Seven Keys to Contentment

"I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content."-Phili 4:11

Contentment is a byproduct of following the Shepherd. It is experiencing the inner-peace that only He can provide. It is knowing that He will promote you at the right time. Contentment is the sense of satisfaction that comes to a husband and wife as they emulate the provision and care of the Shepherd to their own children. Contentment comes from serving Christ instead of money, and from providing not only financially for your family, but also emotionally, morally, and spiritually.[3]

How can such contentment be cultivated in our life? First Timothy 6:6-17 describes seven principles that promote contentment.

Principle 1-Remember that things are only temporary: "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and . . . we can carry nothing out" (1 Timothy 6:6-7). You cannot take it with you. There are no U-Haul trailers behind hearses.

Principle 2-Only seek necessities, and wait for the rest: "Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content" (1Timothy 6:8). We need shelter and the basic provisions of life, but everything beyond that is simply a great blessing. Whether it comes or goes is okay. God has said that all we are supposed to expect in life is food and clothing, so we should be happy with that.

Principle 3-Avoid a consuming desire for prosperity: "Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and . . . many foolish and harmful lusts. . . . For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith . . . and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

America has been fed a prosperity diet. You might say, "That is not me-I am not rich." If you own a car, you are rich. Ninety-five percent of the people in the world can't afford a car. Your watch and the clothes you have on are worth more than what hundreds of millions of people on earth have. Tens of thousands even starve to death around the world each year, but Americans regularly throw away super-sized leftovers.

Principle 4-Flee materialism: "Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness" (1 Timothy 6:11). Do you seek to accumulate possessions-or to grow in Christlikeness? Value what will count for eternity!

Principle 5-Cling to eternal life: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called. . . . Keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing" (1Timothy 6:12-14). We need a whole generation of people who are holding tighter to eternal life than they are to this world.

The writer of Hebrews says, "You had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven" (Hebrews 10:34). When those Christians were persecuted and their jobs and possessions taken away, they still rejoiced because their focus was on Christ.

If we're not careful, before long our possessions can possess us. They then become an anchor that holds us back. The care of riches clouds our mind from seeking the purity of Christ.

Principle 6-Fix your hope on God: "Command those who are rich . . . not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God" (1 Timothy 6:17). There is nothing wrong with wealth, but we are to recognize the danger of relying upon it. All that we own can evaporate as quickly as a blip on a computer screen. There are few things that are real possessions in this world. Through money, stocks, and bonds you are trusting that a company, a bank, or a government won't fail. But the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy, can never fail us-and our trust in Him is certain!

Principle 7-Give until it hurts: "Let them do good, . . . ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:18). The real cure for materialism is to give until it hurts! Giving "until it hurts" means giving at the cost of personal sacrifice. For example, the widow gave both of her mites, or all that she had (Mark 12:42-44). The woman who anointed Jesus broke the flask of fragrant oil and irrecoverably gave all she had to Him (Luke 7:37-47). Sacrificial gifts are especially important to Jesus.

Make a Choice to Live in Hope: The advantages of contentment are many: freedom, gratitude, rest, peace-all of which are also components of good health. Those who are content do not have to worry about the latest styles or what to wear tomorrow. Those who are content can rejoice in their neighbor's good fortune without having to feel inferior. Those who are content do not fret about wrinkles or graying because they accept what comes. Those who are content do not have to worry how they might buy this or that because they have no desire for this or that. Those who are content are not consumed with how to get out of debt because they have no debt. They thus have time for gratitude even in small things, and they have time for relationships because their possessions and the bank do not own them.

If what was just described seems beyond you right now, I encourage you to ask the Lord to help you move in that direction. In doing so, you will be choosing to live for what is eternal. Be content-willingly surrender all that you are and have to the Lord. Then faithfully fight the good fight of faith by laying hold on the eternal life to which you were also called.

Worship God alone

From the Old Testament in the Garden of Eden through today, and to the end of time, God says to all peoples: "Get away from the worship of this world!" Don't lay up treasures that when you leave home you are afraid something might happen to them. Don't have so many possessions that you cannot sleep if you forget to turn on the burglar alarm. Don't have so much stuff that you cut your vacation short because you have to get back to protect it. The care of riches is covetousness and idolatry. So the Lord says, "Give it to Me!"

Anything can be worshiped. Worship, simply stated, is "anything which captivates and draws us toward itself." Here are the most common examples plus questions to help you evaluate whether or not you worship something other than God.

Work Worshipers: These are workaholics who are so captivated by work that they are irresistibly drawn to work all the time. Can you give up your career and your goals in your field to the Lord if He calls you to change directions for Him?

Escape Worshipers: These persons want to escape reality by worshiping the effects of alcohol or drugs, and thus they become alcoholics or drug addicts. Can you completely stop taking whatever substances help you escape reality, and give your life to the Lord? If not, you worship the effects that substance gives you. The Lord says, "You cannot worship both that and Me."

Pleasure Worshipers: These may worship pleasure in the sensual realm, and thus become sex addicts, perverts, or burn with adulterous lust. Can you completely end all selfish sensual pleasure pursuits-pornography, fornication, sodomy, and adultery-and repentantly give those desires to the Lord to deal with in His perfect time and way?

Wealth Worshipers: These persons are drawn by the allurements of wealth and possessions. They may become like the materialistic, greedy, and selfish rich fool Jesus spoke of -one who only planned for prosperity, eating, drinking, and enjoying life. Can you completely give up your money, security, and power into the Lord's control? We cannot keep anything that we grasp onto-only what we give away will last forever.

Self Worshipers: These are drawn to the praise of man, and thus they are proud, inward-seeking, calloused, and unfeeling self-centered persons. Can you give up your pride, self-seeking, self-absorption, and self-focus to humble yourself, deny yourself, and take up your cross to follow Jesus?

The ultimate test of whether or not you worship something other than God is quite simple: Can you give it up today? When nothing satisfies you--you are on dangerous ground!

Restful Promises For Every Woman on Mother's Day

1.  For the mom who needs to know she isn't on her own:

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11
You are always God's Beloved. Especially on days you feel empty and poured out.  

2.  For the woman who longs for the comfort of a mom:

"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." Isaiah 66:13
Fold yourself into Him. God will hold you and stay with you. Confide in Him.

3.  For the woman who has left home or family to follow God's story in her:  

"I tell you the truth,"Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-- and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life." Mark 10:29-30
Sometimes we have to let go of our idea of family in order to become a part of a God's kind of family.

4.  For the woman whose heart longs for a voice to call her mommy: 

"He makes the barren in the house as a joyful mother of children."Psalm 113:9
God made you to be life-giving. He honors your pain. He will make something beautiful birth in you and bring life to others through you.   

5.  For the single mom, who is carrying the fears and emotional weight of parenting alone:

   When Hagar was abandoned by Abraham and sent away to fend for herself all alone in the wilderness with Ishmael, she cried out to God. God "opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave [her son] drink"  Genesis 21:19
God feels the fear in your heart when you feel overwhelmed by the need to emotionally and financially take care of you and your child and will come to your aid. He sees you. He will not abandon you.  He will take care of you both.

6. For the mom whose child has passed away or whose mother has passed away.

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.

I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4
God will carry us and will hold us as a father comforts and carries his daughter and son.

7.  For moms of all ages, who are letting go day by day -- to launch their children into the world -- whether they are five going to kindergarten, eighteen off to college in high school, twenty-eight to be married, thirty-forty-something starting their own families or fulfilling their lives in singleness.

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord... Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the [woman] whose quiver is full of them. They will not be ashamed." Psalm 127:3-5
Our children don't belong to us. They are a gift. That we open and offer back to the world by launching them, as arrows meant to fly and sing through the air, to go where God directs them to go. 

May these seven promises prompt some stories to rise within you. And may you share them with God in soulful conversation, with friends to confide in and keep you company during the day or night.

Spiritual Metamorphosis

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom 12:1,2)

First, notice that it is your responsibility to present your body to God. God will not do it for you.  You have to do it.  But Scripture doesn't leave us there.  We are shown how we are to do that in verse 2 above.

First, when it says, Do not be conformed, that word conform means to be pressed into a mold by outward pressures.  Instead of being conformed we are told to be transformed. That is actually the Greek word from which we get our English word metamorphosis. It means to let what is on the inside come to the outside.

One day many years ago, kids in our neighborhood came home from school with some silk worms. We were supposed to put them in a box and feed them mulberry leaves. I couldn't believe how many leaves these worms ate! They ate leaves until they turned a translucent green!

Then they wove cocoons and went through a metamorphosis. They went from being these ugly ol' fat green transparent worms, to the most beautiful fuzzy huge white moths. It was amazing to see!

My friend, you renew your mind by feeding on God's Word, the same way that those silk worms fed on the mulberry leaves.  As you are filled with His truth, it causes a metamorphosis to take place. It brings what is on the inside—God's nature—to the outside.

So feed on God's Word and watch your life be transformed.

Wanna taste Manna....?

The similarities between the Old Testament type, the manna, and the New Testament fulfillment, Jesus Christ, are striking. The pure-white manna descended noiselessly in the night without fanfare. The Christ child was born on a silent night without fanfare. The heavenly manna was to be gathered early each morning. Nine verses of this chapter refer to the morning. We are to seek the Lord Jesus not only early in the day (Psalm 63:1), but early in life as well (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

The manna was clearly a gift from God. Israel did not earn this bread; in fact, this murmuring lot didn't even deserve it. God's salvation is never earned or deserved. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). Manna was God's gift of life to the Israelites. Jesus Christ is God's gift of life to all mankind. Without God's gift of manna, the undeserving Israelites would have died. But without God's gift of Jesus Christ, the bread of life, all the world would be condemned to death.

Talk only...

As a follower of Jesus, here are some words that should come out of your mouth often. On a scale of 1 (not often) to 10 (very often), how are you doing in these areas verbally:

1)    Your testimony: The story of how you came to know Jesus.
2)    Gratitude: People and blessings you are very grateful for in your life.
3)    Affirmation: Letting people know their positive choices and talents.
4)    The Gospel: Jesus is the Savior who died for our sins and is alive.
5)    Healing: Words of life and hope for people who are suffering.
6)    Prayers: More than just thoughts, share your requests and life with God.
7)    Wisdom: Giving advice that is solid and honors God.

Overcoming Spiritual Inadequacies

Most people think of the disciples as stained-glass saints who didn't have to struggle with the faults and frailties of normal people. But they had inadequacies just like we all do. Seeing how Jesus dealt with them gives us hope that He can use us too.

One inadequacy common to all the disciples was their lack of understanding. For example, Luke 18 tells us Jesus gave them details about His future suffering, death, and resurrection, but they didn't understand anything He said (vv. 31-34). Jesus overcame their lack of understanding by constantly teaching them until they got it right.

Another inadequacy was their lack of humility. More than once they argued among themselves about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (e.g., Mark 9:33-37). Jesus dealt with their lack of humility by His own example. He likened Himself to a servant, and even washed their dirty feet.

In addition to their lack of understanding and humility, they also lacked faith. Jesus often said to them, "O men of little faith." In Mark 16:14 He rebuked them for not even believing the reports of His resurrection.

They also lacked commitment. Just prior to Christ's death Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him, and the others deserted Him. Jesus dealt with their lack of commitment by praying for them (e.g., John 17:15; Luke 22:31-32).

Finally, they lacked spiritual power, which Christ overcame by giving them the Holy Spirit.

Those are significant inadequacies, but despite all that, the book of Acts records that the disciples turned the world upside down with their powerful preaching and miraculous deeds. They were so much like Christ that people started calling them Christians, which means "Little Christs."

Jesus still transforms inadequacies into victories. He does it through the Spirit, the Word, and prayer. Don't be victimized by your inadequacies. Make those spiritual resources the continual focus of your life.

The Eyes of God

                     

                  Over and over, the Bible talks about the “eyes of the Lord” on us. What does that mean? And what difference does it make?

1. The eyes of the Lord are inescapable. Proverbs 5:21 tells us that “a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths” (See Proverbs 15:3 too)! God sees it all because He’s watching.

2. The eyes of the Lord are synonymous with what’s right and true. Deuteronomy 6:18 says, “And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you.” We read about Old Testament kings who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” and leaders who “did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” The eyes of the Lord are constantly gazing on us and moving us toward what is good.

3. The eyes of the Lord are focused upon and attentive to His own. While God sees everything that happens on your block, He has a predisposition to fix His attention upon what’s going on in the lives of His children and to extend loving care toward us. 1 Peter 3:12a says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer.” Because you love Christ, God pays attention to you in a special way.

4. The eyes of the Lord are searching for people to bless. God is looking for people on whom to show His favor. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” He’s flat-out looking for people who want to experience His strength. He’s never tired of picking out His children in the crowd.

5. The eyes of the Lord are provoked to grace when He observes a righteous person. Genesis 6:8 says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. What a great challenge; what a great promise. I hope that when God sees you and me, He says Get more blessing over to that child; He loves My Son! And help her; she’s following My way.