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Enough: Cultivating Contentment-Luke 12:15, Heb 13:5-6, & Ecc 2:10-11

9/20/2023

Money is not the problem. Possessions are not the issue. It is when the love of money and the love of possessions becomes our first priority - our first love that we get ourselves into trouble. N.T. Wright puts this way, “money first enslaves people and then laughs at them as it fails to provide the happiness it promised. When you love something or someone, you make sacrifices for it or them. When you find yourself making a sacrifice of something else in your life, simply so that you can follow where money is beckoning you, then that is your danger signal.” We cannot live our lives saying that our existence does not consist or is not defined by the abundance of our possessions, but then act / behave as if it does.

In his book, Enough Cultivating Simplicity and Generosity, Adam Hamilton suggests we suffer from Restless Heart Syndrome. Much like Restless Leg Syndrome, which is a condition when one has twitches and contractions in the legs, Restless Heart Syndrome works in a similar way, but in the heart or soul. Its primary symptom is discontent. We find ourselves in a circle of discontent - never satisfied with anything, constantly feeling like something is missing and if we can but acquire something more we will find satisfaction, happiness, or purpose - we will find contentment. The pattern goes something like this: buy something or get something, take hardly any time to enjoy it, move on and pursue the next thing.

But wait, isn’t discontent a good thing? When we are not satisfied with our life, we can do something to improve it or when we know better we do better? ABSOLUTELY…. BUT it is what we seek, or what we think and feel will make our lives better or more complete that can be the tricky part.

God actually designed us for a relationship with God - wired our hearts so that we would not be content with the things that can come between, damage, or sever that relationship. God created us so that we would seek the only One - the One who created us, in order to fully satisfy our soul and make us whole. We are meant to cultivate a deeper prayer life, to pursue justice and holiness and increasing fervor, to love others more, and to grow in grace and character and wisdom with each passing day. We are not meant to yearn for that which comes between God and us; that which hurts our neighbors, perpetuates injustice or unholiness, participates in prejudice and bigotry, advocates hate and division, or sustains broken systems of inequality.

In the pursuit of God and to cultivate contentment then, Hamilton suggests the following “Keys to Contentment” and “Steps to Simplify Your Life”:
Repeat, It could be worse - a practice of looking on the bright side, keeping perspective. It is recognizing that no matter what we may not like about a thing or a person or circumstance, we need to try and find something good to focus on.
Ask, How long will this make me happy -is it worth the expense; will the satisfaction last beyond opening the box / packaging?
Develop a grateful heart - the more we can develop gratitude the more we can find contentment in all things; focusing on what we have and not what we don’t puts us in a position of thankfulness which is foundational to contentment.
Where do you find true satisfaction - from Genesis to Revelation the Bible tells us we find our satisfaction in God and God alone. We can try and fill our lives with stuff and money but none of it has eternal consequence or lasting value.

Steps to Simplify Your Life
Reduce consumption and live below your means - reduce waste, look at generic versus name brands, reduce your utilities, research ways to reduce costs.
Ask yourself: Do I really need this and why do I want this?
Use something up before buying something new - use them until they are empty, broken or worn out; spend money wisely.
Plan low-cost entertainment that enriches - think quality not quantity; time together not money spent.
Ask yourself: Are there major / minor changes that would allow me to simplify my life? Cancel unused subscriptions, downsize, live below your means.

Money and possessions are not the problem or issue. It is the desire for more and the love of stuff. It is a lack of contentment. May God give us strength, courage, and conviction to live out of God’s abundance and from a place of generosity and simplicity. AMEN

Pastor Jenothy Irvine

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Enough: Wisdom and Finance - Proverbs 21:5, 20

9/11/2023

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Who would you name as one of the wisest people in the world? In history? What makes them wise? How did they become wise? What did they do with said wisdom? Did any of it have to do with money, wealth or finances? Does money influence wisdom or vice versa? What does wisdom have to do with financial stewardship? These are some of the questions you were challenged with as part of our Stewardship Focus based on Adam Hamilton’s book, Enough - Living in Simplicity and Generosity.
If we were to turn to scripture to find the wisest person in the world, it is said that King Solomon would be our guy. As described in 1 Kings, God granted King Solomon the gift of wisdom, after appearing to Solomon in a dream. Solomon was known throughout the world, he had great wealth and influence, and his council was sought after by many leaders, teachers, and government officials of his time. Later in life, Solomon is thought to have written the book of Proverbs. Some suggest however, he was more of a contributing editor than sole author and that it contains collected wisdom over a long period of time. Nonetheless, Proverbs indeed contains nuggets of truth that do us well to live by. The glaring question of this very practical and very underrated book of wisdom is quite simple: Are you being wise, or foolish?
Church, just think of the energy, time, and heartache we would save is we stopped and asked that question; all the hassle, potential conflict, and hard feelings we could potentially avoid if we stopped and asked that simple question before we made our choices and decisions?

There are 135 references to the word money in the bible. Only four of those references actually define money as a possession; something we own. All the rest, 131 references, use the Greek and Hebrew forms of the word and define money as a tool or something to be used for gain, payment, investment, or exchange of services. I wonder what kind of message that information is telling us.
Good stewardship is about growing our understanding of how the reign of God works and that we are a part of it. Good stewardship is about allowing God’s Spirit to transform our hearts and trust God with ALL that we have and ALL that we are, including our money. Good stewardship is about having the kind of wisdom that understands what we are called to do as followers of Jesus; as individuals, families, partners, community, and church. It is about knowing who we are invited to be as God’s people. Your money is included in that calling and responsibility from God.

In his book, Enough, Adam Hamilton writes: “We do not exist simply to consume as much as we can and get as much pleasure as we can while we are here on earth. We need to know and understand our purpose - our vision or mission or calling and then spend our money in ways that are consistent with this purpose or calling.
Society tells us our purpose is to consume - to make as much money as possible and then to spend it. The Bible tells us that we were created to care for God's creation; to love God and our neighbor; to care for the poor and those in need; and to glorify God, seek justice and do mercy. Our money and possessions then are meant to help fulfill this calling.
Today, we invite you to ask a simple question: When it comes to stewarding the money God provides; the resources you have, ask yourself: Am I being wise, or foolish? Is discipline key when it comes to money? Yes. Are good saving, spending, and giving habits significant? Yes. Are budgets and goal setting helpful? Of course. However, if we can’t answer the question, "Am I being wise or foolish?” in a way that is true and honoring to God, then perhaps we still have some spiritual investing to do and room to grow.
AMEN

Pastor Jenothy Irvine

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