Courage & Contentment
In yesterday’s sermon about Biblical Sexual Morality, our pastor brought up many factors relating to how we may embrace mindsets and behavior that are at odds with God’s design for sexual morality. A big theme was contentment. There were lots of examples and Bible verses, but I’ll keep it simple with one that even non-Christians or those who have had minimal contact with church teaching may recognize — Thou shall not covet! If you think about this commandment, why did God need to say this? Without presuming to know God’s exact intent, it seems self-evident that our Creator knew we would be prone to not being content with what God gave us or how He made us. Hence, this “helpful reminder.” But at its core, isn’t coveting so much more than just brushing off one of God’s commands or reminders? It’s a slap in the face to God; especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. If God said He made male and female, then who are we to claim otherwise? If God designed sex to be in one kind of relationship, then who are we to say God is mistaken? Well, when we dismiss God and/or what He says, cease to be content, and treat coveting like a virtue, is it any wonder that we elevate our words above God’s?
We live in a world that embraces sin rather than running from it. We are bombarded with messaging and teaching that are fancy ways of asking, “Did God really say..?” Like the serpent, they prey upon our base desires. It’s easy to entertain things that are not of God. If you have the courage and conviction to stand on God’s word, you are likely to come under attack. Some people and groups have even weaponized their tactics to the extent they claim taking an affirmative position on God’s word is equivalent to hating or being fearful of others. It doesn’t matter whether or not it’s true, they will throw the label on you in an attempt to silence or disarm you. It takes courage to stand firm.
So, what if you just want to “go along to get along”? Maybe you will just cloak your lack of courage in contentment? “I’m just focused on my own relationship with God.” After all, you just need to worry about yourself and your own walk with God, no need to be concerned with others’ relationships with God, right? “That’s between him and God,” you may hear a Christian say, “It’s not my place to judge.” Oh, ok. Well, is it your place to discern truth from falsehood? Do you take a “neutral” stance in other areas where God has spoken clearly? I mean God wouldn’t want you to say anything controversial (*gasps*), because we all know God never says anything that could be considered controversial. The Bible is full of places where God gives wishy-wash answers and encourages us to stay silent. After all, Jesus and Paul were basically pushovers and mutes. Hopefully you recognize the last 3 sentences were totally sarcastic. I say all of this not to mock the more passive or less courageous among us, but rather to challenge us to refrain from using “nice sounding” words as cover. We may not all be in the “starting five” when it comes to courage, but God certainly hasn’t called us to ride the bench or to stay out of the game indefinitely…
Contentment in God not only keeps us from buying into lies, but should also give us courage to speak truth! I hope you will join me in asking God to help us cultivate contentment and courage in our lives. Amen?