Worship Services are Sundays at 9:00 & 11:15 am.

What Would YOU Like for Christmas?

December 1, 2016 | by: Chris Kiiskinen | 0 comments

As we head into another Christmas season, no doubt it will be filled with children and grand-children, nieces and nephews (and probably a few of us adults) making their lists and checking them twice! As this happens, we will all be bombarded with ad after ad telling us what we need in order to be happy and content.

whatwould-you-like-for-ChriWhile some will be hoping for toys or electronic devices, others will wish for things like, oh, say...a different President or maybe better circumstances in their lives. But sometimes we get too enamored with the package rather than the present.

What do I mean by that? We've probably all seen the 2-year old child open up a wonderful Christmas gift, only to be fascinated by the box so much so that they climb in, put the bow on their head and throw the wad of paper at nearest target. Sometimes, we are like that little 2-year old.

Every Christmas and Easter we tend to think about Jesus a bit more than normal because of the points of remembrance that they represent. But sometimes we forget about the present, the treasure that Jesus is. We become caught up in other things...our circumstances, politics, problems, etc.

One of the main points in all the discipleship and counseling that I'm involved in is reminding people of the great hope that we have in Christ and how that should shape our lives on a daily basis. The kind of hope that isn't worldly, it's not unsure, it's not a "cross your fingers" type of hope. Rather it is a sure and certain hope that WILL come to pass. It WILL be far better than what we can imagine. It WILL make everything we face here, pale in comparison.

When we forget the present and become more focused on the wrappings, it is very easy to become discontent. A lack of contentment in Christ, for us as Christians, is the starting point for many potential bad roads that we can go down.

It can lead to discouragement, depression, and despair. It can cause us to become envious of other's lives. We can become idolatrous over possessions. We can wish that our ________ (fill in the blank) was like someone else's and become covetous. It can lead to fear.

My encouragement in this article is to remind us to keep our focus on Jesus, and the greatest of all hopes that we have in Him, and to allow that to help us to become more and more content with and in him, our greatest present. Here are a few verses and comments that I hope will help us seek to become more and more content.

Philippians 4:11
Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, In whatever state I am, to be content.

First, we must always remember that contentment is something we must learn. Paul learned it through the things that God brought him into and out of and through Paul's faith growing as a result of, sometimes, forced dependency.

We will go through many different circumstances in our lives, and, through some of them, God will want you to be learning contentment. This also means that this is something we should want to learn and not avoid or dismiss.

1 Timothy 6:6
There is great gain in godliness with contentment.

A growing contentment should be a part of our growing in faith, leading to living a more and more godly life. If this is true, then to be more content in life ought to be something we not only recognize as a good and godly byproduct of our faith, but also should be, again, something we are seeking to grow in.

1 Timothy 6:7-8
...for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world, but if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

This verse and others that would also be fitting with this principle, help us to understand that we actually "need" very little in this life. Often times we are guilty of confusing "wants" with "needs" and as a result, become quite discontent.

Sometimes we will even go so far as to blame God for "not meeting our needs" as we see them. We must strive to keep a proper perspective of what we "need" so that we will not only view things more correctly in this world, but it will also help us to remember right things about God and helps us to not think wrongly about Him.

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you."

In our culture, we are constantly bombarded with the idea that we need to buy this or buy that in order to be happy. Because of this, we can easily fall into the sinful trap of loving money. If we could only buy this. If we only had enough money for that. If our savings account was larger or our retirement fund was where we wanted it do be. Bigger home, newer car, better ______ (fill in the blank).

All of that drives us to find our contentment, our joy and happiness, in having enough money. But instead, God says that we are to be people content with what we have. This should drive home for us the promise that we have in Him; to be with us and to be faithful to us, always. The more we trust in that promise, the easier it is to keep our lives free from loving money.

Luke 3:14
Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."

Sometimes being discontent may drive us to sin in various ways, as it did with these soldiers. Their lust for more caused them to rob from others and to use violence or false accusations. As they encountered Jesus and sought to know how they ought to live, according to his teaching, he simply tells them to be content with their wages. This is not something you hear today, is it?

There is great contentment that comes from trusting Jesus. Trusting in God's sovereignty in our lives. Trusting that He has us where He wants us to be, until He moves us elsewhere. Trusting that, as we practice biblical contentment, as we're talking about here, our lives will be different from those in the world. We will have a reason to not sin, a reason to not always crave for more, a reason to actually be content.

2 Corinthians 12:10
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

"For the sake of Christ..." is the motto that we should always strive to live by. It should be what motivates us in all things, all decisions, all uses of our time and talents. If we are in fact his, we are to live for him, for his glory. When we purpose to live this way, with this kind of heart and mind, contentment will be much easier to find. We will be much more able to handle whatever circumstances we may meet in life.

Paul's life was filled with difficulties. Jesus, our best example in all things, also had great hardship in his life. He promised us that in this life, we would have trouble, as this life isn't meant for us to experience "Heaven on earth!" Our great hope is in eternal life, which is to come. If we seek to live for Christ in all things, contentment will find it's way to you much more quickly, understanding that He is indeed the strength in our weakness!

This leads us back to another statement Paul made into the Philippians...

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things in him who strengthens me.

chris-kiiskinenThis is one of those verses that is often misused and misquoted outside of the context in which it was written. Paul here is making a statement that he can handle whatever circumstances he finds himself in... because of Christ!

This is the result of learning to be content...you can handle what life throws at you because your focus isn't on self and serving self, rather it is on Jesus and serving him. He is the only lasting foundation for us to build our lives on. He is the only solid ground under which our feet will not slip.

Can you echo Paul's words? Are you content? My hope and prayer for us all this Christmas is to become more and more like this. Content in Christ. Living for His sake. Giving for His sake. Hoping because of Him. Loving because of Him. He is the greatest gift ever given. Unwrap the gift. Enjoy the gift...not the box and paper. May we find all of our contentment in knowing and loving Him! This Christmas and always!!

Chris Kiiskinen is a Pastor/Teacher here at Grace Bible Church

COMMENTS FOR THIS POST HAVE BEEN DISABLED.

FILTER MESSAGES BY: