Unsatisfied Series

Cure for the Discontent

Griffith Baptist Church – 7/13/08

P.M. Service

Text: Psalm 37

Main Verse: Psalms 37:3-4 - 3Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

The Introduction

1. Trust in the Lord – 37:1-6

2. Wait for the Lord – 37:7-11

3. Safety in the Lord – 37:12-15

4. Blessed by the Lord – 37:16-22

5. Walk in the Lord – 37:23-26

6. Preserved by the Lord – 37:27-34

7. Future with the Lord – 37:35-40

A minister opened a letter addressed to him. Inside was a page of paper with just one word on it: FOOL!!!! The next Sunday he announced from the pulpit: ’Many times I have received a letter which the author has forgotten to sign.’ This is the first time I have received a letter where the person signed it but forgot to include the content’

Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor." - Benjamin Franklin

It seems that discontentment hits our lives more than expected or even wanted

We desire to be satisfied but find ourselves struggling with a lack of contentment

o Contentment is not complacency

o Contentment is satisfaction in the moment

o Contentment is peace in our bad circumstances as we search for a way to make our circumstances better

o Contentment is peace that is inward and calm

Here we have a wonderful Psalm that communicates to us contentment and some hints at helping to achieve contentment.

At the end I will give you an easy way to remember the cure for discontentment.

Transition Statement: First, let’s take a look at 5 reasons for discontentment

Body

1. Reasons for Discontentment

A. Disappointment

i. FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!! A little girl had been trying for months to learn the art of tying her shoes. She finally grasped the knack and was able to do it by herself. Her parents expected the child to be delighted, but were surprised by her disappointment. Her father asked why she was crying. She sobbed, "I just learned how to tie my shoes." He said, "That’s wonderful, Honey, but why are you crying?" She replied, "Because now I’ll have to do it all by myself for the rest of my life."

ii. Disappointment = To fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of.

iii. Most of the time our disappointments are a result of too high expectations

iv. When excessive expectations meet unachieved goals, disappointment results.

v. Disappointment comes:

a. We didn’t get that raise at work

b. Our children didn’t do as well as we thought they should

c. Someone didn’t compliment us on a job we worked so hard at

d. 1, 000 other things

B. Frustration

i. A stranger was walking down a residential street and noticed a man struggling with a washing machine at the doorway of his house. When the newcomer volunteered to help, the homeowner was overjoyed, and the two men together began to work and struggle with the bulky appliance. After several minutes of fruitless effort the two stopped and just stared at each other in frustration. They looked as if they were on the verge of total exhaustion. Finally, when they had caught their breath, the first man said to the homeowner, “We’ll never get this washing machine in there!” to which the homeowner replied, “In? I’m trying to move it out of here!”

ii. Fret not . . . (1, 7, 8) – the wicked seems to get away with sin but this is not so.

iii. Frustration = To cause feelings of discouragement or bafflement in.

iv. Frustration:

a. Sets in when disappointment is not dealt with

b. Produces anger, bitterness and constant worry

C. Impatience

i. Impatient = Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant: Restively eager or desirous; anxious:

ii. We are told to be patient but that is easier said than done

iii. Impatience:

a. Robs us of greater blessings because we settle for second best

b. Means that the fruit if the Spirit is not fully charged in our lives (longsuffering)

c. Causes us to rush ahead of others and God

D. Conflict

i. This week I heard about a couple who was having a lot of conflict over balancing the checkbook. Tired of having to balance his wife’s checkbook, the husband made a deal with her; he would look at it, but only after she had spent a few hours trying to wrestle it into shape. The following night, after spending hours poring over stubs and figures, the wife said proudly, ’I’ve done it! I made it balance!’ Impressed, her husband came over to take a look. ’Let’s see... mortgage 550.00, electricity 70.50, phone 35.00.’ His brow wrinkled as he read the last entry. ’It says here ESP, $615. What is that?’ ’Oh,’ she said, ’That means, Error Some Place!’