Contentment..

Recently Chuck Swindoll (Insight for Living) posted a video on Face Book quoting the letter (above) written by Martin Luther to his friend Rev. Dr. John Hess nearly 500 years ago, during the “Black Death” plague.
 
Chuck went on to quote the words of St Paul in his letter to the Philippians 4:11-13:
“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” (NLT)
 
From these 3 verses he found three lessons (or sermon points) on contentment:

1. Contentment is something we learn.
2. Contentment can be ours regardless of our circumstances.
3. This kind of contentment is directly linked to our relationship with Jesus Christ.

During these times when we are dealing with this world-wide pandemic which has resulted in our physical separation and distancing (which is so unnatural for us), may we together learn the Contentment that comes regardless of our circumstances, but is directly linked to our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Do you want to be content, even whilst anxiety, uncertainty and discontent exists all around us? Do you want to be content even though we are unable to gather together each Sunday in the place we have set aside for worship? The promise is that we can do just that, but only through Jesus Christ who gives us the strength to do so.
In the words of one of our Bishops recently, “If Paul could do it in the first century, we can certainly do it in the 21st Century.”
And all of God’s people said.... Amen! Praise God!

---