Paul mastered the art of contentment despite extreme adversity. Behind prison bars he wrote, “I have learned to be content…” (Phil. 4:11). It didn’t come naturally to him. He learned it in the proverbial “school of hard knocks.” Contentment suggests the idea of supporting oneself without aid from others. Vincent adds, “By the power of his own will, to resist the shock of circumstance. Paul is self-sufficient through the power of the self; not he, but Christ in him” (459-460).
Everybody has met malcontents. Such are rarely happy, satisfied, or appeased. They are always holding the short end of the stick. They are forever the victim. From their point of view, nothing seems satisfactory. Aren’t they such fun?
The church where they are attending is always deficient in some way. The leadership is not enough of this and too much of that. The same applies to the Bible school, worship services, preacher, song leader, missionaries, facilities, deacons, or programs of work. Others find them a mine field, and interacting with them is comparable to walking on egg shells.
Malcontents have failed to grow in the important spiritual area Paul references in Philippians. The sniping and yelping of the discontented interferes with the good it can do. It is destructive, divisive, discouraging, and devilish. John Bunyan concluded, “If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot.” Or, as another put it, “The crown of life looks funny on a sore head.”
In an English cemetery stand two sad epitaphs on slabs of granite. The wife’s reads, “She died for want of things.” Her husband’s says, “He died trying to give them to her.” No doubt the man never made her happy because he had not the power. Only she did. Sadly, she never exercised what Paul did in adverse circumstances.
Perhaps Paul wrote above the howl of a dying fellow-prisoner in the squalor of a dirty cell, looking up to see the scowl of a godless prison guard. Perhaps, with Christlike peace, he shook his head, smiled, and sealed up that inspired epistle to the church at Philippi. Perhaps, there persecuted but not forsaken (cf. 2 Cor. 4:9), he sang a hymn (cf. Acts 16:25). Whatever happened, one thing is certain. Paul found a way to be content. Let us learn that.
“You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” James 5:8
The heart has been a topic that James has mentioned several times in his letter.
1:26 We can deceive our hearts
3:14 We can fill our hearts with “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.”
4:8 We are called to “purify our hearts”
5:5 Self-indulgence can fatten our hearts for the day of slaughter
But now in contrast, James tells us to strengthen our hearts. He’s not telling us to start a cardio regimen, eat cheerios and take CoQ10. The heart is the center of our thinking. It is what influences our actions.
When we strengthen our center of thinking, there is a direct correlation to what we will focus on in this life.
What should be our focus? The coming of the Lord! James tells them that this day was near. Not that the end of the world was at hand, but that through death, the suffering Christian’s he is writing to would be standing before the throne of God very soon.
This gives us a glimpse into the extent of their suffering. They were so mistreated that they were at the point of death. Rather than worry about self-preservation, think about where you will be the moment you pass from this life.
We are told that our life is a vapor (James 4:14), here one minute and gone the next. So don’t get so focused on the suffering that you face to the detriment of your soul. If we lose focus on the eternal, what’s the point of prolonging the temporal?
These poor Christians would have been tempted to do anything they could to take care of their families. James says in verse 9, “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”
If you make plans to go over to a friend’s house, your journey begins at home, you get in your car, drive the route, arrive at their home, get out of your car, and go to the door. Entering through the door is the last step before you are in their home. That the Judge is standing right at the door paints the picture that our judgment is right in front of us. Judgment is near, our life is a vapor. Don’t do something in this life that will put you in the same boat as the unrighteous.
James began his letter with a statement on suffering, and he ends by talking about trials. Suffering can produce endurance (1:2). Suffering can also give us a stronger heart. As Christians in the 21st century we might be tempted to act as though judgment is far off in the future.
Does the thought of Christ coming back in 30 seconds scare you? If we knew for certain that Christ was coming back in 30 seconds, what would you be thinking?
…Do you feel relieved that it didn’t happen? If so, why? Are you disappointed? The coming of the Lord is near for each one of us. At any moment we could be standing before God. We should live with this thought in mind every day.
For those who have strengthened their hearts there will be a reward beyond comprehension. When suffering comes, strengthen your heart.
It was 2008, just 20 days shy of his 90th birthday, when Fred Baur died. On the way to the funeral home, his kids decided to stop at a nearby Walgreens to pick up some salty snacks. They debated for a bit, should it be sour cream and onion, cheddar cheese maybe? Larry and his siblings finally decided on Original.
You see, Fred adored his kids, but his passion was snacks. His accomplishments included a variety of frying oils and freeze-dried ice cream.
Fred was an American organic Chemist that had received both his masters and PhD at The Ohio State University, and it was 1966 when P&G came calling. Evidently, in the 1960s, there was a problem with the packaging and shipping of potato chips. By the time the consumer would pick up potato chips at a store, well, they were merely in pieces. This is where P&G thought Fred could help solve this problem.
After two years of experimentation, Fred developed a chip of dried potato flakes, added a bunch of unpronounceable ingredients, and cut them into thin hyperbolic paraboloids. With this shape, Fred could neatly stack his chips into his vacuum sealed tube.
By this time, you know that I am referring to Fred’s invention of Pringles, but the story doesn’t end there. Fred still wasn’t done with his invention.
There were problems:
First and foremost, they tasted like sawdust, so Fred spent another 2 years to improve the taste. Then, another issue. Frito-Lay sent lawyers because they said Fred’s chips weren’t potato chips at all because they were just 42% potato.
After some time and haggling, they decided to call them potato crisps.
Fred persevered.
He gave birth to an iconic brand that many of us still enjoy today. Through years of experimentation, development, and disappointments, lawyers-at one point P&G wanted to trash the idea.
But Fred persevered.
He was able to see his brand break 100 million in sales. He was able to see it break 500 million in sales. However, he wasn’t there in 2011 when P&G sold Pringles for almost 2.5 Billion Dollars.
That brings us back to 2008 when Fred’s children showed up to the funeral home with the Original flavored can of pringles. Fred’s wish was to have his ashes be placed in a Pringles can when he passed.
Fred got his wish.
As great as this story is, we wouldn’t have this story if it wasn’t for Fred’s perseverance. And as great as Fred’s perseverance was, we have so many examples of greater perseverance in the Bible.
Consider Joshua, Job, Jeremiah, Nehemiah and our greatest example of perseverance, Jesus. These are just a few of the many examples the Bible gives us.
Two points I want to quickly make about Perseverance, and the lesson is yours.
Number 1. WE HAVE A NEED FOR PERSEVERANCE.
It’s not a matter of if, but when…Christians Will Face Tribulations in Life. Jesus says in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Christ never promised us that this life would be a bed of roses. The Gospel never said we’d go to Heaven on “flowery beds of ease.” Rather, we are promised that we shall have hardships and tribulations in this life, especially if we are faithful Children of God.
Only those who persevere receive the reward. Revelation 2:10-11 tells us, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Number 2. PERSEVERANCE IS DEVELOPED IN TRIBULATION.
Romans 8: 18-28 can be summarized as this: Viewed in faith, tribulation is a friend rather than an enemy. I don’t know a lot of adversity that is necessarily fun, but we can learn from it, and we can grow from it.
In Deuteronomy 8, the Israelites failed to see the benefits of their trials.
In Numbers, we see there was an Exodus of over one Million Israelites.
We later see that only two Persevered and reached the promised land.
In 1 Corinthians and Hebrews, Paul admonishes us not to imitate the Israelites.
Rather than complain, rejoice in God’s work in your life.
Difficulties and trials would not normally be considered an occasion for joy but think about James and Paul and how they exhort us to look beyond the immediate pain and discomforts of trials to the lasting effect they have on the character of the Christian.
It is the development of our character, that should cause us to rejoice in adversity. Always remember who wins in the end.
We all have mountains to climb and sometimes holes to dig ourselves out of. Perhaps you want to begin to persevere and put on the armor of God through Baptism. There is no better time than now. Perhaps you’ve been baptized, and you’re currently trying so hard to climb the mountain that you’re on and you’ve had setbacks. We would love to help you reach the peak.
Oh the stories that song leaders and preachers could tell! Often, when we sing such standbys as “I Love To Tell The Story,” “Rejoice In The Lord,” or “When We All Get To Heaven,” we do so with little visible enthusiasm or apparent joy. If we sing devotional songs like “Thank You, Lord,” “Shout To The Lord,” or “I’m Happy Today,” are we conveying what we are saying? Occasionally, in our humanity, we come into the assemblies burdened down with cares and problems. There may be a powerful distraction nearby that makes concentrating on what we’re doing in worship more difficult. No one knows more than me how misleading facial expressions can be as a reflection of what is in the heart. Yet, I’ve seen some serial sourpusses and perpetual pouters who claim to be Christians. As James was known to say, “My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”
It’s certainly not confined to when we’re engaged in worshipping in song or listening to the sermon. It’s discovered in conversation. Too many times, I’ve encountered Christians who are always disclosing the latest downer in their lives, the problems that pervade them, and the sadness surely saturates them!
Some of the most joyous Christians I’ve known have been more besieged by difficulties than anyone else. They are even graceful enough to be able to talk about them—and, thus, not concealing their troubles—but with a perspective and positivity that reflects their abiding trust in the Great I Am. Three times, Peter speaks to Christians who are distressed by various trials, enduring by faith, and sharing the sufferings of Christ and remarks on their remarkable rejoicing (1 Pet. 1:6,8; 4:13). Perhaps it was their “living hope” (1 Pet. 1:3).
Maybe our long faces are not due to any particular problems, and of all people on earth we, especially in America, are spared many of the trials and difficulties of those in poorer countries. It could be that we have disconnected ourselves from the source of joy. Or, it could be that we have forgotten to practice gratitude and count our blessings. Perhaps, we’ve gotten spoiled or concluded that being happy is the goal of life, and when this occurs we live with an expectation that others and circumstances should be oriented to make us feel good, content, or satisfied.
Let’s challenge each other to wear a smile, to work more at expressing our joy, and to win the battles in the heart that keep us from being characterized by winsomeness and positivity. By this, we’ll be a billboard for Christ and a blessing to everyone else.
The Preacher Pollard Blog 