Western Hills Christian Church: “You are family here!”

Text: Proverbs 15:17;16:8;17:1

I.  Little with love is better than heaps with hatred (Proverbs 15:17)

II.  Dry crust with peace is better than feasting with strife.  (Proverbs 17:1)
      See: Proverbs 18:6;Proverbs 22:10;Proverbs 23:29-30 & Proverbs 30:33)

III.  Little with righteousness is better than much gain with injustice (Proverbs 16:8)

“Discontentment rarely has anything to do with one’s financial status.  Greed is cancer of the attitude, not caused by insufficient funds but by inappropriate objectives.”
~ Chuck Swindoll

IV.  How to overcome discontentment

1. Learn to be content (Philippians 4:10-12)
2. Remember where our strength comes from (Philippians 4:13)

Philippians 2:1-3
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

This verse is one of the most practical we will ever encounter in the Bible. Every one of us faces needs in our lives; at times, they are beyond our own means. Those are not the times to become anxious or to panic; nor should we give up in defeat. It is at these times that God wants to draw from His unlimited storehouse to meet our needs as only He can.

Do you believe God can meet the needs of your finances—your health, your children, your parents, your church? Scripture says you will never face a need for which God’s provision is not more than adequate. This promise appears over and over again in the Scriptures (Psalm 116:6; Hebrews 4:16; Matthew 6:8; Psalm 69:33). If you are not experiencing God’s bountiful provision, why not? Is the difficulty with God? Or could it be that you do not really believe that God stands ready to meet your every need?

Every resource of God is available to any child of God who will believes Him. No one has ever exhausted God’s supply nor suffered a shortfall when trusting Him. Unfortunately, some Christians live as if God’s abundant resources were not available to them. God’s word is true and He is faithful… “God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Then Jesus said to His disciples,”If anyone desires to come after Me,let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24

Your “cross” is God’s will for you, regardless of the cost. Taking up your cross is a choice; it is not beyond your control. You may have health problems or a rebellious child or financial pressures, but do not mistake these as your “cross to bear.” Neither circumstances you face nor consequences of your own actions are your cross. Your cross will be to voluntarily participate in Christ’s sufferings as He carries out His redemptive purposes (Philippians 3:10). Paul said he rejoiced in his sufferings because he knew that by them he was able to participate in the suffering required to bring others into Christian maturity (Colossians 1:24).

We tend to want to go immediately from “denying ourselves” to “following Jesus.” But you can never follow Jesus unless you have first taken up your cross. There are aspects of God’s redemptive work that can be accomplished only through suffering. Just as Christ had to suffer in order to bring salvation, there will be hardships you may have to endure in order for God to bring salvation to those around you. Jesus did not talk with His disciples about the cross until they had come to know He was the Christ (Matthew 16:21). You will never be able to endure the suffering of the cross unless you have first been convinced that Jesus is the Christ. Once you have settled your relationship with Christ, He will introduce you to your cross.

There is no Christianity without a cross. If you are waiting for a relationship with God that never requires suffering or inconvenience, then you cannot use Christ as your model. God’s will for you involves a cross. First, take up your cross then you can follow Him.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day