Contentment Is Trusting God well done my good and faithful servant
Our pastor, Brother Mark Hall, was celebrating a birthday as we gathered to worship on a beautiful Sunday that the Lord created. We were blessed with rain this week. Special prayers were requested for Jimmy Easter, Barbara Cory, Dean Leitch, Easton Sherman and Molly. Jeanette Easter thanked everyone for their work on the Old Timers’ Day float, “Fishers of Men,” and presented the church with the first-place plaque. Shelley reminded us of the wedding shower for Mitchell Lett and Abby Jeffries on June 3, Vacation Bible School on July 14, and the church trip to see “Samson” in Branson on July 21.
“Gratitude, Sharp and Sweet” was the devotional that Linda Abercrombie shared as she read Psalm 148:3-6. “We need to take time to look at the beauty of God’s gifts. It is like experiencing the harsh winter in the northern climate and then enjoying the beauty of the spring when it arrives. Life can bring joy and pain, darkness and light. When life is difficult, we should still be grateful for God’s daily gifts.”
Congregational hymns included “The Glory-land Way” and “Victory in Jesus.” Becky Johnson and Susan Cory played “Everything to God in Prayer” as Rick Lett and Wayne Johnson collected the offering and Karen Gardner sang “I Am Satisfied With Jesus.”
Brother Mark brought us God’s message, “Contentment,” the third in the series on Christian virtue. The first two were on patience and genuine faith. Scripture for the sermon was from 1 Timothy 6:6-12. Brother Mark told a story about a wealthy man who owned a fishing fleet. As he went to the harbor to check on his fleet on a Sunday morning, he saw a small independent fisherman sitting on the dock reading his Bible and watching the children play. The rich man asked him why he wasn’t fishing, and the humble man said that he had caught enough for the week. The rich man told him that if he was fishing, he could catch more, make more money and be more successful. Then he could sit back and enjoy the good things in life. The humble man told him that was what he was doing — a lesson to be learned.
Brother Mark gave another example of contentment about turning cattle in on new pasture, belly-deep in grass. “They claim their new pasture, but then it becomes not enough and they wander across the fence to the other side, wanting more. Good is never enough for us. Just like Adam and Eve had it good in the Garden of Eden, they had it all but wanted more. The name of the sin is pride, and the circumstance is discontent. Even good faithful Christians are known to stray away from God because they lose their contentment. Serving God is still important to them but becomes not as important as other things. That discontentment takes us to sorrow.” 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Brother Mark asked, “When you lose your ability to be content with God and what He gives us, what will you not be content with next? Your spouse, your job? We get distracted and pursue other things. We get discontented with what God gives us and we get separated from Him. Genuine faith is observed by watching genuine faith in action. Discontent is learned by watching discontentment. If we have 15 head of cattle, we want 20. If we have a halfton truck, then we want a three-quarter-ton truck. So many young people think they need to start out at the top when it took their parents 30 years to get what they have. They have been taught that by their parents, so they don’t have to struggle. Maybe the struggle is good for us. Being content doesn’t just mean we just sit and do nothing. There is nothing wrong with working hard and accumulating things and having things, but don’t let them have you. Being content means trusting God and not taking His plan into your own hands. Your neighbors need to see your vehicle parked in front of the church on Sunday mornings.” 1 Timothy 6:1112 says, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
In closing, Brother Mark told us that godliness with contentment is great gain. “Don’t be like the Olympians. When you win once, you want to keep winning. If you aren’t satisfied without a gold medal, you probably won’t be satisfied with one. Contentment is a matter of perspective on what you have. Just like the song says, “I am satisfied with Jesus, but is He satisfied with me?” Are we still trying to improve on God’s plan? Learn to trust in the Lord. Are we content with Him and is He satisfied with us?”
Our hymn of invitation was “Near the Cross.” Wayne Holly gave the benediction.
Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and the worship service at 11 a.m. Everyone is always welcome at Mill Creek Baptist Church, which is located three and one-half miles east of Noel, just off Highway 90.