Trust Brings Contentment

Each day that goes by God continues to show me more reasons why He places trials and tribulations in the lives of His children. If everything in life were a smooth and easy path with no bumps along the way, there would be no reason to trust God through anything. Can you imagine what life would be like if we didn’t have to wait for anything? God has ordained that we walk through difficult times so that we may draw closer to Him. He uses those circumstances to grow faith in our hearts and to remind us that He fits all things together even when we cannot see it!

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14- “Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.”

As we learn to trust God in all things, contentment will become an act of worship. The soul worship of God is to be content with what He gives. When we humbly yield to God’s plan and purpose for our lives, He is pleased, and most of all, He is glorified! How wonderful it is to think about the fact that our lives can bring worship to His Holy name! When we give all our questions to God, when we don’t grumble about the past or become anxious about the future, when we place our tomorrows in God’s hands, we are free to wake up every morning and say, “Lord, this is the day that You have made. Show me ways I can glorify You in it!”

Let's read through Philippians 4:11-13 one more time….

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

As we journey through life day to day, let’s remember Paul’s example of contentment in the Lord and ask God for help when temped to grumble or complain about His chosen portion for us!

Content with My Role

Do you believe that God is the Blessed Controller of your roles? Has He given His best to you?

Jesus said, He came not to be served but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). He asks you and me to live our lives with the same purpose. Jesus humbled Himself and took the role of a servant. He used His assigned role to minister to those around Him and to give the ultimate gift of His very life.

If we want to be ones of contentment, we must choose to acccept our portion, our assigned roles from God. We must make the choice to dwell on the positive aspects of our roles in life. If we don’t, we’ll be discontent, always wanting something different from what we’ve been given.

We’ve been given a trust. We’ve been entrusted with many things: our natural gifts, our spiritual gifts, our financial resources. Our greatest role in life is to trust God! In His sovereignty, He has said it is in this role that we can best glorify Him. Will you trust that your assigned cup and portion come from His loving hand? Will you choose to use your role as a place to serve others?

Let’s pray and ask God to help us!

Hope you all have a blessed weekend! Check back on Monday for more on contentment! =)

Content to Be Me

Psalm 139:1-5, 13-16, 23-24- “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me….For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them….Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me (verse 1). Every aspect of David’s life was searched out and controlled by what God knew. God was intimately acquainted with all of David’s ways (verse 3), even before He created him. David said God’s knowledge was so complete that it was as if He has scoured every detail of David’s life. God knew David’s actions, but more incredibly, He knew his thoughts.”

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (verse 14) Have you ever thanked God for His loving supervision of your creation? Have you praised Him for creating your personality? Can you say with David, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made?" When God fashioned us in our mother’s womb, He embroidered us with great skill. If we are displeased with our physical form, we’re really arguing with God. God wants each of us to praise Him for His workmanship in creating us.

“I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God’s thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, and most precious thing in all thinking.” –George MacDonald

God has a plan- a purpose- for each life: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them (verse 16). The Almighty Creator of the universe has a prepared purpose for us to walk in. He created us because He had a plan for us to fulfill. How loved and unique we are! All of our abilities and disabilities were created to fit the unique plan God has. Every circumstance we encounter God is using to do what He desires in and through us.

“God created our inmost being and fashioned us in our mother’s womb so that we might be equipped to fulfill the plan that He set out for us even before we were born. Who you are is not a biological accident. What you are is not a circumstantial accident. God planned both for you.” –Jerry Bridges

In Ephesians 2:10 we read, that you and I “are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” When we’re not pleased with the talents, gifts, and abilities that God has Sovereignly placed in our lives, we are not convinced that God is the blessed controller over ALL things.

“God invited you to cooperate with Him to form the canvas of your life. If you yield to His artistry, the character of Christ will be reflected through the picture of your life. Stand back and look at the picture. What do you see reflected? Do you see the character of Christ, or do you see frantic activity? Do you try to paint with colors of character or colors of accomplishment?”

Let us remember that our inward character is our adornment (1 Peter 3:3-4)!

Content with Circumstances

Most of us can categorize our lives in both positive and negative ways. We could write a glowing list of the positives in our lives, and could then write a list of all the sobering negatives. Both the lists are most likely true, but our view of each list should be different.

How do you categorize your life? Let me encourage you to list the positives and negatives in your life and then let’s ask ourselves, which list do I spend the majority of my time dwelling on?

“Two women looked through prison bars
One saw mud the other saw stars”

When you look at your two lists, is your gaze looking down at the mud or is it lifted to the stars?

I’m sure that every one of us, at some point in our lives, has been in/are in circumstances that appear to be prison bars. God wants you and me to learn to be content in the “prison bar” circumstances because after all those circumstances are what God has Sovereignly ordained we walk through so that we may draw closer to Him. How do we learn to be content in those circumstances?....

We learn in Philippians 4:11 about Paul’s contentment “in whatever circumstance.” In the beginning of chapter 4 Paul describes our part and God’s part. First, our part, “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Basically what that verse says is, don’t worry about anything, instead, pray about everything and tell God all your needs.

When confronted with negative circumstances, we have a choice: Will we pray about the problem or will we worry about it? As I’ve recently learned, when we make the choice to pray instead of worry, we will personally experience God’s peace (God's part- Philippians 4:7). What a promise! Let’s learn to take our thoughts captive and dwell on the positive!

“Beware of what you dwell on for that you shall surely become” – Ralph Waldo

Today let’s choose to give our anxieties to God, choose to pray sacrificially, choose to be thankful, and choose to dwell on the positive! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

My Journey to Contenment

Recently I’ve been doing a study on contentment out of Linda Dillow’s book, “Calm My Anxious Heart”. I've been freshly provoked as I think about the many things in my life that at times, I’ve failed to find contentment in…Please join me over the next couple weeks as I expound on what I’ve learned in the areas of finding joy and contentment in the midst of all God ordained circumstances. My prayer is that through the posts you’re encouraged as we embark on a journey to contentment together, finding God as our blessed Controller over all things!

Philippians 4:11-12- “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In every circumstances, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Just looking at Paul’s life shows us how amazing these verses truly are. Paul lived a life full of anything but positive circumstances. He wrote them while imprisoned in a dark, dreary dungeon. He was chained, he was lonely. I’m sure he wondered if all he had done to serve Christ really mattered. Paul’s life was anything but perfect and controlled; yet he said, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” Amazing!

“I know of no great simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things that happen to us that do not belong to our lovingly assigned “portion”? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty? Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are canceled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter. A quiet heart is content with what God gives.” – Elizabeth Elliot

The following is a list provided from the study. Practicing them has helped me tremendously in my daily fight to grow in contentment though ALL circumstances. Let me encourage you to do the same. It is difficult at times, but as we read out of Philippians, we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us and God’s grace is ALWAYS there to pick us up when we fall and fail to recognize the GOOD in our circumstances…

-Never allow yourself to complain about anything- not even the weather.
-Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else.
-Never compare your lot with another’s
-Never allow yourself to wish this or that has been otherwise.
-Never dwell on tomorrow- remember that [tomorrow] is God’s, not ours.

At all times, in all circumstances, Christ is able and willing to provide the strength we need to be content!

Father, I thank You that You are Sovereign over every situation and circumstance that go on each and every day. I pray that you would grant me the grace to find You as the blessed controller over all circumstances. In every situation may I be one who points my gaze to the cross, and just as Paul did, learn to find contentment in the most dreary circumstances in life.