, pride was the most ‘obvious’ sin the in Pharisees of Jesus’ day.

Sadly enough, however, American Christians (I refer to American Christians because they are the ones I rub shoulders with - however, I do not, for a moment, think these sins are limited to the shores of the American continent. In fact, Scripture proves otherwise.), as a general rule, suffer from an overdose of both sins. Not only are we proud of who we ‘think’ we are and what we ‘think’ we have attained, we are discontented because we are not more and have not attained more.

Americans are a materialistic people. We are proud of what we have attained. We are proud of our independent spirit. We are proud to have ‘pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps.’ Even if we think we have avoided a materialistic pride, at least for the most part, if we look at our Christian walk and our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, most likely we will find the tentacles of pride more strongly imbedded in these areas than we ever suspected.

Paul addresses this issue of spiritual pride several times in his epistles. In Romans 12:3 we read:

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

As Matthew Henry put it, “Pride is a sin that is bred in the bone of all of us.” Unless we guard our hearts carefully, unless we are listening to our thoughts, unless we relentlessly evaluate our motives, we are likely to fall into this sin without realizing we took the first step.

Certainly Scripture warns of the dangers of pride. Remember Proverbs 16:18?

” Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Again I refer to Matthew Henry who said, “We must take heed of having too great an opinion of ourselves. We must not be self-conceited or hold our own wisdom too highly. There is a high thought of ourselves that we may and must have to think ourselves too good to be the slaves of sin and drudges to this world. We should think soberly; that is, we must have a modest opinion of ourselves and our own abilities, according to what we have received from God, and not otherwise.”

This brings to mind another verse from Paul’s writings. In 1 Cor 4:7 he says,

“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

Good question! Yet, how quickly we are to complain about what we ‘think’ we should receive and assume upon what we have received. Even in our desire to learn more and understand more and grow more lurks the danger of pride. Again I refer to Matthew Henry’s pen, “There is a knowledge that puffs up. We must take heed of this and labor after that knowledge that tends to sobriety. This refers also to that exhortation: “Be not wise in your own conceits.” (Rom 12:16) It is good to be wise, but it is bad to think ourselves so, for there is more hope of a fool than of him who is wise in his own eyes.”

OUCH! The Christian walk is serious business. For the most part, I am convinced American Christians take their Christian life much too lightly. We forget we are walking a narrow road. If that terminology implies nothing else (and I believe it implies MUCH more), it implies we are in great danger of walking off the path!

May God grant us the grace to see our own hearts! May He remove the blinders and allow us to see us as He sees us. May we cringe at this view and strive to fight with greater diligence the sins which so easily beset us. And, I suspect, if we would but focus on these two sins: discontentment and pride, we would find ourselves addressing much more sin than we want to think lurks in our hearts!

The more I meditate on contentment, the more I am amazed at how far-reaching it is. In fact, as I think on this, examine my own heart, and look at Scripture, I am beginning to understand why Jeremiah Burroughs said many other virtues flowed out of virtue.

Discontent is a pervasive disease. It creeps and flows into every area - into every corner - of our life. Money - we never have enough. Love - we are never loved enough. Appreciation - no one really　appreciates us. Friends - someone else is always more popular. Family - there will always be more successful or happy or interesting families. Car - someone always has a newer, nicer one. House - it is never big enough or nice enough or comfortable enough or clean enough. Job - we are never appreciated enough, our boss is difficult, or our co-workers are not easy to get along with.

The list could go on and on. We are a discontented people. What is your ‘discontentment’ button? I found one of mine recently - and I wasn’t very pleased with what I saw. After all my reading and studying and thinking, it still lurks (maybe even rules) in my heart - this malignant disease which seeks to kill my joy and re-focus my life!

Our culture feeds this disease. Yet, while we spend millions to fight the cancer which will kill our bodies, we spend little time and no money to fight the cancer which can kill our souls. Worse yet, instead of attacking the issue head on, the church (and many Christians) have done little more than re-interpret ‘The Book’ to further feed our cancerous desires.

Two popular passages came to mind as I was thinking along these lines.

The first was Psalm 37:4-5. Here we read, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”

The second was Matthew 7:7-8. Here we find Jesus famous discourse,‘The Sermon On The Mount.’ While there are sections few remember, I’m sure these verses are familiar to most. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

These verses contain some powerful promises. However, the church of today has twisted them to encourage our ‘I want’ attitude and, as a result, we use them to feed our cancerous discontent. After all, if we only ask, we will receive. If we only knock, the door will be opened. If we only seek, we will find - whatever it is we want.

Okay, so maybe we have to delight ourselves in the Lord first. Well, we can do that. What does it require? Church every Sunday? A little more? Maybe a 10% tithe? More? Prayer - at least at meals? Something else? Bible reading - at least a few minutes every day? What else do I need to do to show I’m ‘delighting’ Lord? Come on. I’m doing all of this. You promised, if I did, you’d give me what I desire. Give me . . .

We may never say it aloud (although there are some groups which call themselves Christians and boldly make these demands), but, if we are honest, we have said something along this line in our hearts. Oh, how revealing this is.

What does it mean to delight in the Lord? The answer brings us back to contentment. What is Biblical contentment? We’ve looked at it from several angles courtesy of Jeremiah Burroughs’ wonderful book. Boiled down to its essential ingredients, biblical contentment is a heart attitude which says, “I have Christ. He is everything to me. Thus, as long as I have Him, it matters not whether I have no more than (or even less than) a crust of bread. He is my heart’s desire.”

What is the ‘desire of my heart’? He is. In Psalm 37, David is merely expressing the outworking of contentment. If a real relationship (not a once a week ritual or even a daily devotional) with the God of heaven is my desire, He has promised to give me that desire! And, if that is my desire, I will be content - because I will get everything I ever wanted.

Jesus is just restating this principle in Matthew 7. What are we asking for? What are we seeking? What doors are we hoping to have opened? New houses? New cars? A new job? A changed husband or wife? More money? More prestige? While there may be nothing wrong with these things, in and of themselves, usually our desire for them is another peak at our discontented heart.

However, if we ‘ask’ for a deeper relationship with God, if we ‘seek’ to know Him more intimately, if we ‘knock’ on the door of heaven desiring to draw closer to our God - these requests will be granted. If, however, that does not sound appealing - well, my friend, to the degree the idea does not appeal, to that degree we are either not Christians or we are discontented Christians focusing on the wrong　things!

Can you see how much our hearts and minds have been infiltrated by discontentment? It grieves my heart to see how the fingers of dissatisfaction have invaded the various aspects of my life. And, when I think of what I have been offered - a relationship with the God of heaven - and how little I value I place on such a thing, all I can do is cry, “God forgive me!”

As we delved into the story of the first woman God created, one thing has become clear. People have not changed much in the last few thousand years. Neither has Satan. His tactics remain much the same. Our gullibility remains unfettered. Our sinful tendencies remain unchecked (except for the grace of God). Thus, in our final look at Eve, we are going to focus on the lessons learned and the principles we need to take away from this story.

There is much to learn from Eve’s story even though there are many things we will never know. We are wise to learn from the life stories contained in Scripture. Yet, there is always danger in reading between the lines, or, worse yet, re-writing the story. The greatest danger, however, is in taking something out of context and twisting it to say or imply something which completely contradicts Scripture. If we do, we are guilty of the very sin Eve committed!

I found an excellent example of such a situation at an innocent appearing site entitled, “Women In The Bible”. This site offers some insight into Eve’s story - however, much is far from biblical. In fact, the author’s conclusion sums up their underlying supposition: “The Bible begins as it will continue, with the story of an independent and strong-minded woman who is, like all humans, both creative and destructive. Eve initiates change - was it a good thing, or bad? After all, if we had stayed in the Garden, we would have remained children forever.”

God help us not to believe lies such as this. To ever assume we are better off in sin is to negate Christ’s purpose in dying to remove the power of sin over our life. Furthermore, if we look at Eve’s story - with attention to the New Testament references, we see it was her independent and strong-minded actions which introduced despair and destruction to the human race.

In fact, from Eve’s story we learn at least three valuable (and too often unwanted) lessons. And, before we shrug them off as old-fashioned, out-of-date, or ultra conservative, we would be wise to ask ourselves if these conclusions are in keeping Scripture’s overall teaching on the subject. If they are, we should ask ourselves why our tendency is to resist them with such vigor.

From Eve we learn:

1-God has designed wives to find their protection and direction from their own husbands. Satan’s ploy would never have been successful if Eve had not left her husband’s side.2-Questioning God’s word and purpose often leads us to discontent and other sins. Eve was someplace she should never have been. It is doubtful her steps would have lead her to the tree if her mind was not already captured with ‘why’.

3-A woman has a greatly under-rated and despised role which, in God’s plan, is actually extremely important and blessed. While part of Eve’s curse was the sorrow (toil is the first meaning (3:16) and pain is the second meaning) which accompanies her role, the curse came after the promise - from the woman would come the Redeemer who would crush Satan’s power once and for all.

About God we learn: 1-He is incredibly merciful and gracious.2-He has a reason for the rules He makes and what He requires of us.

First we see God has designed women to find their protection and direction from men. Satan’s ploy would never have been successful if Eve had not left her husband’s side. God said our husbands will rule over us.God designed men to take the leadership role. This was His design - and it was GOOD. Yet hundreds of thousands of women (many are Christian women) have chosen a different path. Then we wonder why it is so hard. We wonder why the end result isn’t what we thought it would be. We wonder why God does not seem to be blessing our lives like we thought He would. I suspect, until God clarified the point, Eve may have wondered much the same thing.

Second, questioning God’s word and purpose often leads us to discontent which leads to other sins. Eve was someplace she should never have been. It is doubtful her steps would have lead her to the tree if her mind was not already captured with curiosity and questions.

How many times have we questioned God’s word? Surely He didn’t say. . . Surely He didn’t mean. . . Surely we misunderstood. Surely our pastor is not interpreting that passage correctly. Surely Paul didn’t mean that. Surely that doesn’t apply to Christians today. Isn’t that exactly what Satan said to Eve?

Third, a woman has a greatly under-rated and despised role which, in God’s plan, is actually extremely important and blessed. While part of Eve’s curse was the sorrow (toil is the first meaning (3:16) and pain is the second meaning) which would accompany her position, the curse came after the promise - from the woman would come the Redeemer who would crush Satan’s power once and for all.

If there is any lie which has had an extremely negative impact on women today, it is that being a wife and a mother is a second-hand, lesser-than calling. For the last 40 or so years, women have flocked to the workplace. Children are left to raise themselves. Husbands often share (or abdicate) their leadership role. Wives are stretched thin and are often angry at the demands placed upon them. Yet we have done it to ourselves.

We despise God’s plan. We question the wisdom and goodness in His design. And - we reap the results. Just like Eve.

The lessons we learn from Eve’s sin and its result are expected. However, I am amazed at God’s response! He is so very merciful and gracious. Why? He didn’t have to be. He didn’t have to pardon their sin. The world was young. Why not start over with another prototype? Why not kill them then and there? Why not scrap the entire idea? Why promise ‘Himself’ to provide the cure?

When you read God’s plan that your husband will rule over you, does it not make your hair stand on end just a little? Don’t you bow you neck just a bit? Don’t your teeth clench just a tad? Probably. Yet, this decree came from a merciful and good God. You are alive because of His mercy and goodness. Why, oh why, do we so quickly see Him as overbearing and unkind? Why? Because we believe the serpent’s lie.

If only we could remember what Eve forgot. God has a reason for the rules He makes and what He requires of us. He has a plan. He sees in ‘total’; we see in ‘part.’ Like Eve, we think we are getting the short end of the deal, and, like Eve, we make choices which cost us and our offspring dearly.

God help us to see through Satan’s lies. God grant us the grace to trust and obey!