Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Transitions: Oh, The Places You’ll Go?

by Josh Liu

“I didn’t know how difficult life would be after college,” a college graduate confessed to me. “It’s really lonely. I’m depressed and confused about what to do with my life.” A significant amount of post-college persons experience the hard-wall of reality of life after college, and struggle immensely. Understandably so, the transition to post-college life can be tumultuous, confusing, chaotic, wearisome, discouraging, and monotonous.

Christians and non-Christians alike are concerned. This particular season of life is in the middle of what some have labeled as “emerging adulthood” (I’ve also heard “twenty-somethings,” “youthhood,” “adultolescense,” “extended adolescence,” “black box”). Regardless of the label, most are familiar with this “stage of life.” Many collegians are warned about “life to come;” many don’t understand it until it’s too late. Some collegians aren’t even aware of it and slip into a lukewarm, routine lifestyle that is for the most part God-less. The vibrant, social, available, adventurous, care-free college life is rudely removed. Instead, it is replaced with expectations and responsibilities (i.e. get a job, set a career, get married, buy a home, pay off loans, etc.). In response, many graduates step into spiritual depression; they feel isolated and lonely; they fantasize about the good ol’ college days; they want to take a “gap year” to really experience life before succumbing to the ball and chain of “real life;” they throw aside the spiritual passion and discipline they once had during college to study the Bible and pray, to serve others and the church, and to evangelize and witness.

This is symptomatic of deeper, significant issues, related to identity in Christ, spiritual maturity and character, and idolatry of a distorted youth life stage. I am particularly concerned that so many appear shell-shocked after briefly experiencing post-college life. I am particularly concerned that many have confessed that they don’t know what to do or how to respond, or that they weren’t prepared during college. I am particularly concerned that many have allowed the circumstances of life to dictate how they think, feel, and act.

As I personally experience some challenging transitions (stepping out from children’s and youth ministries, and stepping into college ministry and my final year in seminary), I want to take this opportunity to encourage all those going through difficult transitions. A comprehensive analysis and response to delayed maturing, the above described experiences, and the related significant spiritual issues are outside the scope of this article. Instead, I want to remind you of six biblical principles to carry with you in every circumstance or transition:

1. Plan on the sovereignty of God.

God is intimately involved in your life. Consider David’s words in Psalm 139:1-16.
He knows your entire person, and each moment of your life. Behold His omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, immanence, and magnificence! Take your eyes off yourself, off the circumstances, off the unknowable future, and wholly entrust yourself to God your Creator and Sustainer.

Know that God is ultimately directing your life (Prov. 16:9; cf. 16:1; 19:21; 20:24; Jer. 10:23). God’s sovereignty (control, leading, authority, will) over individuals’ lives and actions is readily seen throughout Scripture. This is seen in Joseph’s life (Gen. 50:20), the nation of Israel (Jer. 29:11), Paul’s life (Acts 9:15-16; 16:6), and the believer’s life (Rom. 8:28).

As a result, plan and live your life out of dependence on the sovereignty of God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

2. Pursue Christ first.

Wherever God leads you, whatever circumstance He places in your life, and however you’re feeling in the moment, pursue Christ vehemently. Seek to deepen your intimacy with Christ through intentional prayer, Bible study, Scripture memorization and meditation, serving others, and fellowship with Christ’s body.

Don’t let anything or anyone else displace the centrality of Christ in your life. Be able to say with Paul,

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ…Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:7-8, 12-14)

Friendships, interests, careers, and personal feelings of usefulness can become idols if you do not pursue Christ first. When Christ is central in your life, when He is your first priority, when He is your greatest treasure, the present trials and circumstances of life fade in light of the great glory of Christ and eternity with Him (cf. behold Christ in Col. 1:13-18 and Heb. 1:3-4).

3. Preoccupy yourself with faithfulness.

The Christian isn’t called to achieve the life milestones that the world expects (begin a career, get married, buy a home, etc.). Don’t be busy with the things of this world that will ultimately fade, but be busy with what God has commanded. Seek to steward your life, time, energy, and resources to fulfilling what God has directed believers to be busy with here on this earth (cf. Matt. 25:14-30). How will you seek to be faithful with the life that God has graced you?

  • Are you being faithful to making disciples (Matt. 28:18-20; Titus 2:4, 6; 2 Tim. 2:2)?
  • Are you being faithful to pursuing godliness (1 Thess. 4:3-4; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:5)?
  • Are you being faithful to serving the body of Christ (Rom. 12:1-21; Eph. 4:1ff; Heb. 10:25)?
  • Are you being faithful to witnessing (Acts 1:8)?
  • Are you being faithful in your relationships (Eph. 5:22-6:9)?

4. Prioritize godliness.

As you seek to pursue Christ and live for Him, be concerned with personal godliness and character. Since God is holy, His people are called to be holy (cf. Ps. 15:1-5; 1 Pet. 1:14-15). In deepening intimacy with Christ, how are you growing in personal holiness and spiritual maturity?

Can you say with the psalmist in Psalm 119:9-11,

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.

Seek to walk by the Spirit to be filled with the Spirit, and so produce the fruit of the Spirit (Rom. 8:13-14; Eph. 5:18; gal. 5:16-25).

Are you practicing (and growing in) Spirit-led love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Or, are you prioritizing a stronger GPA, a more impressive résumé, accumulating academic or work experience, or attending life workshops? These are not evil or wrong, but are often exalted to highest priorities, which may contribute to the experience of spiritual trials in transitions.

5. Preach to yourself.

Do not allow your emotions, feelings, or fantasies dictate how you think or act. You may understandably experience depressive emotions or struggle with despondency/despair. Similar to circumstances, your emotions do not dictate the truths of Scripture. If you do not actively fill your mind with the truth of Scripture, you may spiral downward in your own false and condemning thoughts, and respond sinfully (e.g. laziness).

Seek to renew your mind (cf. Rom. 12:2; Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:16). Capture every thought for Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 10:5). Remind yourself of the gospel of Christ that has secured for you eternal hope, in which you eagerly await for Christ’s return. Reading Ephesians 1-3 can be helpful!

6. Persevere with patience.

Life circumstances and transitions are merely earthly seasons of life. They will eventually pass. They do not compare with the glory and duration of eternity, of the life to come with Christ. Remember Paul’s encouragement in 2 Cor. 4:16-18,

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Remember that all that God leads you through is under His sovereignty. It all fits in His eternal purposes and plans. Persevere knowing that God is using you, your life, even tumultuous transitions, for His Kingdom and for your sanctification (cf. Gen. 50:20; James 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-9).

Indeed, transitions can be difficult. Thankfully, God has instructed us on how to live for Him in all circumstances.

I suggest the following supplemental resources:

LBC SPARK – September 1, 2015

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBCSD family and friends!

After weeks of being away and a summer full of traveling and ministry around the globe, it is great to finally be back in San Diego and to be settled at home. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and Eugene Park as we ministered in Argentina these past couple weeks. It was a greatly encouraging time together with our brothers and sisters in Tucuman and San Justo. I’m looking forward to sharing more about that ministry this Sunday morning during service.

Needless to say, we really missed the church family during our time away, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone’s lovely faces once again this weekend. What a wonderful God who saves us by His grace and calls us into fellowship together. Consider the awesome privilege it is to be called children of God (1 John 3:1).

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some ministry opportunities for you to know!

  1. Lighthouse Kids’ Club. If you are interested in serving on LKC staff this year, please come to an interest meeting this Thursday at 7pm at the church building. Let’s work together to make this an awesome year for our kids!
  2. Midweek Bible Studies. College Life and Lumos Youth meet this Friday evening at 7pm at the church. For more information on midweek Bible studies, visit the church website.
  3. Czech Republic Missions Report Night. Please come out on Sunday evening at 5pm for our Czech Republic Missions Report Night. Hear what the Lord is doing on the other side of the world through the missionaries and church in Beroun. The team had a wonderful time of ministry there in July and are eager to tell you more! Dinner will be served. The cost is free!
  4. MNV. Don’t forget that Monday Night Volleyball will run until the end of September. It’s not too late to come out and enjoy some fun in the sun. We meet at around 5:45pm at La Jolla Shores by the sand volleyball courts on the north side.
  5. Luau. Aloha! On Saturday, September 12, we will be having our annual all-church luau! We’ll be at Mission Bay from 10am-4pm. This is always a highlight of our year and a great time together. Please find your best islander outfit and make plans to come out! The cost is only $5 for food (children 0-12 eat free!).
  6. Flocks. Flocks will be starting up again later this month. This is a time each month that we shut down our regularly scheduled midweek activities and get together in homes around the community for worship, fellowship, and prayer. If you would like to help host a flock this year, please contact Pastor Patrick and let him know (pastorpatrick@gmail.com). Even if you hosted a flock last year, please contact Pastor Patrick and let him know you would like to host again. We need homes so please consider hosting.
  7. FITS. On Sunday, September 27, we will be having our last Fun In The Sun day of the summer. Come out as we go to Torrey Hills Neighborhood Park to spend a day together as a church family. Lunch is $5/person (children 0-12 eat free!).

Being Born Again, Not Of Corruptible Seed, But Of Incorruptible

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

1 Peter 1:23

Peter most earnestly exhorted the scattered saints to love each other ‘with a pure heart fervently’ and he wisely fetched his argument, not from the law, from nature, or from philosophy, but from that high and divine nature which God hath implanted in His people. Just as some judicious tutor of princes might labour to beget and foster in them a kingly spirit and dignified behaviour, finding arguments in their position and descent, so, looking upon God’s people as heirs of glory, princes of the blood royal, descendants of the King of kings, earth’s truest and oldest aristocracy, Peter saith to them, ‘See that ye love one another, because of your noble birth, being born of incorruptible seed; because of your pedigree, being descended from God, the Creator of all things; and because of your immortal destiny, for you shall never pass away, though the glory of the flesh shall fade, and even its existence shall cease.’ It would be well if, in the spirit of humility, we recognized the true dignity of our regenerated nature, and lived up to it.

What is a Christian? If you compare him with a king, he adds priestly sanctity to royal dignity. The king’s royalty often lieth only in his crown, but with a Christian it is infused into his inmost nature. He is as much above his fellows through his new birth, as a man is above the beast that perisheth. Surely he ought to carry himself, in all his dealings, as one who is not of the multitude, but chosen out of the world, distinguished by sovereign grace, written among ‘the peculiar people’ and who therefore cannot grovel in the dust as others, nor live after the manner of the world’s citizens. Let the dignity of your nature, and the brightness of your prospects, O believers in Christ, constrain you to cleave unto holiness, and to avoid the very appearance of evil.

5.4p

A Self-Pity Refresher

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Editor’s Note: Since Patrick is travelling, this week he wanted to point your attention to a Cripplegate article on self-pity. The article is linked at the end of his introduction below.

I know of many people who struggle with self pity and many don’t discern the sinful heart attitudes behind it. Ironically, self pity is a dangerous form of pride. At the heart of self pity is an unhealthy preoccupation with self (what one thinks of himself or what others think of him). One of the unfortunate byproducts of self pity is that it targets others to help feed the individual’s pride. An interaction might go something like this:

  • Person 1 – “I hate myself.”
  • Person 2 – “No, you’re wonderful and amazing.”

The fact is that if a person truly hated himself, he would not seek affirmation from others. He also would not care to feel better about himself or want better things for himself. He would actually want to hate himself and seek the worst for himself. Instead, those who struggle with self pity seek to improve their lives through other people’s compliments and they desire better for themselves. Many people who fall into this subtle form of pride become jealous of others because they feel like they deserve better or should have better things. They might reason: “Why don’t I have X? Why should they have X?” X could be physical beauty, attention, relationship, possessions, fulfillment, happiness, etc. The problem is not that a person with self pity loves himself too little, but that he loves himself too much. He is not satisfied or content with his life and believes he deserves better.

When you struggle with self pity, it is a sin that needs to be confessed to the Lord and repented of. Part of the putting off and putting on process of repentance includes getting the focus off of self and directing it towards the Lord and others. Instead of being so preoccupied with how awful your life is, it would be better to worship God and communicate how wonderful He is and to encourage others through your actions and speech.

A Self-Pity Refresher

…They Are No Gods

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Jeremiah 16:20

One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel are vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan’s star shines no longer, and the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when He sees us doting upon them above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them dote on their dear ones.

It is truly said that ‘they are no gods,’ for the objects of our foolish love are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then, are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority between a god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity, but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from this grievous iniquity!

‘The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be;
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.’

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Reflections from the Fireflies Ministry

by Mabel Tse

The end of each academic year allows us to reflect on what has taken place over the last year. In the Fireflies ministry, we have enjoyed many blessings in the last year. Through Bible lessons, memory verses and songs, our little ones are continuously exposed to the simplicity of the Gospel truth. It has always been our prayer that LBC’s Fireflies ministry would help to lay a strong foundation upon which to build the future. We thank the parents of all our babies and toddlers this year who provided us the opportunity to serve in this way!

Our roster included about 10 babies and about 25 toddlers this past year. The upcoming transition time when some of our Fireflies toddlers will be graduating is particularly rewarding for our family this year, as our oldest daughter will have gone through the entire nursery curriculum over the last 3 years and will be settling into Sparklers this next quarter. We have seen her learn to love church and to love other members and their kids.

More importantly, as many other parents of Fireflies-aged children can attest to, we are thankful for the nursery workers who have instilled in our children a joyfulness in the Lord that comes from constant exposure to the simple truths of God’s word. Their familiarity with numerous Bible passages and their interest in learning more about the people in the stories provides the Fireflies’ staff (and the parents) an opportunity to explain what the love, kindness, patience, and holiness of God mean.

The time we have with our children is precious, and the Fireflies ministry and our staff are thankful to the rest of the church body for giving us an opportunity to care for and instruct their children in the ways of the Lord. As this academic year draws to an end, we look forward to more opportunities to serve the congregation and the little ones.

A Very Present Help

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Psalm 46:1

Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Believer, thou dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. When thou art in trouble, why dost thou not tell Him all thy grief? Has He not a sympathizing heart, and can He not comfort and relieve thee? No, thou art going about to all thy friends, save thy best Friend, and telling thy tale everywhere except into the bosom of thy Lord.

  • Art thou burdened with this day’s sins? Here is a fountain filled with blood: use it, saint, use it.
  • Has a sense of guilt returned upon thee? The pardoning grace of Jesus may be proved again and again. Come to Him at once for cleansing.
  • Dost thou deplore thy weakness? He is thy strength: why not lean upon Him?
  • Dost thou feel naked? Come hither, soul; put on the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Stand not looking at it, but wear it. Strip off thine own righteousness, and thine own fears too: put on the fair white linen, for it was meant to wear.
  • Dost thou feel thyself sick? Pull the night-bell of prayer, and call up the Beloved Physician! He will give the cordial that will revive thee.
  • Thou art poor, but then thou hast ‘a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth.’ What! wilt thou not go to Him, and ask Him to give thee of His abundance, when He has given thee this promise, that thou shalt be joint heir with Him, and has made over all that He is and all that He has to be thine?

There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to make a show-thing of Him, and not to use Him. He loves to be employed by us. The more burdens we put on His shoulders, the more precious will He be to us.

‘Let us be simple with Him, then,
Not backward, stiff, or cold,
As though our Bethlehem could be
What Sinai was of old.’

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Grace Life Weekender with Dr. Ernie Baker

by Brian and Beverly Chan

Editor’s Note: Audio from the conference can be found here; a brief overview of Dr. Baker and some of his additional materials can be found here.

1) What happened at the Grace Life Weekend Conference? Who was the speaker? What was the theme?

The Gracelifers had our annual three-day conference at church. Dr. Ernie Baker was the speaker and the theme was on “parenting as a discipleship ministry.”

2) What topics were covered in the main sessions?

The main topic was on keeping critical parts of your marriage and parenting front and center by organizing you family life around those things. This was huge as it provided the foundation from which we could build the rest of the material off of.

Other topics were parenting as a discipleship ministry, peacemaking as a family, the discipline of children, and a healthy dose on the importance of family worship.

3) How was the conference helpful, encouraging, and/or challenging?

First, the conference was helpful in affirming the things we have been taught at Lighthouse through the years. There wasn’t anything new that we haven’t already been taught by the current or previous leadership (Pastors Patrick Cho and John Kim). So in that sense, it was a great endorsement that the teaching we get at Lighthouse is reliable and trustworthy.

Second, it was encouraging to hear from someone who has gone through the journey of parenting, is now a grandparent, and can share reflections and lessons learned from this journey. While the same biblical principles apply, how it gets played out in life may differ from family to family. You’re really just looking for nuggets of practical suggestions that may or may not work for your family. Ultimately, you have to decide what to try out; there’s no chapter and verse for what date nights should look like or how family devotions should be conducted. So hearing what some of Dr. Baker’s family traditions were, how they handled certain discipline situations, how they worked on their marriage throughout that time, and how they handled different family struggles were all very challenging and encouraging to hear.

Lastly, Dr. Baker was a great speaker who was easy to follow and understand. He presented an even mix of theology and practical suggestions that we feel was worth the time.

4) What has been some of the positive feedback you’ve heard about the conference from others?

People are motivated. We understand how much we really are under-performing in the eyes of the Lord and how much work still has to be done in our own hearts before turning our attention to our children. None of us know how much time God has given us with our children and we definitely need to do a better job of redeeming our time with them. We need to strive to be more mature in following God’s prescription for parenting while understanding that ultimately, the salvation of our children is in God’s hands alone.

While the degradation of American culture does make it harder, we are still called to follow the timeless biblical principles for parenting. It’s encouraging to know that even though we fail time and time again, we serve a gracious God and are thankful for His continual forgiveness of our failures and shortcomings. There’s still a tremendous amount of work to do and with the help of the Spirit and the encouragement of our peers at church, we’re ready to make the changes we need to make and help improve the spiritual health of the church one family at a time.

The Joy of Contentment Versus the Evil of a Murmuring Spirit

by Pastor John Kim

Jeremiah Burroughs provides a helpful definition of contentment in his classic work The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment:

Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.

If there is one character quality that really stands out in someone’s life, it would be this quality of contentment. While it is not something that seems flashy and glamorous compared to other qualities, there is something about contentment that really sets apart those who have it as ones who shine the light of Christ compared to those who don’t.

I suppose all of us would have to admit that it’s easy to murmur, complain, or grumble about our circumstances, whether those manifest as struggles with difficult people or being subjected to tests or trials that range anywhere from inconvenience to trauma. When we face those various trials that James 1:2 talks about, we are called to consider it joy knowing that God’s purposes in shaping our character are at work. But do we just grin and bear it? Or are we actually able to experience joy in the midst of trials?

When we are called to bear a cross or to suffer in some way, it is hard to imagine that we can respond with joy and not let it affect us. So how can we experience joy?

It would be hard to summarize all of Jeremiah Burroughs’ book in one article so I’ll have to encourage you to read it. But if there are two thoughts that have come out of studying the theme of contentment, it would be these:

1. A Murmuring Spirit Is An Evil Thing.

To have a grumbling, complaining heart is not something to be treated lightly. In fact, if you look at the nation of Israel when God delivered them from Egypt and was taking them to the Promised Land, the one thing that stood out was that they continually grumbled. Whether it was about the pursuit of the Egyptians, the lack of food, the kind of food, the lack of water, or disagreement with the leadership of Moses, there was a constant grumbling that took place. What is pretty serious to note is that God was not pleased and actually judged the people for their complaining. 1 Corinthians 10 highlights this in a way that we should carefully consider and take to heart:

“Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.

Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:5–11)

Note that the penalty for grumbling was destruction. Not a warning, not a time out, not a “please stop” for the hundredth time. This should be a sobering thought to all of us. Verse 5 says that “with most of them, God was not well-pleased” and twice in the next several verses we are warned to consider their example so that we would not do the same.

A grumbling heart manifests a discontentment that ultimately shakes its fist at God because there is a dissatisfaction with His wise and fatherly disposal in all things. Our view of God is revealed to not be so high, so exalted, so sovereign. Instead, our complaining hearts reveal that until we get things our way, when we want it, how we want it, and in what color and size we want it, we are not freely submitting to and delighting in God’s course that He has laid out for us.

2. True Contentment Only Comes in Christ Alone

A temporary and superficial contentment can be experienced to some degree, but a lasting and deep contentment that perseveres–particularly in the midst of suffering–can only come when Jesus is truly seen as all we need.

In a famous passage that is often used in ways that are not justified by the context, there is one thing that is very clear: contentment is only possible through the strength that Christ provides.

“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:10–13)

Paul knew how to get along with humble means, and during times of prosperity. That was because those things did not define him. His greatest point of identification was in Christ because what he valued more than anything was knowing Christ.

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7–11)

Christian contentment is only possible because Christ is seen as our greatest gain, to the point where we would count all other things as loss. This is obviously easier said than done when it comes to daily life. So we must cultivate and nurture a love for Christ, and grow in appreciation for the love of Christ in order to become more and more content despite whatever circumstances might surround us at any given time.

As we consider the daily pull of the things in life that seem to highlight what we don’t have, let us consider what we already have in Christ. Then we can have a heart of contentment that will also reveal itself through a life of thanksgiving, rejoicing, hope. After all, Christians are more focused on the future than the present: on the promises that we look forward to being fulfilled.

When we genuinely look to our Savior as the Author and perfecter of our faith, we can lay aside every encumbrance and the entangling sins that trip us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us, because Jesus has set the way for us to follow and has promised the strength to pursue it.

In The World Ye Shall Have Tribulation

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

John 16:33

Art thou asking the reason of this, believer?

  • Look upward to thy heavenly Father, and behold Him pure and holy. Dost thou know that thou art one day to be like Him? Wilt thou easily be conformed to His image? Wilt thou not require much refining in the furnace of affliction to purify thee? Will it be an easy thing to get rid of thy corruptions, and make thee perfect even as thy Father which is in heaven is perfect?
  • Next, Christian, turn thine eye downward. Dost thou know what foes thou hast beneath thy feet? Thou wast once a servant of Satan, and no king will willingly lose his subjects. Dost thou think that Satan will let thee alone? No, he will be always at thee, for he ‘goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.’ Expect trouble, therefore, Christian, when thou lookest beneath thee.
  • Then look around thee. Where art thou? Thou art in an enemy’s country, a stranger and a sojourner. The world is not thy friend. If it be, then thou art not God’s friend, for he who is the friend of the world is the enemy of God. Be assured that thou shalt find foe-men everywhere. When thou sleepest, think that thou art resting on the battlefield; when thou walkest, suspect an ambush in every hedge. As mosquitoes are said to bite strangers more than natives, so will the trials of earth be sharpest to you.
  • Lastly, look within thee, into thine own heart and observe what is there. Sin and self are still within. Ah! if thou hadst no devil to tempt thee, no enemies to fight thee, and no world to ensnare thee, thou wouldst still find in thyself evil enough to be a sore trouble to thee, for ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.’

Expect trouble then, but despond not on account of it, for God is with thee to help and to strengthen thee. He hath said, ‘I will be with thee in trouble; I will deliver thee and honour thee.’

5.3a