The is the fifth installment of “Crafting Definitions.” You can find previous posts here and here and here and here.

In preparation for sermons, I often craft personal definitions. I do this in an effort to exposit the word of God and make things “rememberable” for the people of my congregation. Here are some newly crafted definitions pulled from a sermon titled “The Secret of Contentment” from Philippians 4:10-13. You can watch the sermon here.

Contentment: Joyful acceptance that God provides and what God provides is enough.

Thieves of Contentment:

• Comparison: the ungodly habit of judging your blessings in light of the blessings of others.
• Complaining: the ungodly habit of substituting prayer to God with griping to neighbors.
• Ego: the ungodly habit of thinking too highly of yourself.
• Entitlement: The ungodly habit of thinking you deserve more and better.

Blessing of contentment: The identity gained from your relationship with the Lord, not the fluctuating circumstances of life.