Episode 85: The Great Secret To Contentment

Jacob Paul: Welcome to the Truth in Love podcast with your hosts Kimberly Faith and John Mack. The Truth in Love podcast seeks to present God’s timeless truth through the lens of his remarkable love.

Kimberly Faith: Well, dad, this podcast is, what is the great secret to contentment?

John McLarty: Great subject. I think it

Kimberly Faith: is too. Mean, man, we live in a world of chronic, just chronic discontentment, dissatisfaction.

John McLarty: As the word we used a lot, relatable. This is very relatable. The quest for contentment.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. Yeah.

John McLarty: Which is relief of anxiety.

Kimberly Faith: Right. Right. And in the last podcast, we talked about thankfulness a lot. But we wanna talk about this idea of contentment because I think it’s something that we all, I hate to keep using the word chronic, but we chronically struggle to have contentment and not to be, to have dissatisfaction edging out our sense of contentment. And that happens in all I mean, think about your relationships.

Let’s say you’re single and you long for a spouse. Maybe you’re childless and you long for children. Maybe have any kind of relation. Maybe it’s even just a friend. Yeah.

We have, of course, we have social media that just completely causes that to be disproportionate. I mean, it blows out of proportion, really. Even body image or lifestyle dissatisfaction.

John McLarty: Financial hardship. That’s right.

Kimberly Faith: And we have every ad, I think you mentioned this at one point.

John McLarty: Well, yeah, this is so remarkable because marketing is all about making people feel not content because they need your product. So even though just by human nature, we struggle with contentment, but then we live in a culture where we’re just bombarded with, you need this car, you need this boat, you need this vacation.

Kimberly Faith: Weight loss medication. You need these clothes. You need these friends. You need to go to this concert. It’s constant bombardment.

Even things like and what’s crazy now is it’s kind of creepy actually is our, you know, I guess our phones know where we are. And so if I’m in Fayetteville, then things start popping up on my Facebook feed about, Oh, you need to go to this health food store in Fayetteville.

John McLarty: Or something Yes.

Kimberly Faith: Or maybe I’d talk to somebody about a Yeah, hair

John McLarty: it’s a little spooky.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. And so on every front, the enemy is seeking to undermine our sense of contentment. But the Bible gives us some basic ways to a foundation to build contentment. And what’s to me super ironic is that I think one of the best sections of scripture on contentment comes from the apostle Paul, who was writing this from a Roman prison, and he’d been unjustly imprisoned. And so let’s start off by reading Philippians four eleven-thirteen, if you wanna read that.

John McLarty: Yeah, and just in context of what we just discussed, the challenges in this day and age, this was two thousand years ago. There was a struggle with contentment back then. It’s a human struggle.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah, that’s a good point.

John McLarty: But it’s just on overdrive today because of everything, social media, The

Kimberly Faith: marketers study this stuff. Well, and we have allowed the tentacles to invade our brain through every device that we have, you know, even the whoop attached to my arm, you know, is reading, Hey, you need to go out and push yourself to a higher stress level now, you know, saying where you’re at right now is not where you need to be. Oh, you need to sleep more. You know? Exactly.

So there’s, I mean, even things that are supposed to be for our good can push us to not experience contentment.

John McLarty: But yeah. But here’s Paul’s two thousand years ago with a verse that is so appropriate for today. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased. I know how to abound.

Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. That is so remark I mean, Paul, you think about the great contrast in Paul’s life. He was beaten to death almost multiple times, stoned Imprisoned.

John McLarty: Imprisoned Falsely.

Kimberly Faith: Shipwrecked, you know. And and and from what we can tell from history, he grew up in, you know, the Jewish hierarchical system. He was probably somewhat, I don’t wanna say coddled, but he was definitely-

John McLarty: Well fed. Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: Well fed. He wasn’t imprisoned. He probably experienced some of the Roman opposition just because the Jews and the Romans at that time were in somewhat of an op in slavery. I’m not gonna say they weren’t enslaved, but the Romans definitely dominated the Jewish nation at this point.

John McLarty: So his contentment wasn’t tied to circumstances, but to his understanding of biblical truths.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right.

John McLarty: Especially through Christ, which strengthens me And as his source of

Kimberly Faith: he made it real clear that his circumstances do not control his contentment. So in studying this, actually had these ideas came from a sermon I listened to by Lon Solomon, who is a, Jewish he’s Jewish, and he has been a minister for years and years and years in Virginia. And I went on a, a trip to Israel with his his group. Great guy, very insightful. And he’s always really good at just kind of keeping things succinct, which I’m not so good at that.

But he kind of gave three basic things based on these verses in Philippians. And also, we’re going read some verses in one Timothy. And I want to kind of give those principles upfront because if we can redirect our brain to understand and to follow these principles, we are guaranteed contentment. And number one, to remember and to believe that God is in control. Number two, that God gives us what we need.

And number three, God is what we need most. So those three things are what we’re gonna talk Okay? And I think we’ve talked about God’s perspective a lot in different podcasts. We’ve talked about the mind of Christ. And so part of what I do in

John McLarty: my own personal Bible study, and how you

Kimberly Faith: do this too, is I’m always wanting God to teach me very practical things to help me to live better for God’s glory and to carry out the great commission. The reason that contentment is so important, and I’m just going to go off a little rabbit for just a minute because I think this is really important. If we are discontented or dissatisfied Christians, no one is going to be attracted to Jesus.

John McLarty: Yes, that’s a poor reflection. Mean, the Christian life is the fulfilled life.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. It’s supposed to be. Right. If And you’re listening to this podcast right now and you’re thinking about your own life, here’s what I was challenged to ask myself. Because I listened to this sermon he preached when I was walking, I was doing some hike and I had to stop and write notes because it was so good.

The thing that God challenged me with as I was thinking about my own level of contentment was not do I think I’m content, but are the people who know me, the people who meet me, do they see contentment to the degree that they want Jesus?

John McLarty: It’s interesting. Our pastor, years ago in our Christian school, he had the students in a particular class rate each other, like kind of anonymously. What is your perspective of this person’s level of kind of living the Christian life? And it was quite eye opening. That’s really not that we need to take that poll, but that’s a good perspective to look at.

Kimberly Faith: Think it is.

John McLarty: How would others perceive us? And looking at it honestly.

Kimberly Faith: Well, and I think if you have a prayer partner or you have someone that you can trust to give you the truth, I think it’s critical, really, to have somebody rate your contentment. Because if you’re you are perceived by those closest to you as being someone who is dissatisfied, how can you ever tell anyone with any credibility that satisfaction in Christ is the answer?

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: Right? Because basically we’re representing what Christ. We’re supposed to be ambassadors for Christ. And so that’s why I thought this was very much worth a podcast because for myself, again, all these podcasts, I think, come back to what is God teaching us? What do we need to learn?

Just to make it very relatable, I know that there are areas of my life that I’m dissatisfied. I know this. So these three principles are applicable to every part of our life. We talked about last podcast that little sermonette by Doctor. Pat Briney, where he said, Either you’re 100% trusting in God or you’re not.

Okay? So that is to our first point and kind of our second point too, that we have to actively believe that God is in absolute control of every area of our life, including finances, time, resources.

John McLarty: Well, I’ll do a follow-up on that. If we believe that, then we trust in God. That’s right. And just one aspect that people can see, you say, how would people rate ourselves? If someone, including me, and actually I tend to have this problem, is being a worrier.

And I maybe don’t voice it as much. And I’ll say, I know people that voice it more. My wife, Lynn, will look at me and my brow will be a little bit furrowed. It’s like, What are you thinking about? And I go, Blah, blah, blah.

But you can see it in somebody’s face. And some people just verbalize it all the time. Well, that is showing a lack of trust, which means you don’t think God’s in control. So God in control.

Kimberly Faith: He’s either in control or

John McLarty: he’s not. He’s not. Lack of trust. And one reflection of that is worry.

Kimberly Faith: Yes. Yes. If we really think about-

John McLarty: Spreading over things, to use another term.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. I mean, if we Think about being at work, for example, and I have you know, I mean, a lawyer’s office is not somewhere where we’re talking about, you know, peace, love, and and just, you know, calm times. No. It’s it is it’s an, quote, adversarial, end quote, system. The law is adversarial.

That’s what we are taught in law school. So, you know, I actually had a lady ask me one time, she says, How can you be a Christian and practice law? And of course, was kind of taken aback, but I understood what she meant by that because on its face, the law is very adversarial. Of course, a lot of lawyers are not great people. There’s lots of lawyers who are not honest, just like any profession.

But the fact is, if I actively believe that God is in absolute control of my law practice because I’m giving it to Him, I’m trusting Him and trusting Him with it because it’s not my law practice, it’s His, then I am not going to be discontented. I’m not going to be dissatisfied and derailed by problems that come along because it’s not my law practice, so therefore it’s not really my problem. And that breeds great contentment.

John McLarty: Yeah, it’s a foundational premise that God is in control. Right. Yeah. And he’s all powerful, and he’s all knowing. Right.

And he’s righteous. He’s righteous, just, and loving. And he is in control and he’s a good God, just like our last podcast was about his lovingness and his delight in his children. So not only is he in control, he’s a good God to be in control. What if Satan was in control of everything?

Satan is in control of He is loosed on this earth, but God is ultimately in control.

Kimberly Faith: Well, I think it comes back to

John McLarty: And that’s comforting.

Kimberly Faith: Yes. The things that I We have the number one foundation to contentment. God is in control. It’s not just an intellectual acknowledgment that God is in control, though. We must be actively believing, actively living like God is in control.

So that bump in the road that happens maybe on the way to work, you know, we run out of gas. We have a car wreck. We get pulled over because we’re speeding. Whatever happens. You know, if we believe that God is actively in control of our life, that means that when we get pulled over, we run out of gas, we look at that as an opportunity.

Perfect. An opportunity to glorify God. And then that-

John McLarty: You know, that starts, Kim, as a I’ll just interrupt a little bit. That starts as a discipline. Yes. Just like, oh, instead of worrying and fretting, this is an opportunity. And then our perspective flips.

That’s right. And we look at it as in completely that problem, that trouble in a completely different way.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. No, that’s exactly right. And you kind of took the words right out of my mouth. So thank you for doing that. That is perfect because then when we are training our brain to say, God is in control, that takes us you think about what Psalms 20 four:one says is, The earth is the Lord’s in all its fullness, all the fullness therein.

And I don’t know if you have more to add to that, but

John McLarty: Well, the rest of that is the world and they that dwell therein.

Kimberly Faith: Well, there

John McLarty: you go.

Kimberly Faith: That’s important. That means us.

John McLarty: That’s us.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. And so that policeman that pulls me over, I haven’t been pulled over in a while, but it could happen. I can have a testimony to him. If I get pulled over locally, most of the police officers know me because they’ve had to deal with me in the legal side. But if I’m polite, if I’m apologetic, if I’m not defensive, if I’m transparent, that is a testimony.

Because some of them know I’m a Christian. Some of them may not, but it’s an opportunity. Shoot, I might even give them my tract and say, You know, let me just give you my story. Give me a ticket. I always tell police officers, not that I get pulled over all the time, but I have been pulled over a few times, Just give me a ticket.

If I was speeding, give me a ticket. That’s what you’re supposed to do. But the thing is that contentment is because we know who is in control, God is in control. And I had a person in my office that was going through a situation involving a criminal charge. And I kept saying to this person, This is not a big deal for God.

You see, there’s only one thing God can’t do. He can’t force us to be saved. He can’t force us to love him because love is something that’s voluntary. That’s the greatest miracle. This isn’t a big deal.

This is not a big deal. So we are released from being in the slavery of control.

John McLarty: And

Kimberly Faith: we become content. It’s a miracle.

John McLarty: Well, let’s build on that traffic stop because in our flesh, we’re in our flesh most of the time. I just live in this body of flesh, and it’s like just this loud screaming voice. And, you know, the voice of God is usually this quiet, still, small voice. But say you understand that God is control, and you have that first traffic ticket, and you begin to panic, you begin to worry, but then you go, Oh no, the Word of God, God is in control, and I’m going to see this as an opportunity. And then maybe it takes you thirty seconds, right, to be like, Oh, make that transition.

Well, but then the next time, Kim, you’re pulled over because your cruise control is acting up, then you don’t have to go through that thirty second. That you don’t have to go through that mental manipulation. You just immediately, Oh, okay, opportunity. I don’t even have to process this. And that’s kind of the habit of godly responses.

Just remembering God’s in control.

Kimberly Faith: We just have to train our brain to understand God is in control. And then

John McLarty: you apply that to all situations. And we’re not saying that’s easy. No. Just some things are a lot worse than a traffic ticket.

Kimberly Faith: But it is attractive because when we start doing it, we start being freed from the slavery of our control. I wanna say self control because that’s a different topic, but our own need to be in control. Then we become thankful for that. Oh, I don’t have to micromanage this situation because God’s in control. I’m giving this to him.

And little by little, what happens is we morph into this idea or this way of thinking that we don’t need more of anything except of God’s presence. That’s what we need more of because he’s our best possession. Understanding that God is in control frees us from the financial tendency to hoard and not be generous. It frees us from believing that we have to continually be gathering assets for ourselves. It frees us I mean, there’s just so many facets of control, right?

I mean, think about politics. It doesn’t matter whether you’re on the left, the right, the middle, whatever your country’s politics are, when you start listening to all the talking heads, man, it can feel like things are out of control and you can start to become very dissatisfied, afraid. And when you just like, Lord, you’re in control of this. I’m gonna pray for good leaders. You’re in control.

Then you almost like you gain back a sense of peace and contentment that is inexplicable.

John McLarty: And I think of a verse, I’ll just have to paraphrase it because I don’t have it right here, but it’s bringing every thought captive to Christ. That’s this kind of this, it goes in with this renewing of the mind we’ve talked about. But say you became worried about political world events. Well, bring every thought captive to Christ. I love that.

And that goes hand in hand with Paul said, I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. And that’s going back to, no, God’s in control. Yeah. And you The world looks like it’s falling apart. God’s in control.

Kimberly Faith: I’m so glad you brought that verse up. That’s actually two Corinthians ten:five, and it says, Casting down arguments. Casting down arguments in every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

John McLarty: Well, that really fills it out.

Kimberly Faith: That’s great, dad. I’m so glad you brought that up because that’s exactly when we forget that God is in control, that is an argument. That is pride that says, We have this opinion that is exalting itself against the knowledge of God, that he is in control.

John McLarty: It’s kind of, I will.

Kimberly Faith: Yes, I will.

John McLarty: Need to take care

Kimberly Faith: of this. Exactly. So the first secret to contentment is remembering and actively believing in every corner of our life that God is in control. The second one is so good too. It’s God gives us what we need.

Now, there’s a difference between what we need and what we want. Absolutely. And so just to extrapolate this a little bit, we have to actively believe that what we have right now is what God has given us because he believes it is what is best for us right now. So the second point is that what we have now, if this you know, it’s it’s really hard for us to be content with what we have now. I’ll give you an example.

I’ve I’ve been concerned about making my yard pretty. Okay? I really love the landscape. And so it’s hard sometimes I’ll go out and I’ll just look at my yard and go, oh, I’m gonna hire somebody to get this side driveway area and this other area cleaned out and just make it look prettier. Cause I like to do that.

But God hasn’t given me the liberty to do that for like years. It’s like he’s saying, this is energy and effort that I don’t want you to spend right now. But then just recently, he did give me liberty to do that. And that’s not happening as fast as I’d like for it to happen. Because the guy that I talked to about it, which I think is somebody the Lord wanted me to minister to, he kind of takes his time, okay?

But this God giving me what he believes is best for me right now. That’s just a silly little example.

John McLarty: I have a parallel example. And this is one of the things that robs us of contentment, Kim, is our own expectations, where we think we need something and it’s really not what we need. So when Lynn and I first obtained this property up on our little mountaintop up here, it didn’t have a house. It’s just woods. And we would hike up here.

And we had this notion that if we could ever we would actually say it. If we could ever just get that house built up on Canvas Mountain and sit on our front porch and look out over the view, life would be great. That would be contentment. We would have this refuge. Well, we got the house built and we have a front porch and we have an incredible view.

But that first ten years of living up here was some of the most troubled, just dramatic, I’ll just say kids in school, kids in trouble in school, and just teenage years. It was like, Oh my goodness, this is not what we thought.

Kimberly Faith: House did not solve

John McLarty: the The house did not solve Right. The But it was a big thing for us. And it can be somebody’s automobile, or if they got this boat Or this job.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. Or this person.

John McLarty: But it’s based on an expectation that we have conjured up. That we will be content if we have this

Kimberly Faith: or if we have that.

John McLarty: But God knows what we need.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. And, you know, I love

John McLarty: Psalms- And what we really needed was just deeper relationship with God. Bring every thought captive to Christ.

Kimberly Faith: Yes. Yes. I think about Psalms 8four 11. It says, for the Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord will give grace and glory.

No good thing will he withhold from who? Those who walk uprightly. See, our definition of goodness is often geared towards selfish means. Like we want a beautiful yard. We want a house to live in.

We want a better car. It’s so funny when we talk about the car. My Toyota 4Runner has it’s twenty fifteen, 265,000 miles on it. And I had some pressure. I didn’t care about my I just don’t want you to break down.

But I had some pressure from people who care about me saying, you need to trade your car in and get a car that’s not gonna break down the side of the road. Well, I’d okay, whatever. So I just I shopped around. I wasn’t gonna I just I just wasn’t feeling, you know, peace about spending 60 to $70,000 on a new vehicle. And I didn’t I’m content with my car, but that is it was interesting how other people started to breed discontentment within me.

And they meant well, don’t get me wrong. These people loved me, meant well. The point is Don’t

John McLarty: use the marketing of the world

Kimberly Faith: Yes, that’s right. Because the fact is my Toyota probably run for their 250,000 miles. I mean, they’re just great vehicles. But we must guard our minds because if we think, if we start to think, we lack. It’s not because God is stingy, because in His perfect knowledge of our lives, He knows that what we have right now is what we can faithfully handle.

You know? I love how, in in first Timothy, we’re warned that more resources without spiritual maturity is can lead to pride, distraction, or harm. It says, first Timothy chapter six verses nine and ten says, but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish Mhmm. And harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money, it doesn’t say the money, but the love of money, is a root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith and their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

You know, contentment contentment is so critical.

John McLarty: So just just contrast that, Kim, with with Paul’s message. In Philippians? In Philippians where he says, everywhere and in all things, I’ve learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Right.

But, yeah, that in first Timothy, that is for those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare. And many sorrows. Yes. So many it does not get you where you wanted to be.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. And and I use the example of of finances because it’s just something that affects every person listening to this right now. We all need money, right, to to to make to make our way. But the money is a is a such an easy trap to fall in love with because it’s the love of money that is the root of all evil. It’s not money itself, but the love of money.

And money is a real it’s a temptress, a real temptress, you know? But God I love that God and and again, it doesn’t have to be money. It can be anything. But I really think that to the second point that God gives us what we need. In this moment in time, I have to remind myself, God has given me exactly what I need right now for today.

You know, we were sitting on the back on the front deck after church talking to some neighbors that came over. And I kept thinking, I need to do this podcast. We gotta get this podcast done, you know? And we only had this short window of time. And God was just like, okay, you’re gonna do this podcast on contentment, and you’re sitting here on the front porch neglecting a relationship that I’ve sent your way to do my work?

How does that how does that even make sense?

John McLarty: You know, that’s interesting, Kim, because just we’re we’re just transparent here. I was on the front porch with you, And I actually knew you were thinking

Kimberly Faith: that. And

John McLarty: I was thinking it.

Kimberly Faith: I was

John McLarty: thinking, well, Kim and I have to do these two podcasts. But then I was, you know, not just bragging, but it’s like ticket. I’ve trained myself to recognize that situation because it happens often. And I’m going like, No, this ministry we’re having to these two people is the most important thing. So whether you do one podcast or two or none, this is the most important thing.

And it’s a discipline. And then I just dropped it. I’m going like, We had a great visit. We did. It went longer than we would have thought, but it ended up just being a great ministry.

Kimberly Faith: A ministry,

John McLarty: yeah. And it was the right thing to do.

Kimberly Faith: Well, when I finally

John McLarty: But it’s this little mental it’s interesting. Was thinking, I think Kim’s going through this same level of struggle.

Kimberly Faith: Well, was. And the Lord really kept- And that’s

John McLarty: just our flesh, our mind, and kind of our logic. Well, I have to do X, Y, and Z before, and church is at 06:00, and blah, blah, blah.

Kimberly Faith: Well, I just wanted just to be very transparent, like you said, about this, because it’s not just money. It’s not just the things that we think of. It’s even our ministry. Time. Our ministry and our time.

We want these podcasts to glorify God, but if we put them before a ministry that’s right on our front porch, then it’s not for God. It can be snare. That’s right. And this goes back to what I kept thinking about, what God reminded me of during that whole conversation on the front porch was God saying, Am I in control? Have you forgotten who’s in control?

Are you forgetting about this podcast you’re gonna do? Number one is I’m in control. Hey, if I’m in control, then stop it. I’ll figure it out because I already know. I’m already in the future.

He’s telling me, I just think sometimes God has got to have a huge sense of humor when

John McLarty: he yields me

Kimberly Faith: because I can’t I just think sometimes I fall into the linear thinking of ministry as I’ve got to get A, C done right now or today or by this timeframe. And God is shaking His head and His no. I have to actively make myself believe that God’s no or not yet is rooted in His wisdom and love. And that again means I have to remember and actively believe that He gives me what I need for right now. And just a

John McLarty: little reminder and encouragement to our listeners, we all have these struggles. And if you find yourself thinking these contrary thoughts, that’s the human mind. That’s just how the human mind works. That’s why we draw ourselves back to the word of God, to the words of Paul, to the words of Paul and Timothy, and go, no, this is how I should be thinking.

Kimberly Faith: Yes. I love that.

John McLarty: And then you do that and God and, you know, and then it becomes it wasn’t like this dreadful burden to continue this conversation on the front porch.

Kimberly Faith: Right. It was actually one

John McLarty: of wasn’t the best thing that could have happened.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. Was and it and and the reason I knew that I had I I was starting to get feel this anxiety and dissatisfaction rising in me. And just like God clubbed me over the head with the common sense behind what we were gonna talk about in this podcast and what I was actually doing. It’s like, Hey, this is why you need to do this podcast, but you need to apply this right now. I am in control and I’m going to give you what you need to do what you think you need to do.

Actually, it does coincide with what I’m actually going to do, but quit worrying about it. That contentment radar, that contentment, when you’re aware of when you become discontented, that’s a good thing because that radar tells you there’s one of these areas that you need to really get back into actively believing. Which kind of leads us to the third one And the third foundational truth for being the great secret to contentment is to know that God is what we need the most. And we talk about that. Now, we have talked about the difference between knowing God and knowing God, right?

Right. Between knowing God’s existence and then having received him as our Lord and savior. We’re talking about people who have already become believers, who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. And when we have done that, when we are a child of God already, we must train our brain to actively believe that the only real security in life is found in the strongest possible relationship with Jesus Christ. You know, finishing a podcast does not give me security.

Jesus does. Having a huge bank account does not give me security. Jesus does. If I’m going through a sickness, if I’m in a car wreck, if I’m experiencing the death of a loved one, a big bank account isn’t gonna help me. It’s Jesus.

John McLarty: He sees us through all the trials.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. And His presence And again, we talked about intimacy with God in the last podcast, right? And how delighting and how God delights in us and that intimacy is such a gift, this is what we’re talking about. When I was giving the example earlier on the front porch, I could feel the more I became discontented and dissatisfied because I felt like I was getting off schedule, the less I could feel God’s presence in the way that’s intimate. Not in the way that He wasn’t there like saying, girl, what are you even doing right now?

Of course, He was doing that. But it’s that, don’t wanna That’s not the kind of presence I wanna experience. It’s I wanna experience, Hey, well done. Well done. Right?

Amen. That delight we talked about.

John McLarty: And think about how could Paul We referenced Paul the Apostle earlier. Jesus was what he needed most. He said, I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. And he said that in the context of being in jail, being shipwrecked, being thrown out of the city and left for dead.

Kimberly Faith: Right, right. It just goes back to this thing of true contentment really rests in Christ. You just said what Paul wrote, He strengthens us through any season. And all these other things that make us dissatisfied are circumstances. They’re very transient circumstances.

But I love Paul is just such a great example of you know, what did he do through Christ? Think about this. He wrote a large portion of the New Testament. He was very key in starting the Gentile churches. He encouraged, he loved, he sacrificed, he gave everything.

I mean, he was 100%. We talked about 100% trusting in the Lord. He was 100%. Absolutely. Yet he was super transparent.

We talk about Romans chapter seven a lot, where Paul wrote to the Roman church. He’s like, When I would do good, evil’s present with me. I do what I don’t wanna do. And what I don’t wanna do, I do. And he just this whole thing he goes through.

John McLarty: And then the latter part of his life, he said, I’m the chiefest of sinners.

Kimberly Faith: Right. Yes. Yes. But he lived in attitudes gave him, this attitude of contentment gave him supernatural strength, whether he was in great abundance or in great need. Think that one of the If we can learn these three things and learn to make part of our thinking these three things, that is, you know, God is in control, God gives me what I need right now, and God is what I need the most, those three things, we can we can really have this attitude of contentment that attracts people to Jesus Christ.

Like, how are you in that jail cell but so content? When the Philippian jailer when the angel came and opened the jail, the Philippian jailer thought they’d all escaped, right? And he would be dying. And Paul’s like, No, dude, we’re here. We’re here.

We ain’t going anywhere. The Philippian jailer got saved.

John McLarty: He got saved.

Kimberly Faith: And he saw something in them, and it wasn’t dissatisfaction.

John McLarty: Well, here’s the word out of one Timothy six:six-eight. And again, this is the apostle Paul writing to Timothy. Now godliness with contentment is a great gain, For we brought nothing into the world and is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. That says it all right there. Godliness with contentment is great gain. That’s really interesting statement because we think about godliness, loving our neighbors, ourself, and following the beatitudes, the attitudes of Christ, mind of Christ. But we cannot be dissatisfied and be a good example of That’s good thought.

We can’t be godly and be dissatisfied. Because God is satisfied with Himself.

John McLarty: You can’t be just living and just open what the world consider obvious sins, but how about just being a big worrier? It says godliness with contentment. It’s almost like godliness goes with contentment.

Kimberly Faith: Well, godliness by definition means we’re being like God. And God is never discontent. He’s never dissatisfied with Himself. And if we are in Him, in Christ, then we too, the only way we can

John McLarty: be godly is to be content. Realizing He’s in control. Right. He gives us what we need. Right.

And He’s what we need most. I like

Kimberly Faith: it too. And it’s been a real game changer for me to When I start feeling, like I said today, discontented, I need to go back and remember these things. Because when we seek to actively embrace these three principles, then absolute contentment becomes just a steady reality for us. And what a great testimony.

John McLarty: Amen.

Kimberly Faith: What a great way to live our divine destiny that God has given us to bring him glory. We bring God glory when That’s we are

John McLarty: a goal for how we should best live.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. Rooted in Christ. Well, this has been a good one, dad.

John McLarty: Amen. Challenging. Challenging. There are

Kimberly Faith: only the ones that are challenging.

John McLarty: We were fighting the fight today. Hey,

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