False Christian teachings, trends….
It is okay to desire the affliction to be removed and to seek that via prayer; but obedience remains under the affliction; more than that, is pleased to remain under it, thanking God for His work, knowing that He only does right…. One who has learned this lesson of contentment, looks up to God in all things; he does not look down at the instruments and means God uses [to afflict him or bless him]; he sees God’s wisdom in what is happening to him
The doctrine contained in Phil. 4:11 is that it is the duty, glory and excellence of a Christian to be well-skilled in the mystery of Christian contentment …godliness is NOT great gain unless you also have contentment
Summary of the above section: when affliction comes, whatever it is, and though you feel much pain; cry to God, seek lawful ways to be delivered (via prayer, abiding in His word…); and do not murmur, repine, fret, vex yourself, nor permit tumultuousness of spirit, fear, or discouragement to destabilize and distract you; or rebellion to set you in opposition to God
Contentment is a blessing bestowed by the New Covenant and its promises; all believers may partake of all the blessings of this covenant – Burroughs clarifies the knowledge, understandings, conduct…via which one might arrive at contentment…The doctrine contained in Phil. 4:11 is that it is the duty, glory and excellence of a Christian to be well-skilled in the mystery of Christian contentment
So the Lord looks to you this morning via His word, with a view towards those particular sins that you and I know so deeply in our hearts, those sins with which we tend to identify, with which we may have come to define our lives, possibly our default sins; our go to in times of stress; those sins that we treat as an exception in our need to follow God’s commands; the ones to which we have yielded time and time again as if they were our Savior, and our Lord
Psalm 12:8 The wicked walk or prowl about on every side, as vileness is exalted [and baseness is rated high] among the sons of men.
Psalm 37:1-5 from C H Spurgeon’s commentary, Treasury of David: for our tumultuous times
Pastor Kenneth Stewart draws parallels between the plague in Joel and the international covid pandemic
Street preacher, Joe Kirby, provided an encouraging message based on Psalm 73, Asaph’s brief struggle of envying the wicked
Some thoughts, from commentaries and personal reflections, about the idea of entering into God’s hiding place, safe from the strife of tongues