Harmony Strong

Arm wrestling reveals the difference in strength between two individuals.  In 2001 our youth group went on a mission trip and one of the traditional evening activities was an arm wrestling contest.  I decided to give it a try just to have some fun and won several of my first round competitions.  My third opponent was a 5’3” 225lb football player who had arms that were about 3 times the size of mine.  As soon as I sat down at the table I started joking with him thinking this was the end of my competition.  To my surprise, when we were told, “go” my arm was not thrown through the table, in fact, I held my own and eventually ended up winning!  In almost every arm wrestling match one person is always stronger and one person is weaker.

This is true of our faith as well!  If we compared any two individuals we would discover that one is stronger in their faith and one is weaker in their faith.  Those who are stronger in their faith have an obligation not to boast and brag, but rather to help those who are weaker become stronger.  How do those who are strong in their faith help those who are weak in their faith become stronger?

READ:  Romans 15:1-6

Harmony strong is the effort to be UNIFIED with others by BUILDING others up!  The word harmony basically means to “think the same thing”.  Paul talks about what it means to be harmony strong in Ephesians 4:11-13 when he says, “He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”  According to these verses harmony strong is the collective Christlikeness of believers.  The process of building one another up does not end until we all, strong and weak, are equal in our Christlikeness.  What are some ways we build others up in order to be more unified in Christlikeness?

We build others up by BEARING with their FAILINGS (Romans 15:1) – In order for children to learn certain skills, parents must not be impatient or get frustrated with their weaknesses.  There have been several times I included my children in a building project and quickly gave up on them simply because they were not strong enough to drive a nail with a hammer.  Rather than judge another’s relative weakness, we are told to “bear” with their “failings”.  The word “bear” means to “lift” or to “carry the weight of something”.  The proper way for me to teach my children to drive a nail is to use my strength to hammer a nail with them until they develop their own strength to do it.  Paul said in Galatians 6:1-2, “if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.  Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”.  It is in moments of others’ weakness that we are to use our strength to gently restore and build their faith back up.  We must not be quick to get frustrated with the moral failings of others, remembering that we may need others to bear with us when we have failed!

We build others up by doing what is PLEASING to them (Romans 15:2-3) – Jesus Christ did not use His strength in life for the purpose of pleasing Himself, but rather for the purpose of pleasing others.  Jesus always spoke and did things unselfishly that would give pleasure to others (Phil. 2:3-8).  In order to experience harmony with others we must be willing to speak and do things, “for (their) good” and to, “build (them) up”.  The hardest thing about pleasing others is that it almost always involves a personal sacrifice requiring us to unselfishly give up something we want with the personal happiness of someone else in mind.

CONCLUSION
The word harmony is used to describe the beautiful sound created when a combination of different musical notes are sung or played together at the same time.  Romans 15:6 says we are to harmonize with others until together with, “one voice (we) glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  Harmony strong is beautiful music to God’s ears!  Are you glorifying God by harmonizing together in one voice with others?

Contentment Strong

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” . . . this phrase is used to describe our dissatisfaction with what we have.  It’s not just the grass that’s greener, it’s the house that’s bigger, it’s the car that’s faster, it’s the clothes that are more stylish, it’s the iPod that’s a newer generation, it’s the friends that are more popular, it’s the girlfriend that’s prettier, it’s the boyfriend that’s more handsome, it’s the jumpshot that’s more accurate, it’s the skin that’s clearer, it’s the muscles that are stronger, it’s the grade point average that’s higher, it’s the parent’s that are cooler and not so strict, etc.  Get the picture?  It really doesn’t matter what it is, dissatisfaction simply an attitude that if we don’t have it, we want it!

God warned against dissatisfaction in Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21 when He said, “you shall not covet”.  Covetousness is simply a desire or longing for something.  When we look over someone else’s “fence” we are not to desire or long for the things that they possess.  Covetousness is a sin that destroys our happiness and joy.  What type of strength do we need in order to resist dissatisfaction and covetousness?

READ:  Philippians 4:11-13

The strength we need to resist covetousness is contentment.  Contentment strong is being SATISFIED in God and in need of NOTHING else to bring us joy!  To “be content” means to be “self-sufficient” or “independent of external circumstances”.  In contrast to dissatisfaction and covetousness, contentment is an attiude we are all capable of attaining.  How do we gain contentment?

Contentment is a SECRET that is LEARNED (Phil. 4:11) – There is a whole universe of things available for us to learn.  We can learn to read, write, and do math in the classroom.  We can learn to play a sport on the court or playing field.  We can learn to drive behind the wheel of a car.  Until we learn these things and unlock the secret of being able to do it, we will never enjoy the benefits of learning how to do it.  Paul says that contentment is a “secret” that can be “learned”.  If we are unwilling to learn we will continue to be miserably dissatisfied and commit the sin of covetousness.  Contentment is a secret only those willing to learn will enjoy the benefits of.

Contentment does not change with our SITUATION or CIRCUMSTANCE (Phil. 4:12) – We cannot control whether it is hot or cold outside, but we can choose to enjoy the season.  In the winter, when it is cold, we can build snowmen or go sledding.  In the summer, when it is hot, we can go to the pool or the beach.  Paul says that contentment is possible no matter what our “situation” and “circumstance” is in life.  One secret of being content is knowing the difference between things we need and things we want.  1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, “godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content”.  A simple way we resist the temptation of dissatisfaction is to always be grateful for the basic necessities in life and expect nothing more.

Contentment requires strength that comes from GOD (Phil. 4:13) –  Philippians 4:13 is a very popular verse that is often used as a blank check from God that He will give us strength to do anything and everything we put our minds to in life.  In reality, Philippians 4:13 is a promise from God to give us “strength” to “do” all that is necessary to remain satisfied whether we find ourselves in circumstances where we are lacking or in abundance.  When we are dissatisfied we must remember that God supplies the strength we need to be content.

CONCLUSION
Hebrews 13:5-6 says, “Keep yourself free from love of money, and be content with what you have for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”  Contentment is possible when we are convinced that the God of the universe will never leave us nor forsake us.  John Piper said, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”. Contentment is believing with all confidence that God is enough!  Is God ENOUGH in your life?