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Tuesday, November 25, 2025
"The
Tyranny of
Discontentment"
Message summary: The tyranny of discontentment is essentially the oppressive compulsion that I have to have it now.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"Keep
your lives
free from the
love of money
and be content
with what you
have, because
God has said,
'Never will I
leave you;
never will I
forsake you.'
So we say with
confidence,
'The Lord is
my helper; I
will not be
afraid. What
can man do to
me?'" (Hebrews
13:5,6).
This week we have a confluence of thankfulness, contentment and ... greed! Thursday is Thanksgiving Day here in the US and a thankful heart is a contented heart.
But as retailers ramp up for the holiday seasonal sales we also see an appeal to greed which is in direct conflict with contentedness.
Years
ago we read a
book titled
“The Tyranny
of the Urgent”
which asserts
the
oppressiveness
of the many
demands that
come our way
regarding our
time. The
tyranny of
urgency is
essentially
the oppressive
compulsion
that I have to
do it
now. The
tyranny of
discontentment
is essentially
the oppressive
compulsion
that I have to
have it now.
The writer of
Proverbs
shares a
timeless
prayer
concerning
this matter: “Give
me neither
poverty nor
riches, but
give me only
my daily
bread.
Otherwise, I
may have too
much and
disown you and
say, ‘Who is
the LORD?’ Or
I may become
poor and
steal, and so
dishonor the
name of my
God” (Proverbs
30:8,9).
Crown
Financial
Ministries
defines
contentment
this way:
Our
daily verse
begins, “Keep
your lives
free from the
love of money
and be content
with what you
have". The
preceding
verse (v.4)
asserts the
sanctity of
marriage and
warns of God’s
judgment on
the
adulterer.
It seems the
writer of
Hebrews is
connecting the
dots and
seeing an
association
between
lusting for
that which is
not properly
ours – whether
it be a person
or money.
Whether you’re
discontent
with the
restraints of
your marital
vows or the
restraints of
your finances
it can lead to
wrong
attitudes
which can
easily
mushroom into
sinful
behavior.
It’s
interesting
that
immorality and
greed are
often listed
together in
the New
Testament (See
I Corinthians
5:11;
Ephesians 5:3;
Colossians
3:5.)
Love for money
will cause us
to have the
wrong
priorities,
develop the
wrong kind of
relationships,
and hinder the
generous
spirit of
giving that
God wants each
of us to have.
Contentedness
is based on
two
foundational
promises:
2) Contentedness is the realization that God’s power is sufficient to overcome all opposition. “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” This is a quote from Psalm 118:6,7. The apostle Paul’s grand conclusion in Romans 8:37-39 comes to mind: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If
we really
understand
these promises
we will
experience
ongoing,
blessed
contentedness.
May the Lord
help us to do
so today and
all through
this brief
life, which
will help us
to overcome
the tyranny of
discontentment!
Be
encouraged
today! Hebrews
3:13
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
far too many
live in a
state of
discontentment
where we find
ourselves
loving things
and using
people. It
distorts our
priorities and
gives us
temporary
excitement
with things,
but leaves us
with long-term
dissatisfaction
in ourselves
and our
relationships.
Help us to
enjoy material
things but to
place a higher
value on
greater
pursuits such
as growing
friendships,
solid marriage
relations,
growing godly
character,
giving without
receiving and
other worthy
goals. We will
be content as
we rejoice in
the fact that
whether we are
in want or
whether we
have plenty
You have
promised that
You will never
leave us nor
forsake us.
What a
treasured
promise for
the believer
both in times
of need and in
times of
prosperity. We
are content
when we
realize our
all-sufficiency
is in You,
Lord. You will
meet all our
needs
according to
Your riches in
glory. Amen.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Counting
My Blessings"
Watch
on YouTube
Seph Schlueter
"I
Shall Not
Want"
Watch
on YouTube
Audrey
Assad
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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