Contentment: Applications from 1 Corinthians
“Brandon called us to find our satisfaction in God, to abide where He has us and be content with it”
In his sermon “The Dynamics of Marriage & Singleness Pt. 3,” Brandon breaks down 1 Cor 7:17-24, a passage that calls us to be content in Christ regardless of our current circumstances. He specifically applied this to those who are single and those who are married, calling us to find contentment in whichever of those states we find ourselves in. It can be hard not to have a “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” heart attitude where we look to those on the opposite side of that fence and envy the life we perceive that they have. Brandon called us to find our satisfaction in God, to abide where He has us and be content with it. He also touched on having contentment in our position in ministry. That is where I was most convicted by this sermon, but for the opposite reason than was being covered.
Overall, this series on marriage and singleness has been incredibly applicable for me. As a married man, it is always helpful and encouraging to hear God’s heart on how we are to conduct ourselves in marriage and what a Biblical marriage should look like. This has been the focus of several church events and sermons recently even outside of C&YA, which has led to a wonderful, albeit challenging, season of encouragement and maturation in my relationship with both my wife and with God. I am called to love her as Christ loved me, unconditionally, and without the expectation of getting anything in return. This is not always easy, as it runs in direct contradiction to what my flesh would normally dictate. It is amazingly helpful to have not only specific verses to turn to and meditate on, but also whole sermons to go back and relisten to as a reminder and encouragement.
“I had grown so content with where I was at that I was at risk of my contentment atrophying to apathy”
Despite being married I have also benefited a great deal from the aspects of this series that deal with singleness. As someone who has not been single for almost ten years, it is helpful to hear His heart on singleness and so be able to offer more biblical advice on how to be single than what I remember from when I was in highschool. The more I learn about the Word and what it has to say about singleness, the more I realize that any advice I can give from my own experiences is woefully lacking. It is very helpful to now have a resource and biblical references to point people towards rather than trying to offer my own inadequate opinion.
Of the three sermons in this series, this is the one I think I found the most convicting. Although this sermon did discuss marriage and singleness, its major focus was on finding contentment not only in being single or married but also in ministry and life in general. At the onset, I did not think I would find this sermon as powerful as I did. I am, in general, a very contented person. I am happy with where I'm at in life. I enjoy my job, and I enjoy the ministries I'm part of. I expected it to be an uplifting and encouraging sermon, but not necessarily one that would deeply challenge or convict me. Then Brandon started talking about being content with where you are at in ministry, not being envious of those who are "ahead of you" in ministry but willing to wait on God's timing. I realized that this was the part I was missing. I had grown so content with where I was at that I was at risk of my contentment atrophying to apathy.
“We are called not to just fill the pews at a church, but to be active and growing members”
This was thrown into sharp relief for me when I was asked to take on more of a leadership role in the Explorers Kidtown class that I help in. I was and am excited to be entrusted with that responsibility, but my first reaction was one that bordered on disappointment. I could not just show up to the class, have fun helping and playing with the kids, and then be done. Now I had to prepare a lesson, have a craft ready, be the one that planned out our time, and keep us to a schedule. My contented role of passive assistant was no longer possible, and I almost resented it.
This is why I felt so called out and convicted by Brandon’s message when he called us to be content with our situation in ministry. Not because I was not content with where I was at, but because he seemed to almost take it as given that I would be desirous of advancement in ministry, and I did not have that innate desire. As I studied this out in my quiet time later, I came across James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” A quite famous verse that I had heard and read before, but one I had not approached in this different context. We are called not to just fill the pews at a church, but to be active and growing members. We are also called to treat ministry in the same way. We cannot be passive members of a ministry. We must always remember that we are working for the Lord, and we must be willing to do any work that he has called us to. If that is remaining where we are at in our ministries, then we must be content there, but we should always be willing to expand into whatever role the Lord has prepared us for.
David Sanderson is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and is a part of C&YA. He serves in the C&YA AV ministry and Kidtown. He is also a part of a men’s UMKC Bible study.
