Objections Continued...

This is a continuation of the study on contentment for the singles retreat a few weeks ago. The following are some more objections to why one may not be able to find contentment.


You are lonely and in need of friends. Friends, maybe even Christian friends, have let you down.

Paul knows what it’s like to be alone. Here at the end of his life, writing his last letter in 2 Timothy 4:9-18 That he had beenabandonedd by many. Vs. 16 says there was no one to come to his defense but all deserted him. He had Luke alone with him.
Paul learned contentment through being betrayed by believers and his loneliness

Watson has a great quote in the danger of putting more hope in friends than in God.
"Friends are as brittle glasses, we may use them, but if we lean too hard upon them, they will break”

We should not look to friends to meet and satisfy that which only God can satisfy! I know with my own husband I can be tempted to lean on him more so than the Lord. This not only puts my husband in an idolotrous place but also unrealistic expectation upon him. God alone meets my needs. Yes he may use Chris, but I still look to the Lord and not my husband first.

Here are a couple reasons why Christ is the best friend of all. Theses are not exhaustive but just a few examples.

1. He is a loving friend

1 John 5:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
God loved us so much that he gave us his only son Christ to be a sacrifice for our sins. Because of God’s great love for us we now have forgiveness and the hope of eternal life with the father. No other love of a friend can compare to this love from the Father.

2. God Cares for you

1 Peter 5:7 Cast your cares upon the Lord for he cares for you

3. God is a faithful/constant friend

Lamantations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His merices shall never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is thy Faithfulness oh Lord.

The Lord is also faithful in our sanctification. Rom 2:4 It's his kindness that leads us to repentance!

4. God is a compassionate friend

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then wconfidenceence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Watson “ God's friendship is nothing else but compassion; for there is naturally no affection in us to desire his friendship, and no goodness in us to deserve it; the loadstone is in himself. When we were full of sin, he was full of compassion; when we were his enemies, he sent an embassy of peace; when our hearts were turned back from God, his heart was turned toward us. O the tenderness and sympathy of our Friend in heaven!”

I pray that we will always be a group where you can find loving Godly faithful friends but I pray that you will not base your contentment on finding these kind of friends when you have in Christ the best friend of all.

Singleness:

Paul himself learned contentment in his singleness. He facpersecutioncuation alone, without the companion or comfort of a wife. He even got to the place where he preferred singleness.

This could be your biggest temptation when it comes to discontement. It was for me when I was single. But I was surprised to find discontentment creep back in when I was married. I wanted to be married with children. Then I found more discontentment than ever in my heart when I had children. So beware in thinking that your struggle will go away when you are married therefore you don’t fight this sin with all you’ve got. Be warned, discontentment can take on various forms. Discontentment isn’t a sin of circumstance, it is a sin rooted in the heart. So I say fight it hard in your single years and when tempted to be discontent when married you will have more resources to put the sin to death!

I'll finish up with warning signs that you may be discontent and ways to pursure contentment in a day or two! The whole Daukas household is officially on antibiotics starting today. Poor Trevor has been miserable for a week now. I was told last week it was a virus but it turned into a double ear infection/pink eye/sinus infection. Than Chris and I have the same junk going through our bodies as well. We have been quite the pitiful family these past few days! Ah but still content! God's grace has been there...and now antibiotics will be there as well :-)