Messages

Pastor’s Message

One reason so many of us are stressed out today is we’re rarely content with what we have. We always want more— more money, more pleasure, more power. We want more of just about everything. The Bible shows us another way, though. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:11-12 (NLT): “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.” What’s interesting is that Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote this. He wasn’t lying on some beach by the ocean. He was facing an uncertain future.

Let’s be clear here. It’s not that Paul didn’t have ambition. He was probably one of the most ambitious people who ever lived. God used him to take the Gospel all across the Roman Empire. But he had learned contentment. Ambition and contentment have nothing to do with each other. You can have both. Being content doesn’t mean you’re not hoping and praying for changes in your life. Being content doesn’t mean you don’t have any goals, dreams, or plans for your life.

Contentment means this: You don’t need more in order to be happy. Contentment is enjoying what you have right now rather than waiting for something else to happen so you can be happy. Too often we’ve bought into the lies that advertisers have taught us, like these: Having more will make me happy ….. Having more will make me more important …. Having more will make me more secure ….. None of those statements are true. They’re all lies — and they keep us from the lasting peace we long for, a peace God wants us to have. Max Lucado, in his book “Anxious for Nothing” put it this way: “The good life begins not when circumstances change, but when our attitude toward them does.” Being content means you trust God enough that if He doesn’t give you what you want, He has your best interest at heart — and that He’ll give you something better than what you thought you wanted to begin with. God wants us to put all of our hope and all of our expectations in Him. And He wants us to give Him the credit for the good things He does in our lives. I hope you have a great week.

I hope to see you and your family in church this coming Sunday. Don’t forget to let your light shine for Jesus!

Pastor Rick

Message From Andy (Student Minister)

Andy