{"id":8436,"date":"2021-07-19T15:58:35","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T19:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?p=8436"},"modified":"2021-07-20T08:08:01","modified_gmt":"2021-07-20T12:08:01","slug":"contentment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/contentment\/","title":{"rendered":"Contentment"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are only two books on my nightstand.<\/p>\n

The first book is a Bible that was given to me by one of my brothers.<\/p>\n

The second book is a copy of Foxe\u2019s Book of Martyrs \u2013 arguably my favorite book outside of the Word of God. In his writings (originally entitled Actes and Monuments<\/em> before being updated), John Foxe recounts Christian men and women who gave their life for the cause and person of Christ. While many of the entries are unsettling, Foxe does an incredible job recounting the events in a way that glorifies God, not gore. Here is an example [Warning: graphic material]:<\/p>\n

\u201cTimothy, a deacon of Mauritania, and Maura his wife, had not been united together by the bands of wedlock above three weeks, when they were separated from each other by the persecution [under Diocletian, beginning AD 303]. Timothy, being apprehended, as a Christian, was carried before Arrianus, the governor of Thebais, who, knowing that he had the keeping of the Holy Scriptures, commanded him to deliver them up to be burnt; to which he answered, “Had I children, I would sooner deliver them up to be sacrificed, than part with the Word of God.” The governor being much incensed at this reply, ordered his eyes to be put out, with red-hot irons, saying, “The books shall at least be useless to you, for you shall not see to read them.” His patience under the operation was so great that the governor grew more exasperated; he, therefore, in order, if possible, to overcome his fortitude, ordered him to be hung up by the feet, with a weight tied about his neck, and a gag in his mouth. In this state, Maura his wife, tenderly urged him for her sake to recant; but, when the gag was taken out of his mouth, instead of consenting to his wife’s entreaties, he greatly blamed her mistaken love, and declared his resolution of dying for the faith. The consequence was, that Maura resolved to imitate his courage and fidelity and either to accompany or follow him to glory. The governor, after trying in vain to alter her resolution, ordered her to be tortured, which was executed with great severity. After this, Timothy and Maura were crucified near each other, A.D. 304.\u201d \u2013 Foxes Book of Martyrs (pg. 21)<\/em><\/p>\n

Why is this book one of my favorites? Because I am a man with a complaining, discontent heart. And reading about men and women who joyfully offered themselves up to unimaginable torture and death has the same effect on my discontentment that a sledgehammer has on a block of ice.<\/p>\n

Where Your Treasure Is\u2026<\/h2>\n

If these stories served as motivation or conviction only, it would not be enough. I can get that from countless history books: feats of greatness and sacrifice spanning from war to athletics, exploration to medicine, and so forth. There is, however, a golden strand running through each of these martyr\u2019s narratives: their ultimate satisfaction was not something that could be taken away\u2026 because it was not in anything earthly. No amount of persecution could draw their eyes away from it. No depths of torture could get them to denounce it. No promise of death was sufficient to redirect their affections. They could say with King David:<\/p>\n

Preserve me, O God, for in You I\u00a0take refuge.
\nI say to the\u00a0Lord, \u201cYou are my Lord;
\nI have no good apart from You.\u201d \u2013 Psalm 16:1-2<\/em><\/p>\n

Were they preserved? Absolutely. Covered in the blood of their Savior and with the Object of their affections for all eternity.<\/p>\n

Where is My Heart Looking?<\/h2>\n

I may face persecutions in my life; I may even face torture and death for my faith in Jesus. But the likelihood of this, especially in America, is rather low. The temptation to redirect my affections comes from other directions in this land of prosperity. Ours is not the ditch of persecution, but complacency.<\/p>\n

Included in my daily prayer list is this request:<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp me to find my ultimate joy, pleasure, and rest in You right now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This is both a humble request as well as a litmus test. If I am not asking the Lord to be actively inclining my heart towards Him, I will drift when left to my own devices.<\/p>\n

But the litmus test is this: is my ultimate joy<\/em> in Him, this very moment? Is my deepest pleasure<\/em> met in Him, this exact second? Is my heart calm and resting<\/em>, right now?<\/p>\n

If the answer is \u201cno\u201d to any one of these questions, guess what? My affections are elsewhere. My heart is discontent and clamoring for something other than Him. The question then becomes: what could I possibly be believing will provide greater joy, pleasure, or rest than the Creator of all three? If Jesus is truly enough (and He is, by His very being), the problem of my discontentment can\u2019t possibly lie with Him. I have placed my hope and affection elsewhere, and it didn\u2019t take a red-hot iron or threat of crucifixion to get me there.<\/p>\n

Content in Him<\/h2>\n

Sometimes I think I will be able to find joy<\/em> at the end of a trial. It sounds incredibly petty, but I can even be caught up in discontentment believing pleasure<\/em> will finally arrive once my Amazon order hits my front step. Or that rest<\/em> is dependent on my current workload or the behavior (or lack thereof) of my children.<\/p>\n

In Martin Luther\u2019s A Mighty Fortress Is Our God<\/em>, the third verse contains a mystery. When speaking of Satan\u2019s power, the verse closes with this line:<\/p>\n

One little word shall fell him\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you know what that one little word is? I\u2019ll give you a hint: John 8:44\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cLIAR!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n