There are four sources from which we can experience true divine
contentment. Contentment, as defined in part one, is a plateau
of the Christian life that every believer must reach in order to
be fulfilled spiritually, mentally and emotionally. That being
said, let’s look at these four sources of divine contentment in
which are sure to provide ways to reach a state of fulfillment.
John 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and
it sufficeth us.
Source #1 - When we see God as our Father
We cannot reach a state of divine contentment until we know and
understand inexplicably who our Father truly is. Not knowing who
our Father is will leave us in darkness. We will not be able to
discern His voice from all of the other voices that are trying
to be influences in our lives. Our Father God wants us to call
Him Daddy, Abba, Father. Some of us may have earthly, biological
fathers, and a number of us have never met our biological
fathers, nor even know where he can be found. But our Father in
heaven wants us to know that He is there when we call. Our
Father God wants us to commune with Him as if He were the only
father that we’ve ever known. He wants to be there for us in all
of our situations and circumstances. He longs for an eternal
dialog with us.
John 15:10-11 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in
my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide
in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy
might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Source # 2 - Live by the Word of God
Knowing the voice of God is critical in the days that we live in
because there are many false prophets, pastors and teachers that
are leading God’s sheep down wrong paths. This is due to a lack
of knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. We must
possess logos (literal word) and the rhema (revealed word) Word
of God in our inner man to be able to persevere. We must abide
in God’s Word daily, consistently and with passion.
Having His commandments etched onto our hearts is what our
Father God longs for. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of
having God’s commandments etched onto the heart. It is through
the keeping of the commandments of God that we experience the
love of God and the presence of God. Abiding in God’s love is
our purpose. To accomplish this, keeping the commandments of God
is mandatory.
The most beautiful part about this passage is in verse 11. After
keeping the commandments, and after abiding in the love of God,
then, and only then, will the joy of the Holy Spirit dwell
within us. Joy is the end result of our obedience and our
abiding in the love of God. Joy is our reward for staying
steadfast and unmovable in the things of God. Joy is our source
of contentment and happiness.
Romans 8:28-29 28 And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are called according to
his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he
might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Source #3 - Be who we are born to be
It was no accident that we fell into the arms of our Father God
and came into the knowledge of His Son. Many people struggle
with their attempted relationship with God because they were not
called. For those who are called to the knowledge and
understanding of who God is and what Jesus Christ has already
done for us, there is a divine purpose behind the call. The
purpose of the call is to raise up a group of dedicated
individuals who would press into the things of the kingdom of
God, magnify the kingdom of God, and do the will and work of the
Father. God called us from birth to be His foot soldiers on
earth to establish His kingdom. God knew us before our birth,
and predestinated us to be His, and His alone.
But not only has He pre-chosen us before our birth, but he wants
us to be mirror images of His Son. Jesus Christ is our big
brother, according to verse 29 - “…that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren.” We are the brethren. So if he is
to be the firstborn of many brethren, that makes us His little
brothers and sisters.
II Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
It is in the place of beholding the glory of the Lord that we
are transformed into His image. Being in the persistent presence
of God is what we should desire. We are a product of our
environment. If our environment consists of violence and murder,
our children will be influence by the spirit of violence and
murder and there will be a good chance that they will fall into
the snare of violence or murder. The same thing is the case with
an environment of holiness and sanctification. If our children
grow up in an environment that fears the Lord, and is clean,
righteous and holy, then our children will be influenced by
these things and therefore grow up to be fearful of the Lord,
clean at heart and mind, righteous in the eyes of God and man -
holy and separated unto God.
Being in the presence of God changes us overtime. It is the
consistent purging by the water of the Word of God that
cleanses, purifies our spirit, and transforms us into the
likeness of God. But we must understand that this transformation
is usually not something that happens overnight. Persistency and
consistency is the key to being taken from glory to glory. The
Spirit of the Lord purges us by stripping layers of ungodliness,
one at a time. With each level of glory that we come into, a
layer of ungodliness is shed. Continued pressing into the glory
of God allows the stripping of our old man (flesh, sin) so that
the new man (Christ) that has been supplied by the Spirit of the
Lord will be able to show and do His work - being a reflection
of the anointing of God, the oil of joy that he wants to pour
into our lives.
Adam and Eve forgot who they were in God. They forgot that they
were made in the image and likeness of God. Sin and disobedience
led to the lack of knowledge of who they were in God. The same
thing happens to us. Sin and disobedience places a barrier in
front of our eyes. This barrier of sin blocks our vision of the
image of God, and then we forget who we are in Christ and how we
are to be like Christ. We must always keep God in remembrance so
that His glory will continue to shine upon us and change us into
His image.
Mark 8:14-21 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread,
neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15
And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned
among themselves saying, it is because we have no bread. 17 And
when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because
ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have
ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? And
having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember? 19 When I
brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full
of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20 And when
the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of
fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21 And he said unto
them, How is it that ye do not understand?
Source #4 - To remember what God has already done
Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is the testimony of what God
has already done in our lives that will allow us to always
remember that God is able in all circumstances and situations.
It is in remembering how we were delivered and set free from
past bondages and pitfalls that increases our faithfulness in
God and our belief in His Word.
In Mark 8, Jesus fed the multitude with only two fish and five
loaves of bread. This miracle was seen by the masses, including
the disciples with a front row seat! And yet, only a few verses
later in the same chapter, they had already forgotten what God
had done for the people. A miracle, sign and wonder that was
done in their presence had been forgotten in so short a period
of time.
We are guilty of this also! We become so consumed with our
problems that we forget about the miraculous power of our Lord,
Jesus Christ! He wants us to remember what He has done for us in
times past. We must always carry a testimony of how good God has
been to us in the past and how he has delivered us from the
snares and traps of the enemy. It is Satan that wants to erase
our minds of the goodness of God. Satan longs to trap us in sin
so that we are incapable of recalling our testimonies of what
God has done for us. A lot of us are probably still living
because of the grace of God, and His grace alone. Let us not
forget who we are in Christ, and how he has set us free from the
captivity and bondage of sin.
In closing, these four sources of divine contentment - 1) seeing
God as our Father, 2) Living by the Word of God, 3) Being who we
are born to be, and 4) remembering what God has already done,
will allow us to experience the fullness of God. This fullness
encompasses all that God wants us to possess in His kingdom. Joy
is a possession in the kingdom of God. Happiness is a benefactor
of that joy.
Lets make it a priority in our lives to strive for happiness by
seeking the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is the result
of the kingdom of God becoming our environment. Our environment
will be permanently changed by these four sources of divine
contentment.
Be content in the Lord! Be happy! Be filled with joy, in Jesus
name!
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