"I've Had Enough of This"

Have you ever been so completely tired of something that you no longer wanted anything to do with it? Sometimes we grow weary of the things in which we involve ourselves. Whether they are labors, hobbies, or other everyday activities, we decide that we've had enough, and now it's time to go on to something else.

Leaving things behind just for the sake of doing something different is not always a good thing. This shows a lack of contentment, one of the major problems facing our world today. Failure to find contentment leads to materialism, unfaithfulness, and every type of inconsistency. It makes the workplace, the home, and even the church unstable. In short, failure to reach at least some level of contentment can be disastrous. We need to learn to be content (Phil. 4:11; Heb. 13:5). Paul told Timothy - "Godliness with contentment is great gain" - 1 Tim. 6:6.

Why is our contentment such a big problem? Because we are a people that have everything backwards. We substitute complacency for contentment. Sometimes we call stubbornness contentment, when it is really nothing more than being pigheaded. There is a difference between being content and being unchangeable. While leaving something for the sake of leaving it is not good, leaving it behind for the right reasons is absolutely necessary. For example, leaving sin behind for righteousness is essential for our salvation and growth in Christ. Paul didn't just say, "be content", he included "be godly." We need goodness and contentment, to leave the bad and cling to the good (Rom. 12:9).

There is a proper time for being fed up, for saying, "I've had enough!" In 1 Peter 4:1-3, the apostle Peter tells us exactly when. That time comes when we make a realization that with sin and the works of the flesh we are going nowhere but down. The prodigal son figured this out and resolved to turn to his father (Luke 15:17,18). When we realize that sin is ruining our lives and destroying us eternally we must make that same turn and say, "Father, help me! I've had enough of this!"

Where are you when it comes to being fed up, and where are you when it comes to being content? If you are in sin, you should be fed up; if you are in God, you should be content. Peter said about sin, "we have spent enough of our past lifetime doing the will of the Gentiles" (1 Pet. 4:3). How true this is! Let's all make an effort to understand that we are wasting our time with sin! Sin will never bring us contentment! We've had enough sin in our lives! What we'll never have enough of is God!

"But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ... they shall run and not be weary" - Isaiah 40:31