Day 8/30 – Contentment

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Contentment
Day Two Hundred Forty-two

“Behold, what I have seen to be good and to be fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life which God has given him, for this is his lot.” Ecclesiastes 5:18

Eating, drinking, and laboring are your portion in life. But if you live for these, you will be frustrated, for you will be living no different from an animal. When you are rightly related to God, living only for Him, then for the first time you can enjoy eating, drinking, and laboring, for you see them from a proper perspective, understanding how they fit into the program of God. Contentment is the fruit of gratitude, gratitude for your understanding your purpose. Then, and only then, can the mundane become significant.

Solomon warns that only with this perspective can you be assured of avoiding the misuse of your possessions. Drudgery is the product of the Fall. “In the sweat of your face will you eat bread, until you return to the ground.”319 God made you dust and deity, but only when you are in union with Christ can you understand the value of both. Solomon says “riches were kept by their owner to his hurt,” resulting in his spending “all his days in darkness and grief, in much vexation and sickness and resentment.”320 The greater your possessions, the more they will tend to destroy trust and cause suspicion of others. Rich people tend to feel comfortable only with rich people, for they cannot know the motives of others that want to be their friends. “Are they interested in me or in my money?”

The only thing you can take with you when you die is what you are. If you know this and believe Jesus, then you can become a prey to others and be content, for you understand that it is your calling.

319 Genesis 3:19
320 Ecclesiastes 5:13, 17

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Psalm 129-131 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 (New King James Version)

Psalm 129-131
Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
129
“Many a time they have afflicted[a] me from my youth,”
Let Israel now say—
2
“Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth;
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
3
The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.”
4
The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.
5
Let all those who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned back.
6
Let them be as the grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
7
With which the reaper does not fill his hand,
Nor he who binds sheaves, his [b]arms.
8
Neither let those who pass by them say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Waiting for the Redemption of the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
130
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
2
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3
If You, Lord, should [c]mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.
5
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
6
My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
7
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
8
And He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.
Simple Trust in the Lord
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
131
Lord, my heart is not [d]haughty,
Nor my eyes [e]lofty.
Neither do I [f]concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too [g]profound for me.
2
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3
O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
Footnotes:
• Psalm 129:1 persecuted
• Psalm 129:7 armsful, lit. bosom
• Psalm 130:3 take note of
• Psalm 131:1 Proud
• Psalm 131:1 Arrogant
• Psalm 131:1 Lit. walk in
• Psalm 131:1 difficult

1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Worship and the Lord’s Supper
11 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Head Coverings
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. 6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. 7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.
13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given [a]to her for a covering. 16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
Footnotes:
• 1 Corinthians 11:15 M omits to her