Freedom House Church and Healing Centre

JESUS IS MORE THAN ENOUGH!

Jesus saved me out of a life of always seeking more.  More material things, more approval, more love in all the wrong ways and places, just to name a few.  I was never content, never satisfied.  When Jesus showed up and revealed to me that He was the one whom I had been searching for, He was the answer, I immediately began to desire with my whole heart to get to know Him!  In that moment everything changed-everything!  I knew that the worldly things I was searching for would never satisfy and that Jesus was more than enough.  Through the years my pursuit has not changed-I want to know Jesus more!  I want to make Him known!  I have learned that contentment, satisfaction is in Christ alone!  I am learning to declare from my heart and out of my mouth, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Ps 23:1 NKJV)  I pray that my life is more and more reflecting this.  I know that I have a long way to go but believe that I am getting there with help from Holy Spirit.

 I would like to share with you what the Word says about contentment and a little about my journey of learning to be content-I’m still learning. J    

Contentment means to be sufficient (enough, fit), to be satisfied with what one has.  The Word says we are to be contented with:

• such things as you have

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” (Heb 13:5 NASB)

• with food and clothing

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. (1 Ti 6:6-8 NLT)

• with wages

And soldiers also were questioning Him, saying, “What are we to do, we as well?” And He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone, nor harass anyone, and be content with your wages.” (Lk 3:14 NASB)

When Paul declares in Phillipians 4:11, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.” He is stating that he has learned to be sufficient, adequate, needing no assistance, hence, content. 

How is all of this possible?  How can we live these scriptures?  How can Paul declare that he has learned to be content when he has spent most of his born again life being persecuted and in prison for sharing the gospel-the good news about Jesus Christ? 

God does it!  Our sufficiency is from God!

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Co 3:5-6 NKJV)

Paul knows that his sufficiency, his contentment is from God.  He knows that God gives grace so that we are sufficient in all things and have abundance for every good work!  He knows that God will supply everything he needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  He knows that Jesus is more than enough!

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Co 9:8 NKJV)

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19 NKJV)

This is what I am learning through the years of getting to know and follow Jesus.  I have experienced His faithfulness over and over.  When I was first saved and coming out of the desire for material things I would be tempted to enter stores and shopping malls to buy things.  This had been my lifestyle.  My form of entertainment.  The result was debt and lots of it by the way.  The Lord put on my heart to say, I only need Jesus!  This helped me to overcome temptation and be freed from the desire to want more things.  Those who know me now would probably agree that the Lord has transformed me into a kind of minimalist and I can declare that I am content with what I have because my satisfaction is no longer in what I have but in Christ alone!

I have come to take to heart and live scriptures like:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Mt 6:33 NLT)

Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” (Lk 12:15 NLT)

The Lord has helped me to hang loosely to worldly things knowing that this is just my temporary home. (Heb 13:14)  He has shown me through His Word that everything is going to burn up. (2 Peter 3:11-12)  He has put on my heart a desire to store up treasurers in heaven not on earth. (Mt 6:19-21)  He has shown me that my identity is in Him and not in what I do or what I have.  I want to be known as a lover and follower of Jesus-period.  I want to be of no reputation.  I want Jesus to be seen and heard and given all the glory! (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 3:20)

So, here is the message.  Jesus is more than enough!  The world cannot satisfy-only Jesus can!  Seeking Jesus and being satisfied in Him leads to life!

Here is what the Word says:

“Is anyone thirsty?  Come and drink—even if you have no money!  Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!  Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?  Why pay for food that does you no good?  Listen to Me, and you will eat what is good.  You will enjoy the finest food.  “Come to Me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life.  I will make an everlasting covenant with you.  I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. (Isa 55:1-3 NLT)

For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. (Ps 107:9 NLT)

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. (Jn 6:35 NLT)

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. (1 Jn 2:15-17 NLT)

A number of years ago while praying through Phil 4 I sensed the Lord saying that one of things that blocks contentment is grumbling and complaining.  The Lord has a lot to say about grumbling and complaining in His Word. In the Old Testament after God had delivered the Israelites from slavery and was providing everything they needed while travelling out of Egypt to the Promised Land, the people constantly complained against God.  You can read about it in Ex 15 and 16 and Numbers 11:1-35.  In the New Testament followers of Jesus are clearly exhorted to not grumble and complain.

But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. (Jn 6:43 NLT)

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. (Phil 2:14-15 NLT)

I used to complain about winter and the cold and snow until one day I read Job 37:6, ‘He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down.’  I got convicted!  The Lord is in control of the weather!  There are many scriptures in the Word about God being in control of the weather.  So if I am complaining about the weather, I am complaining against God!  From that day I have resolved to not complain about the weather. J

Let’s agree to be obedient to the Word and stop grumbling and complaining against God!

When we seek Jesus above all else.  When we know Him and know with our whole heart that our sufficiency comes from Him alone, we are content-at all times, in all situations!  When we pray about everything, tell God what we need and thank Him for all He has done, we have peace that passes all understanding. (Phil 4:6-7)  When we do right, no good thing is withheld from us. (Ps 84:11)  When we love God and have been called according to His purpose, all things work together for good.  (Ro 8:28)

Church of Jesus Christ!  Let’s agree to live the truth and demonstrate to the world that Jesus is more than enough!

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev 2:7 NKJV)