Learning Contentment #2453

16 A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous (Psalm 37:16–17, NKJV).

The Scriptures teach the Lord does not measure wealth in dollars and cents. (The poor widow’s two small coins were more than the rich gave, Mark 12:41-44.) People of the world measure riches by the volume of their material possessions. But these are temporal and do not satisfy the soul (Matt. 6:19; Eccl. 5:10-15). Therefore, Christians learn to “be content with such things as you have” because the Lord said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). The Lord’s abiding assurance of His presence and provisions to sustain life secure our trust while teaching us to value the true riches of  Today’s text gives additional insight into learning contentment (Phil. 4:11-12). Spiritual riches are received and assured by God to those who practice righteousness (v. 16; Acts 10:34-35; 1 John 2:29-3:3, 7). God upholds the righteous, but He will break the strength of the wicked (v. 17). Here are ways to learn contentment with what we have: (1) Trust and use God’s value system of righteousness over earthly riches. Live by faith, not sight (2 Cor. 5:7). (2) Trust God’s power to sustain the righteous and defeat evil (Matt. 6:33-34). Live for things above, not the things on the earth (Col. 3:1-3). (3) Trust God’s power to know and provide for our needs (Matt. 6:31-32). He is always with the righteous (Heb. 13:5-6; Matt. 7:7-11).

Led By God’s Light of Truth #2266

3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God (Psalm 43:3–5, NKJV).

The psalmist longed for God’s vindication against an ungodly nation, unjust men, and his enemy’s oppression (Ps. 43:1-2). He regarded God’s truth as a beam of light that would lead him to God’s presence, where he would joyfully worship (Ps. 43:3-4). His hope in God removed the distress of his soul, confident in the Lord’s help (Ps. 43:5). Notably, the light of God’s truth is still the way God leads souls to Himself and His Son, Jesus the Christ. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me” (John 6:44-45). God the Father draws sinners to Christ by hearing and learning “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68; Col. 1:4-5). Open your heart to the word of God. Let His light lead you to His presence where you will find salvation from sin, fellowship with Him, hope that calms every distress, and praise for God’s constant help (Matt. 11:28-30; Acts 16:13-15).

All the People Came to Him #2101

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.” (John 8:2–4, NKJV)

Why do people come to Jesus? This passage contrasts two different reasons. Some people come to Jesus to be taught by Him. They are ready to hear His words, to learn from Him. Those who “labor and are heavy laden” are among this number (Matt. 11:28-29). Open minds ready to receive and follow Jesus listen to Him with pure motives that increase faith (Acts 17:11-12). Others come to hear the words of Jesus with an agenda, like the scribes and Pharisees. They wanted to test Jesus so they could accuse Him of wrong (Jno. 8:5-6). They were not concerned about the law; they were violating it by their very conduct (where was the man involved in this sin?, Lev. 20:10). They were not interested in the woman’s salvation; she was a pawn in their devious attempt to ensnare the Son of God. Like them, some only listen to gospel preaching to disparage the gospel teacher, discard his gospel teaching, and generate doubt in others (cf. Acts 6:9-13). Use your opportunities to hear the gospel of Jesus with a ready heart, not a condemning eye. You will find rest for your soul when you come to Jesus this way (Matt. 11:28-29).

“Teach me, O Lord” #1958

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. 35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. 36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. (Psalm 119:33–36, NKJV)

Living by faith is not a blind leap in the dark. Faith is the rationale response of the heart that longs for God, His ways, and His blessings. Note this as the psalmist implores God to teach him the path of divine statues, and he will keep them (v. 33). He pleads for an understanding of God’s law so that he may keep it with a heart that is enlarged and completely devoted to God (v. 34; Psa. 119:32). He yearns for the discipline that comes with divine instruction so that he will walk on the path of obedience (v. 35). He obeys the commands of God with delight because his heart is full of the love of God, not greed for plunder (v. 36). Like the psalmist, let us pray for understanding to keep God’s word with our whole heart (Col. 1:9-11). Obeying the gospel from the heart freed us from sin’s slavery (Rom. 6:17-18). Now, let us keep on learning and living the commands of God with our whole hearts “to the end” (v. 33). Problems of sin arise when we no longer want God to teach us. The heart hardens against the way of His statutes. The path of His commands is no longer delightful. If this is where your heart and life are, then repent (change your heart) and return to the delight of obeying God with your whole heart.

Knowing Jesus Christ #1430

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: (Ephesians 4:20–21, NKJV)

Knowing Jesus Christ is not instinctive or automatic. We cannot know “what would Jesus do” unless we learn from His word what He would do. Yet, what Jesus personally did while on the earth is not necessarily what you and I must do. For example, Jesus kept the Law of Moses (its feasts, its offerings, its dietary restrictions, etc.), yet we are not obliged to do so today because that law has been removed (Colossians 2:14). We know Jesus always did the will of His Father, and that is the very thing we must also do (John 5:30; 6:38; 8:29; Matthew 7:21). The Father’s will is that we hear and follow Jesus (Matthew 17:5; John 8:31-32). The Scriptures teach us about Christ. We hear Jesus by hearing the words of those He sent into the world to preach His gospel (Hebrews 1:2; Luke 10:16). Jesus told His apostles to teach the disciples “to observe all things” He had commanded them (Matthew 28:20). The apostles fulfilled their mission by teaching the truth that is in Jesus. Learning Christ from them illuminates our path toward God, it does not turn us back to the spiritual blindness of lewdness, uncleanness and greediness we lived in before we were saved in Christ (Ephesians 4:17-19).

Desiring to be Teachers #1343

5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. (1 Timothy 1:5–7, NKJV)

To faithfully teach the gospel one must first be willing to be taught (see 2 Timothy 2:2). Commitment to the commands of God produce love from a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith. Love for God, for truth, and for others compels us to learn God’s word before trying to teach it. Desire to teach the gospel without having a knowledge of it may well result in leading a person astray from the very truth he desires to teach. Like zeal without knowledge, desire to teach that is not fettered to knowing the truth produces vain, yet confidently asserted babbling, instead of “godly edification which is in faith” (1 Timothy 1:4). Take time to study and learn God’s word. Examine your motive for desiring to be a teacher of the word. Is it “love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith?” And remember, faithful teachers never stop studying to learn and know the truth they teach.

“Teach me, O Lord” #1071

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. (Psalm 119:33–34, NKJV)

God will teach you His way, when you are willing to learn. Notice that the psalmist wanted to learn the way of God’s statutes because he was committed to keeping them with his whole heart. He was not interested in learning merely for the sake of gaining knowledge. He wanted to gain understanding so that he could obey God properly. Do you want to learn God’s way? If so, why do you want to learn? Is it to justify yourself in what you already believe and do? Is it to prove somebody else wrong? Or, is it to actually do the will of God in your own life? God will teach you His way when you listen to Him. The way you listen to God is by hearing His word that is contained in the inspired Scriptures (John 6:44-45; 2 Tim. 3:16). God speaks to all of us by His Son, Jesus Christ, who sent His apostles into the world with His message of truth (Heb. 1:2; Matt. 28:19-20). When we listen to the apostles, we are listening to Jesus (Matt. 10:40; John 13:20). This is how God teaches us His way (Matt. 11:29; 13:9). Commit yourself to doing God’s will, then let His word teach you what to do. Then, do it with your whole heart.

Take My Yoke Upon You #760

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29, NKJV)

Following Jesus does not mean, as many appear to envision, recklessly living as one pleases, confident that no matter what they do Jesus will take them home to heaven in the end. (Once saved, always saved is not the gospel of Jesus, Heb. 10:26-31.)  To follow Jesus one must take His yoke (an instrument of control, direction and service) upon himself. No longer guided by selfish, sinful pleasures or thoughtless, godless deeds, we must let Jesus teach us a life of service under His yoke of training and guidance. The metaphor of a yoke indicates submission to the authority of Christ. His authority is not oppressive, but liberating, as it frees us from sin’s bondage. Living and serving under His authority brings rest to souls wearied by sin. Commit yourself to let Christ rule your life. Learn His ways. Live as His servant. Discover rest for your soul.