This past year has brought many changes. The following verses and notes were an encouragement to me during this time. It is not a formal study, but simply a collection of things that helped me. I hope it will encourage you as well!
Contentment: Resting in God
From Blue Letter Bible:
See ENOUGH, SUFFICE, SUFFICIENT.
Luke 3:14 - We should not be greedy of more money, but content with our wages. This may mean that we have to adjust our lifestyle to fit with our current wages. This may mean we cannot buy some things that we want or live in some places that we would like to live. All of these areas can be hard, but we must learn to be content with what God has given us, trusting in His sovereignty in each situation.
1Timothy 6:8 - This goes along with Luke 3:14. Often we feel we NEED things more than food and raiment. However, God says that food and raiment are enough. We should be content to be clothed and fed.
Hebrews 13:5 - Here is the reason why we should be content - because God will never leave us nor forsake us. God is sufficient! Wow! So, we are not to covet other things, but to be content because the God of the universe, the Creator of all, the Sustainer, the Redeemer, the King of Kings is never going to leave us. When you look at it that way, why would we be discontent?
3John 1:10 - Diotrophes was condemned for discontentment. Let us not be discontent!
Exodus 33:14 - God promises that His presence will go with Moses and that Moses will have rest. In verses 12-13, Moses is asking God many questions regarding leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. God quiets Moses' questions by saying, "My presence shall go [with thee], and I will give thee rest."
Wow! Moses is leading two million people out of a country and yet because God is with him, he will have rest in doing it. I believe that this rest illustrates what our definition of rest says above. It is not a "rest" from work, but in work. When we rely on God as our sufficiency, our burden is light!
Deuteronomy 25:19 - God is the giver of rest. True rest comes from Him! Joshua 1:13, 15; Joshua 22:4; 1 Kings 8:56 Conversely, God can deny rest for disobedience. Deuteronomy 28:58-68
Psalm 37:7 - We are commanded to rest in the Lord, to completely trust and rely on Him. He will take care of us.
Proverbs 6:34-35 - Jealousy takes away contentment and rest.
Matt. 11:29 - Christ's yoke is easy - His burden is light. We must take this yoke upon us and LEARN OF HIM. When we learn of Him, we come to know that He loves us and wants to take care of us. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present. Truly understanding this and seeing His face allows us to truly rest! He will take care of us. There is nothing that takes Him by surprise or that is too powerful for Him. Since He is right there with us, He will carry us through. What a light yoke! He simply asks us to trust Him and obey Him.
In this study of contentment and rest, it reminds me of a babe resting in its father's arms. It is peaceful and content because it trusts its father and relies on Him. God is our Father - we can rest in His arms.
Right before Hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola, a friend and I were gathering supplies at the stores. Unfortunately, I must admit that we were a little apprehensive of what was coming due to the size of the storm. Then, we realized that her six month old son was just enjoying the shopping trip in her arms. He was content because he knew that his mother would take care of him. It struck us that we could be at rest during the storm because God was our Father and would care for us. During the storm and the recovery phase, we were at peace as long as we rested in God and trusted in His sufficiency, protection, and provision.
Mark 6:31-52 - Christ bade his disciples come apart and rest after a busy time of ministry. Christ cared about their need for rest.
In the verses that follow Christ's command to rest, we see that the people followed them as they tried to go apart to rest. However, He also cared about the people who followed even though they were weary from ministry. He did not send the multitudes away.
It is interesting that it does not talk about the disciples fatigue during this time. They had the strength to endure. After they have served and fed the multitudes by Christ's miracle, He then sent the disciples away while He went to pray.
I find it interesting that the disciples ran into a storm as they left to get rest. God knew they were tired, but allowed the wind to rise. Then, in the midst of the storm, Christ was right there with them. He came to them and again showed His power.
That day, his disciples saw His power to provide for multitudes to eat and His power over nature - the wind and waves. It says that the disciples had not considered the miracle of the loaves. Christ then had to show His power again.
There are lessons for us to learn in this passage. First, Christ cared for His servants and knew their need for rest. Secondly, He showed them how to continue to give when they were tired. Third, He showed them to look to God for provision when their current God-given resources were depleted. Fourth, He is omnipotent. Fifth, the disciples had to endure another trial to show God's power since they had not heeded the first miracle. Hmmmm...what can we learn from that?
Sometimes things seem overwhelming. Remember, God knows your need for rest, but may be using these circumstances to cause you to look to Him!
Acts 2:25-27 - Seeing God gave the Psalmist rest. He knew that God would take care of him. When we focus on Him, rest is inevitable no matter the circumstances!
Content (To Be), Contentment:
primarily signifies "to be sufficient, to be possessed of sufficient strength, to be strong, to be enough for a thing;" hence, "to defend, ward off;" in the Middle Voice, "to be satisfied, contented with," Luk 3:14, with wages; 1Ti 6:8, with food and raiment; Hbr 13:5, with "such things as ye have;" negatively of Diotrephes, in 3Jo 1:10, "not content therewith."See ENOUGH, SUFFICE, SUFFICIENT.
Rest (Noun and Verb):
"cessation, refreshment, rest" (ana, "up," pauo, "to make to cease"), the constant word in the Sept. for the Sabbath "rest," is used in Mat 11:29; here the contrast seems to be to the burdens imposed by the Pharisees. Christ's "rest" is not a "rest" from work, but in work, "not the rest of inactivity but of the harmonious working of all the faculties and affections, of will, heart, imagination, conscience, because each has found in God the ideal sphere for its satisfaction and development" (J. Patrick, in Hastings' Bib. Dic.); it occurs also in Mat 12:43; Luk 11:24; Rev 4:8, RV, "(they have no) rest" [AV, "(they) rest (not)"], where the noun is the object of the verb echo, "to have;" so in 14:11Luke 3:14 - We should not be greedy of more money, but content with our wages. This may mean that we have to adjust our lifestyle to fit with our current wages. This may mean we cannot buy some things that we want or live in some places that we would like to live. All of these areas can be hard, but we must learn to be content with what God has given us, trusting in His sovereignty in each situation.
1Timothy 6:8 - This goes along with Luke 3:14. Often we feel we NEED things more than food and raiment. However, God says that food and raiment are enough. We should be content to be clothed and fed.
Hebrews 13:5 - Here is the reason why we should be content - because God will never leave us nor forsake us. God is sufficient! Wow! So, we are not to covet other things, but to be content because the God of the universe, the Creator of all, the Sustainer, the Redeemer, the King of Kings is never going to leave us. When you look at it that way, why would we be discontent?
3John 1:10 - Diotrophes was condemned for discontentment. Let us not be discontent!
Rest (Noun and Verb):
"cessation, refreshment, rest" (ana, "up," pauo, "to make to cease"), the constant word in the Sept. for the Sabbath "rest," is used in Mat 11:29; here the contrast seems to be to the burdens imposed by the Pharisees. Christ's "rest" is not a "rest" from work, but in work, "not the rest of inactivity but of the harmonious working of all the faculties and affections, of will, heart, imagination, conscience, because each has found in God the ideal sphere for its satisfaction and development" (from blueletterbible.org)Exodus 33:14 - God promises that His presence will go with Moses and that Moses will have rest. In verses 12-13, Moses is asking God many questions regarding leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. God quiets Moses' questions by saying, "My presence shall go [with thee], and I will give thee rest."
Wow! Moses is leading two million people out of a country and yet because God is with him, he will have rest in doing it. I believe that this rest illustrates what our definition of rest says above. It is not a "rest" from work, but in work. When we rely on God as our sufficiency, our burden is light!
Deuteronomy 25:19 - God is the giver of rest. True rest comes from Him! Joshua 1:13, 15; Joshua 22:4; 1 Kings 8:56 Conversely, God can deny rest for disobedience. Deuteronomy 28:58-68
Psalm 37:7 - We are commanded to rest in the Lord, to completely trust and rely on Him. He will take care of us.
Proverbs 6:34-35 - Jealousy takes away contentment and rest.
Matt. 11:29 - Christ's yoke is easy - His burden is light. We must take this yoke upon us and LEARN OF HIM. When we learn of Him, we come to know that He loves us and wants to take care of us. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present. Truly understanding this and seeing His face allows us to truly rest! He will take care of us. There is nothing that takes Him by surprise or that is too powerful for Him. Since He is right there with us, He will carry us through. What a light yoke! He simply asks us to trust Him and obey Him.
In this study of contentment and rest, it reminds me of a babe resting in its father's arms. It is peaceful and content because it trusts its father and relies on Him. God is our Father - we can rest in His arms.
Right before Hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola, a friend and I were gathering supplies at the stores. Unfortunately, I must admit that we were a little apprehensive of what was coming due to the size of the storm. Then, we realized that her six month old son was just enjoying the shopping trip in her arms. He was content because he knew that his mother would take care of him. It struck us that we could be at rest during the storm because God was our Father and would care for us. During the storm and the recovery phase, we were at peace as long as we rested in God and trusted in His sufficiency, protection, and provision.
Mark 6:31-52 - Christ bade his disciples come apart and rest after a busy time of ministry. Christ cared about their need for rest.
In the verses that follow Christ's command to rest, we see that the people followed them as they tried to go apart to rest. However, He also cared about the people who followed even though they were weary from ministry. He did not send the multitudes away.
It is interesting that it does not talk about the disciples fatigue during this time. They had the strength to endure. After they have served and fed the multitudes by Christ's miracle, He then sent the disciples away while He went to pray.
I find it interesting that the disciples ran into a storm as they left to get rest. God knew they were tired, but allowed the wind to rise. Then, in the midst of the storm, Christ was right there with them. He came to them and again showed His power.
That day, his disciples saw His power to provide for multitudes to eat and His power over nature - the wind and waves. It says that the disciples had not considered the miracle of the loaves. Christ then had to show His power again.
There are lessons for us to learn in this passage. First, Christ cared for His servants and knew their need for rest. Secondly, He showed them how to continue to give when they were tired. Third, He showed them to look to God for provision when their current God-given resources were depleted. Fourth, He is omnipotent. Fifth, the disciples had to endure another trial to show God's power since they had not heeded the first miracle. Hmmmm...what can we learn from that?
Sometimes things seem overwhelming. Remember, God knows your need for rest, but may be using these circumstances to cause you to look to Him!
Acts 2:25-27 - Seeing God gave the Psalmist rest. He knew that God would take care of him. When we focus on Him, rest is inevitable no matter the circumstances!
