(Part  V)

THE WISDOM OF CONTENTMENT AND GRATITUDE

Ruth 1

Now it came to pass…that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. ² The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. ³ Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. ⁴ Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. ⁵ Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

⁶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, … ⁸ And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house… ⁹ The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” … ¹⁰ And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”

¹¹ But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? ¹² Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, ¹³ would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me!”

¹⁴ Then they lifted up their voices and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. ¹⁵ And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

¹⁶ But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. ¹⁷ Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”…

²² So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Gratitude and Contentment are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other. But they are also extremely powerful. They are the key to life more abundantly. They are a shield to our soul against the fiery darts of the wicked. When we have these two we cannot be defeated. We are invincible. We like Paul the Apostle must learn to be content in whatsoever state we are in,

Phil 4:10-13

¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now, at last, your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I.                   WHAT IS CONTENTMENT?

A state of mind in which one’s desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be 1

1 Timothy 6:6

⁶ Now godliness with contentment is great gain…

1.      It is opposed to envy

James 3:16

¹⁶ For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there

2.      It is opposite of greed for material things. 

Hebrews 13:5

⁵ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶ So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

3.      It is opposed to personal ambition

4.      It’s free from anxiety.

Matthew 6:25,34

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

5.      It’s opposed to complaining

1 Corinthians. 10:9-10

⁹ nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; ¹⁰ nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

6.      It is an inward disposition and is the offspring of humility.

II.                THE EXPRESSION OF CONTENTMENT IS GRATITUDE/THANKFULNESS

1.       Inner Attitudes like (love, joy, peace, kindness, humility, etc.) are real powers

2.       These attitudes radiate out from us as a force

3.       Power is a wavelength and a vibration.

4.       Every negative emotion is a force in the spiritual realm.

5.        Bitterness, anger, jealousy and self-pity is a power and force in the spirit which we release in the spirit.  When we manifest them we clothe ourselves in them

6.       Every trait good or evil is manifest as a power that's emitted from us

1 John 2:9-10 

Isaiah 61:3 

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

                        Garment – mantle, vestment, cloak

                        Praise – (Thillah) – laudation, genuine appreciation

                        Spirit of (ruach) – spirit, breath

                        Heaviness – faint, dim, dark , dimly burning wick (Is 42:4)

When you praise you clothe yourself in light that has the power to transform you

III.             THE ATTITUDE OF THANKSGIVING

            Psalm 100:4 

            Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be        thankful unto him, and bless his name.

           

            Colossians 3:15 

            And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called     in one body; and be ye thankful.

                        - These are related you can’t have peace without being thankful

            Psalm 69:30 

             I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify him with    thanksgiving.

                        - Magnify (gadal) – grow up, become great, promote

           

            2 Corinthians 4:15

            For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through        the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

-          When you are thankful it causes grace to be multiplied to you

-          Health can be multiplied through thanksgiving

-          Supply can be multiplied through thanksgiving

-          Being thankful will provide a channel of God to change you circumstances

-          WHATEVER YOU GLORIFY WILL MULTIPLY

-          SELF PITY WILL ATTRACT POVERTY TO YOU FOR THE REST OF YOR LFE

-          The power of thanksgiving will become a living flame

-          We must learn to be thankful in ALL things

-          When we allow self-pity, bitterness etc we wrap ourselves in its power and it becomes hard to break out from it

We make our own prisons from what we emit