The Sin of Discontentment

According to one definition discontentment is a longing for something better than the present situation. Another says it’s a  restless desire or craving for something one does not have. A dissatisfaction with one's circumstances. A person experiencing dissatisfaction.

The scriptures tell us all throughout that we should be content with what we have. One of my favorite scriptures is found in Ecclesiasticus 40:18 to labour and to be content with that a man hath, is a sweet life. And let’s not forget the children of Israel wondered the wilderness for forty years because not being satisfied causes one to complain, murmur, gossip and backbite against those they feel have what they think they should have. Nothing was ever good enough for them and the Most High waited until that whole generation died off.

I believe the start of discontentment was when Adam was presented to the angels of heaven and Lucifer refused to bow to another creature younger than him. He thought more highly of himself, he was puffed up in his discontentment (pride). This was the start of him revealing all that was in his heart.

Satan was discontent with his position  what did he want to change pretty much everything. One he wanted to be ruler. Two he thought he knew best and three he didn’t allow the Most High to be enough for him. He tarried on in his dissatisfaction craving control allowing himself to sin against the Most High as we all tend to do at times. This discontentment is shown in him refusing to bow to Adam. Thinking more highly of himself and not being satisfied with the hierarchy the creator put in place. This is that spirit many call the feminist spirit that is behind the feminist movement. It really took root in humanity after he deceived Eve and cause the fall of mankind. Satan wanted what Adam had the worship or glory that was bestowed upon him and to be in the image of the Most High. He didn’t care for the hierarchy the Creator put in place and he just outright refused to humble himself before his Creator. This is a lack of submission to order. He then  rebels even more by saying not only will I not bow but I’m no longer going to be submissive to my creator either. I’ll exalt my throne above the stars of God.

At the root of every sin is discontentment. Another word for discontentment is pride. Ecclesiasticus 10:13 reads For pride is the beginning of sin. What I found more interesting is that in verse twelve we are told how to recognize pride. It says The beginning of pride is when one departeth from God and his heart is turned away from his maker.

So, then we can see that the start of sin is pride or discontentment and in James 1:15 we see that the end of sin is death. Somewhere in between we must see that we have disconnected from our creator and seek to reconnect, to repent and humble ourselves to the hierarchy of heaven. We are all called to submit to the authority over us for children its parents, for a wife its her husband, for the husband its Christ for Christ it’s the Most High. Submission is about respecting the hierarchy of heaven, His commandments, His kingdom and mindset, His way period.

One of those commands is to be satisfied with what you have, what He has given us and allowed us to have. Don’t allow others to cause you to be discontent with where you are. Life is not a competition. We have one life, one body to live it in and one shot to get it right so when we enter the other side of life, which is eternity we will rest forever where we have made our bed. Hopefully that’s eternity with Him and not eternity in hell for being unsubmissive.

The flesh is constantly experiencing dissatisfaction. It seeks ways to defile the spirit by restless cravings of things we don’t have or the changing of our situation and circumstances so we can have more. Society has programmed people to want (desire) more. Lust just isn’t about sexual desire but its about strong desires that lead us away from God. So, we lust after everything we allow ourselves to be programmed to lust after and are not content when we can’t achieve more, can’t have more, can’t get enough and that itself is gluttony.

I once watched a movie, and a drug dealer was talking with the devil and the convo went like this.

Devil: I hear you want out; may I ask why?

Dealer: I’ve had enough.

Devil: laughs and says the day you had enough is the day you die. The entire culture of the world is built on having more. So, my question is what happens to this world if we all decided we had enough? The house I live in is enough, the car I drive is enough, the pay I make is enough, my spouse is enough, my life is enough, God my creator is enough. When will we stand up and say enough is enough?

Remember, at the root of every sin is discontentment. So, my final question is what are we all so dissatisfied with?