6 Reasons why discontent is disobedience to God

It could be the most elusive of all Christian virtues, except perhaps humility, contentment. I'm not naturally happy. In my fallen nature, I am naturally discontented. I am not happy because I am always playing in my mind what Paul Tripp calls life "if only": if only I had more money in my bank account, I would be happy, if only I had a church that follows my leadership, if only the my children had behaved better, if only I had had a job that I liked…. For the lineage of Adam, the "if only" were infinite. In our self-idolatry, we tend to think that a change in circumstances will bring us joy and fulfillment. For us, the grass is always greener unless we learn to find our contentment in something transcendent and eternal.

Apparently, the apostle Paul also waged this frustrating internal war. In Philippians 4, he tells the church there that he had "learned the secret" of being content under all circumstances. The secret? It is located in Phil. 4:13, a verse we typically use to make Christians like Popeye with Christ look like spinach, a people who can literally accomplish anything their mind can perceive (a New Age concept) because of Christ: "I can do all through him (Christ) who strengthens me ”.

In fact, Paul's words, when correctly understood, are much broader than the near-prosperity interpretation of that verse: Thanks to Christ, we can achieve fulfillment regardless of the circumstances that one day brings into our lives. Why is contentment so important and why is it so elusive? It is important to first understand how deeply sinful our discontent is.

As medical experts of the soul, the Puritans wrote extensively and thought deeply about this crucial topic. Among the excellent Puritan works on contentment (several Puritan works on this subject have been republished by Banner of Truth) are The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs, The Art of Divine Contentment by Thomas Watson, The Crook in the Lot by Thomas Boston and an excellent Boston sermon entitled "The Infernal Sin of Discontent." A great and inexpensive e-book titled The Art and Grace of Contentment is available on Amazon that collects many Puritan books (including the three just listed), sermons (including the Boston Sermon), and articles on contentment.

Boston's exposition of the sin of discontent in the light of the tenth commandment shows the practical atheism that insinuates a lack of contentment. Boston (1676–1732), pastor and son of Scottish Covenanters, argues that the tenth commandment forbids discontent: greed. Because? Because:

Discontent is a distrust of God. Contentment is implicit trust in God. Therefore, discontent is the opposite of faith.

Discontent is the same as complaining about God's plan. In my desire to be sovereign, I think my plan is better for me. As Paul Tripp puts it, "I love myself and have a wonderful plan for my life."
Discontent shows the desire to be sovereign. See n. 2. Like Adam and Eve, we want to taste the tree that will transform us into sovereign kings.

Discontent craves something that God has not been happy to give us. He gave us his son; so, can't we trust him for trivial things? (Rom. 8:32)

Discontent subtly (or perhaps not so subtly) communicates that God has made a mistake. My current circumstances are wrong and should be different. I will be happy only when they change to satisfy my desires.

Discontent denies God's wisdom and exalts my wisdom. Isn't that exactly what Eve did in the garden questioning the goodness of God's Word? Therefore, discontent was at the heart of the first sin. "Did God really say?" This is the question at the heart of all our discontent.
In the second part, I will examine the positive side of this doctrine and how Paul learned contentment and how we could too. Again, I will invoke the testimony of our Puritan ancestors for some insightful biblical insights.