ELUSIVE CONTENTMENT

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Contentment.

Ask yourself, are you?

Or has that “state of mind” become elusive?

Oh, we think we have it and then our circumstances shift and like sand leaking from between our fingers, so then does our “contentment”.

It can be frustrating huh?

I think it may stem from how we define contentment and where we go looking for it.  I mean if you lean on WEBSTER you find that contentment is defined as:

…satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.

Pay close attention to that little definition.  

It says contentment means “I am satisfied”.

It infers that I am not seeking it; not “chasing” it. It infers that I am not wanting or longing for the next thing, the next HIGH, the next deal, the next “whatever”. 

It says “we just have it”.

And we do.  

We just sometimes don’t realize it.  

Every day I work with folks who are still seeking contentment, chasing after it but not realizing they are running on a treadmill if they are looking to or in this world for it.

The simple truth friends is that real contentment is only found in JESUS. And while many of us would say, “yeah, duh”, not many of us rest in that truth.

Billy Graham said,

Our sense of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life increases, no matter what the circumstances, if we are in the center of God’s will.

No chasing.

No need.

GOD is already here always.

Jesus put it this way…

Matthew 5:5 (MSG)

You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less.

Jesus paused to remind us that He made us, gifted us, equipped us, has our back, is walking with us, helping us, sticking up for us, and providing for us. 

What more could we need?

Nothing, right?

And yet contentment still can seem elusive.

So, let’s do this.

Embrace Jesus as your source of contentment this morning.  

He isn’t being evasive no need to chase.

…. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.  Philippians 4:12-14 (MSG)

For:

We are never more fulfilled than when our longing for God is met by His presence in our lives. - Billy Graham

I love you all…

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE

SO LONG SADNESS

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Spent about an hour or so yesterday with a sweet lady who in a word was just “sad”. Don’t need a more flowery description or need to try to paint a more vivid picture, she was sad.

Circumstances and frustration had drained her. Funds were short and so were fuses at her home. She suffered a devastating loss just a few months before and the fog had not yet lifted. Life had gotten heavy and she wanted relief. It had become virtually impossible to eke out even slimmest grin. She was perpetually teetering on tears. 

But life has a way of doing that to all of us, doesn’t it? 

It can drain us, upset us, confused and confound us. 

Its circumstances can make us sad. 

Have you been there before? 

Maybe you are there this morning.  I will admit, I am a little.

Life has taken its measure or exacted its toll and you too are feeling sad?

Can I give you some good news?  

Good news I shared with her? 

GOOD NEWS I am sharing with myself? 

If we HOLD ON, smiles are coming! 

Psalm 30:5 (MSG)…The deepest pains may linger through the night, but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning. 

See?

Friends TRUE JOY comes from the LORD and it is supernatural, strengthening and CIRCUMSTANCE-PROOF!

Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)

…the joy of the Lord is your strength.

JOY is found in Him always!

Even when circumstances dictate otherwise.

And we can celebrate that!

Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! 

Philippians 4:4 (MSG)

So, even when we are “sad”, GOD still says be GLAD!  And GOD reminds us that WE (those who are IN HIM and WITH HIM) always have reasons for gladness, that we are literally circumstance-proof; that even during hardship, we can purposefully CHOOSE to live with joy. 

In fact, GOD even promises to equip us! 

Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

…the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

This affirms that we have fail-safe access and a way to turn tears of sadness into joy and gladness!

Therefore, let's circumstance-proof ourselves today with the strengthening tonic of JOY! For while difficulty, may be inevitable, God's truth is un-shakeable and it WILL circumstance-proof us! 

So-long sadness! 

Hello gladness! 

The Lord is my strength and my safe cover. My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. 

So, my heart is full of joy. I will thank Him with my song.  Psalm 28:7 (MSG)

I love you all!

Be blessed today.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE

GOD DELIGHTS

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

It is a crazy season, isn’t it?

Agendas.

People desperate for power.

Corruption.

Confusion.

Misplaced and mistimed words and actions.

Such a fight between BLUE and RED and all the while the “RED WHITE AND BLUE”, that NATION under GOD INDIVISIBLE is not so much.

I will be the first to say I am not deeply political.  My lens of life tends to focus below the political line.  Addicted folks have more to manage than party affiliation.  My denominator tends to fall a little lower most days.  Life and death often supersede Democrat or Republican ties.

But I stumbled onto a little devotional from Steven Scott recently and was re-introduced this this passage:

Jeremiah 9:23-24(NKJV)

Thus says the Lord:

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

Go back and re-read it.

It gives some CLEAR instruction as to how we are to handle this season whether you are decked in blue or if you like the fella in the bright red tie.

We are not to get preoccupied with the wisdom of man.

We are not to be enamored or intimidated by their perceived power or in their wealth.

Rather our charge is a simple one.

We are to spend our time getting to know GOD better.  

Period.

Seek Him.  All the other stuff will “take care of itself”.

Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. – Proverbs 16:1 (MSG)

For when we know and seek Him we find HIS delight.

Simple interpreted, we are to remember that GOD is GOD.  

That’s it.

GOD will EXERCISE what GOD chooses to EXERCISE.

Be it:

Loving kindness.

Judgement and righteousness.

It’s up to Him and Him alone.

Our job in my opinion is to embrace that truth and to UNDERSTAND that.

Yet unfortunately…

“Most Christians salute the sovereignty of God but believe in the sovereignty of man.” ― R.C. Sproul

Like I said, I am not a political guy, but with a week to go before we “seemingly bestow” power to the “next one in line”, let’s all take a step back and perhaps shift our focus.

Perhaps is to a good time to turn off FOX NEWS for a second or to give a break to Rachel Maddow and the other left-leaners and open our ears and heart to the WILL of GOD; to stop just saluting His sovereignty and TRUST it instead.  

We MORTALS do make all sorts of plans, but GOD indeed does have the last word friends.  Solomon uncovered that little nugget well before we needed to be “great again” or well before we could be “stronger together”.

Therefore, let’s just strive to know GOD better today.

For:

“When God is our Holy Father, sovereignty, holiness, omniscience, and immutability do not terrify us; they leave us full of awe and gratitude. - Zacharias

And it is in that, GOD delights.

  

I love you all

Be blessed today.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE