Enough: Which Tent Will You Live In? 1 Timothy 6: 6-10 November 13, 2011

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1 Enough: Which Tent Will You Live In? 1 Timothy 6: 6-10 November 13, 2011 How many of you have ever slept in a tent? As a Boy Scout I spent many nights sleeping in tents. At first it was a small canvass pup tent. Later on in Scouts we had 4 person tents made out of nylon. Though I looked forward to the camp outs, I can t say I really enjoyed sleeping in a tent. I guess it was being on the ground that was the uncomfortable part. Back then we were old school, no air mattress, no cot not even a pad. Just you and your sleeping bag! And even with that sleeping bag there would be some nights you would practically freeze. This morning I am going to be talking about tents. As you can see by the screen the title of my message is Which Tent Will You Live In? The tent I will be talking about is not made on nylon, canvass or any other material. The tent I am referring to is an internal matter, an emotional and spiritual condition. Those with us last week heard me begin a sermon series titled Enough. During this series we will be looking at our relationship with money. What does the bible have to say about wealth? How does that compare with what our culture preaches or we ourselves believe? When it comes to life, especially our financial health, we can be either discontent or content. Though circumstances play an important role in our life, ultimately it is we who decide which tent we will live in. The inspiration for this sermon series comes from a book written by Rev. Adam Hamilton. As I shared last week, Adam labeled two illnesses that cause so many Americans to find

2 themselves in financial difficulty. He calls those illnesses affluenza and credititis. Later in the book he identifies another condition that helps lead to discontentment. He calls this Restless Heart Syndrome. When one has this syndrome one is never satisfied with anything. The moment we acquire something, we scarcely take time to enjoy it before we want something else. As I said last week, manufactures and advertisers help fuel this desire. There is always the latest and best product on the market. I bet many that had the iphone 3gs went out and bought the iphone 4s. It s not like the 3gs didn t have enough bells and whistles. Just being the newest iphone caused many to have to have it. Now, as Rev. Hamilton points out in the book, there is a certain discontent that God intended us to have. God actually wired our hearts so that they would be discontent with certain things, causing us to seek the only One who can fully satisfy us. God want us to be content with certain things and discontent with others. The problem is we tend to get them confused. What are the things we are to be content with? How about what we have, the jobs we maintain, maybe the relationships we have with others. The things that we are to be discontent with might include our moral character, our spiritual life, our pursuit of holiness, our desire for justice, and our ability to love. These are areas in which we should continue to grow and improve, for we are meant to become more than we are today. If there is discontentment, if folks are suffering from RHS restless heart syndrome, it is because of things of this world not because they want to improve themselves or others. Our discontentment is with our old automobile, not the plight of so many around the world. Our discontentment is with what we are wearing on the outside of our bodies and not with what is in our heart.

3 If we do decide to act on this feeling of discontentment, it will often leave us feeling even worse. Our scripture lesson says that people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. (1 Timothy 6:9 10a) Instead of running after stuff, we would do well to heed Paul s earlier advice in the same chapter, So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. (I Tim. 6:8) Most of us have enough to be content, the question is are we? Since this congregation is made up of many senior adults, I would guess that there is a high degree of contentment among our members. This has to do with a maturing of faith as well as the maturing in age. As one get older, one often becomes wiser when it comes to what s most important in life. Those things that seemed so important are not so valuable now. I remember when I was in my 30 s I dreamed of owning a Mercedes. What a car! The styling, the engineering, the prestige, it was an amazing automobile. Here I am 51 and I no longer want such an automobile. I realized a car is just a mode of transportation. Why spend so much money on one car. Besides aging there are some keys that can help us in cultivating contentment. These keys come from the Apostle Paul who wrote to the Philippians, I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is like to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. (Phil. 4:11-12)

4 The first key is to remember that it could be worse. Whenever we are feeling low or discontent, we just need to say to ourselves, you know what, it could be worse. I am a member of the Optimist club. This is a service organization that focuses on children and youth. As of November 1 st I am the President of the Birmingham Club. If you would like to learn more or attend a meeting, talk to me. There is a creed we recite at the end of every meeting. It has 10 statements that we try to live by. The fourth statement says we will look at the sunny side of everything and make our optimism come true. It is this looking at the sunny side of everything that can make us more content. It is remembering it could be worse. The second key is to ask yourself, How long will this make me happy? So often we buy something thinking it will make us happy, only to find that the happiness is only short lived. The next time we are considering buying something, especially something pricy, ask ourselves, how long will this make me happy? One suggestion is to try before you buy. We can t do that with everything, but there is enough that we can. For example, if we are considering buying a new car, rent one and drive it for several days before the purchase. If you are considering some gadget, try borrowing a friends. The third key is to develop a grateful heart. This is one of the most important keys to contentment and happiness in life. It is developing an attitude of gratitude. The apostle Paul said that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This attitude recognizes that all of life is a gift. We can focus on all the things we don t like, or we can begin to search for things we do like and be grateful for them. Related to this key is the 5 th Optimist statement, to think only the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best. Rev. Hamilton lifts up an example of love. He notes: Sometimes feelings of love come after we talk about love and express love. We say I Love you, and do loving things, and eventually we have loving feelings. We think the feelings should come first, but it work the other way around. Likewise, when we begin to be grateful and express gratitude to God, over

5 time we find our hearts have changed and we are grateful for what we have. Then we are able to be content. The last key is to ask yourself, where does my soul find true satisfaction? The world tells us it is in ease and luxury and comfort and money that we find satisfaction. The bible however, answers the question very differently. From Genesis to Revelation, it tell us that we find our satisfaction in God. Paul wrote to the Philippians I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13) In Christ Paul found the One who satisfied his every need and enabled him to be content in all circumstances. If you know about Paul s life he was in a lot of circumstances. Friends, which tent will you live in? Discon-tentment or con-tent-ment? You and you alone determine which tent will be yours. It all comes down to what you decide life is all about. If you decide that life does not consist in the abundance of possessions, then you are choosing contentment.

6 Choosing contentment does not mean we must stop buying things or move out of our home. I do not think this is what God wants of us. Rather, as Adam Hamilton states it: choosing contentment means we look to God as our source, giving thanks for what we have. It means we ask God to give us the right perspective on money and possessions and to change our hearts each day. It means we decide to live simpler lives, wasting less and conserving more. And it means we give more generously. I will say more about his next week. Two tents, which one do we choose?