Are you struggling to find contentment in your life? Do you feel like you are always chasing after the next thing, but never truly satisfied? In a world that is constantly telling us we need more to be happy, it can be difficult to find true contentment. In this message we will look at what Jesus and the Apostle Paul teach about contentment, possessions and success.
Jesus knew that many people have a scarcity mentality. Remember when, Jesus fed the crowd with a bit of fish and bread? And the apostles who represent a worldview of scarcity, advised Jesus against feeding the crowd. “But how will two fish and five loaves be enough for so many?” We see scarcity but Jesus sees abundance.
Jesus tells us that Christians are like salt. Not because we can enhance a great ribeye steak but because we can make the kingdom of God known. But Christians can experience desalinization. And when this happens, Jesus says, “…but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?” So how can we remain “salty” Christians?
When it comes to comfort and care the early church of the first century knew how to help one another, and love one another. In this message we learn from the early church three keys to be a more loving church and we learn to banish the seagulls.
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on August 20, 2017 by Rev. Fred A. Steinberg