THE ELUSIVENESS OF CONTENTMENT

1 Timothy 6:6 Now, godliness with contentment is great gain.

As I went into my regular praise and worship during morning devotion, these words came out of my mouth and surprised me, even as I spoke them… “Thank you Lord for giving me contentment.”

Huh??? I’ve had a wonderful life; been HAPPILY married to the love of my life for 40 years; lived in beautiful homes which I thoroughly ENJOYED , but have not always been CONTENT.  So, happiness and enjoyment are NOT contentment?  Nope, I am living proof that one can be happy, enjoy life and still feel that something is missing.  There was always that little “something” that was waiting just over the horizon; the missing “piece” that will complete the puzzle of my life; Oh the ELUSIVENESS OF CONTENTMENT.

In the United States, the “Land of Plenty,” CONTENTMENT seems to have been deleted from our thinking, state of being and even our lexicon.  We are constantly challenged to “chase the American Dream.”  We may not even be sure what the “American Dream” is but we join the chase because we want our “slice.”  

Print and Social Media, television and radio add huge revenues to their bottom line by convincing you that “you will be happy, filled with joy or find contentment” if you buy this, experience that or travel there. Then we discover AFTER we buy “this,” a better, newer “this” has just been introduced; the “experience” wasn’t all “that” and our travels were a temporary “high,”  that has left us with empty pockets, in debt and more DISCONTENT than before.

So what is CONTENTMENT?  Why does it seem to be so ELUSIVE?

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need; for I have LEARNED, in whatever state I am, to be content.

In Philippians 4:11, Apostle Paul tells us that CONTENTMENT is a LEARNED BEHAVIOR.  He goes on to declare that he has lived humbly and with plenty; knows what it feels like to be hungry and at other times be full, but whether in need or abounding, he has LEARNED to be content.  Well, SORRY PAUL, but I can’t just “THINK” myself CONTENT…I need a HOW and a WHY…give me something more.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have, for He has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.

The writer of Hebrews instructs us to CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOR and STOP SPEAKING about all that we DON'T have; BE CONTENT with what we DO have.  LEARN TO BE CONTENT!!!  Here is the HOW AND WHY…Get your FOCUS on an important TRUTH , “God will never leave you or forsake you.”

CONTENTMENT BEGINS WITH THANKFULNESS!!!  Look around you, what could you do without and still be happy; you might surprise yourself…I have.  Listen to people who have “lost it all” in a fire, a flood or a storm, what is the first thing they say?  It is usually how thankful they are to BE ALIVE, then to have their family safe. We have all heard the interviews and the same line repeated over and over, “Things can be replaced.” 

CONTENTMENT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT GOD IS YOUR SOURCE.  Too many times we look to our employer, our investments or even the government as the “source of blessing.”  SERIOUSLY???  No wonder CONTENTMENT is so ELUSIVE.  Companies close their doors, Investments are actually just RISKS, that sometimes win and other times lose, and the Government can’t even manage itself let alone your life.  ACKNOWLEDGING GOD as your source opens the door to PERSONAL CONTENTMENT.

CONTENTMENT IS ALL ABOUT SURRENDER.  When you finally come to the place where you can exchange your dreams and plans; your will, for God’s dreams and plans according to His Will, you have reached the PLACE OF CONTENTMENT.  The striving for position will no longer drive you because you have assurance of your POSITION IN CHRIST.  The constant search for the “next best thing” will no longer hold your interest; you possess the PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.  Surrender even erases worry and stress as you embrace GOD’S THOUGHTS OF A FUTURE AND A HOPE, FOR YOU.

Well now, maybe CONTENTMENT IS NOT SO ELUSIVE after all.  It’s YOUR choice; you decide…CONTENTMENT over UNFULFILLED DESIRE…CONTENTMENT over EMPTINESS…CONTENTMENT over UNCERTAINTY. 

CONTENTMENT can be yours today; BE THANKFUL, ACKNOWLEDGE GOD and SURRENDER.

THE JOY OF THE MOMENT

Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes.  Yet many shouted aloud for joy.

Have you ever been in the middle of the darkest moment of your life?  Actually, maybe you are looking at Life lying in broken ruins all around your feet.  THEN SUDDENLY, you find yourself laughing at the most inane memory.  God has just provided a little JOY FOR THE MOMENT.  Life is made of MOMENTS and moments pass but each one contains just a little bit of JOY, if we allow God to enter the moment with us.

Finally, the time had come, after 70 years of captivity, unable to worship in Jerusalem, as commanded; in the second month of the second year, the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord.  What a time of rejoicing.  Ezra 3 records that the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets and the Levites with cymbals.  They sang responsively, praised and gave thanks to God.  Oh the joy, the Israelites, once again could worship in Jerusalem. 

Ezra 3:8 tells us that Levites, 20 years and older, were appointed to oversee the work, so there must have been many young Israelites who were born in captivity and have never had the opportunity to travel to Jerusalem to worship or celebrate the Jewish feasts and had certainly NEVER witnessed the glory and splendor of the first temple.  They had heard the stories of Solomon’s dedication of the Temple, when the fire came down from Heaven and consumed the sacrifice.  They tried to picture the moment when the Glory of God filled the Temple, so much that the priests could not even enter to perform their duties.  How they longed for THEIR MOMENT, their chance to minister before the Lord; in the Temple; in Jerusalem.  TODAY, was a new beginning; a time of hope; a time of expectation; a time to rejoice…the foundation of the Temple was in place.

BUT…not everyone was under 70.  Some had been there; they had ministered before the Lord in Jerusalem; they had seen the Glory of the first temple and they could not rejoice.  Ezra 3:12 tells us that the “Old Men who had seen the first temple, WEPT WITH A LOUD VOICE.”

WHAAAAT???? Where’s the celebration; the fireworks; the jubilation; the cheers?  You have returned from captivity.  The foundation has been laid; hope is alive and you are CRYING because it isn’t “Yesterday’s Blessing?”  The “Old Men” had fallen into the iron jaws of the “I CAN’T SEE WHAT I HAVE BECAUSE MY EYES ARE FOCUSED ON WHAT I DON’T HAVE” TRAP.  They’re MOURNING OF THE PAST was causing them to miss the JOY OF THE MOMENT!

What about you?  Ever fallen into that same trap?  I have.  Too often I’ve missed the “party;” the time of rejoicing because my mind couldn’t get past “WHAT WAS NOT!”  I was MISSING THE JOY OF THE MOMENT because I was MOURNING THE PAST OF WHAT HAD BEEN. 

Perhaps your life has changed and you find yourself at a place, not of your own choosing.  Life wasn’t supposed to turn out this way; you had it all planned.  You see no “glory” in your future; at least not as glorious as past events.  Maybe you are encountering health issues, the loss of a career, a loved one, or even a ministry.  Possibly, like me, God is taking you into a new season.  And instead of “walking forward in happy anticipation,” God is “dragging you, kicking and screaming” as you desperately cling to the remnants of the joyous prior season.  BELIEVE ME when I say, “your refusal to let go of the GLORY OF WHAT WAS will blind your eyes to the JOY OF THE MOMENT.”

Open your hands, LET IT GO!!!  Ask God to OPEN YOUR EYES to the blessings He is preparing for you TODAY! 

REJOICE AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE! The old “building” may be lying in ruins but God has just finished “laying a new foundation.”  Put on your “Garments of Praise;” grab that tambourine and shake it; it is time to celebrate…you may have judged that your new situation will never be as glorious as the old but if you will make the choice to join the “party,” you will FIND THE JOY OF THE MOMENT.

GOOD, GOOD FATHER

Psalms 107:9 For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.

“You’re a good, good Father,” the first line of this song plays over and over in my head as I meditate on God’s goodness to me over my life and especially the last month. 

Sitting in my cozy new home, I am overwhelmed by peace and contentment.  Oh yes, there are still boxes to go through, possessions which have not yet found their place and a big box for all the things I have found I really didn’t need after all.

We are closing on our old house and turning the keys over to its new owner on Wednesday and I am amazed at how God has gone before us and given us a smooth path to walk every step of this transition…I think HE MUST have a plan.

So with a heart full of awe and thanksgiving, all I can say this morning is, “You’re a good, good Father; it’s who You are, it’s who You are.  And I’m loved by you; It’s who I am, who I am.”

NEVER FROM YOUR PRESENCE

Exodus 33:15 If your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

I’ve taken a few days off to just soak up and bask in the Presence of God.  I’ve returned excited, refreshed and with new vision and determination.  Even sleeping in my own bed with my favorite pillow cannot supersede the peace and comfort I feel in the Holy Ghost, this morning.

In my mind, the Sunday Service dismissal prayer from my childhood still echoes, “Bless us all Lord as we leave THIS place but NEVER from your Presence.”  Isn’t that a beautiful thought?  We go about our day after our morning devotions, we go home after a particularly powerful altar-time at church or we come home from camp meeting with the “Glow of His Presence” still shining on our face because we NEVER have to leave HIS PRESENCE!

In Exodus 33, God and Moses are having a talk regarding the mission that lies ahead.  Moses reminds God, “You’ve told me to bring you this people, but you haven’t bothered to let me know who you are going to send with me, where we are going or how we are gonna get there. Maybe you could let me in on a few details.”

God tells Moses, “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.”

This morning I echo Moses’ reply, “IF YOUR PRESENCE DOES NOT GO WITH US, DO NOT BRING US UP FROM HERE!”

Is that the cry of your heart this morning?  It is my cry, “Lord, if your Presence isn’t with me, I don’t want to go!” 

Whatever your day may hold, stay under the “Shadow of His Presence.”  Have a blessed day.

So we have left Camp Unity until 2017, BUT NEVER FROM HIS PRESENCE. 

Have a blessed day.

IT’S A NEW SEASON

Psalms 1:1-3 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor sits in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the laws of the Lord and in His law, he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper.

Was it really just 5 years ago, we were facing one of the most brutal, bewildered storms in our life.  We were battered, bruised, dazed and all alone.  We felt forgotten and unloved.  We had no home to go to and no idea where that home should be.  Three minister friends, Ruth Harris, Dorianne Murdock, and Al Gossan reached out to us to assure us that we were not forgotten or unloved and were welcome to worship with them, if God led us to their area.  Believe me we have NEVER forgotten your love and kindness to us during that dark season.

Well God led us to Grand Blanc, MI, (I still am not sure why), gave us a beautiful home and awesome neighbors.  The “Cloud of His Spirit” has hovered over this location for almost 5 years but NOW…..the “Cloud” has moved and Steve and I will walk into a new season.

It is a season that we look forward to with great excitement.  It is a season full of possibilities and many, many unknowns; but then again that is the way the future is meant to be because it is in the unknown that Faith in God and following the leading of His Spirit becomes our focus.

So as we enter this new, exciting season, we say goodbye to Len and Stephanie and Ray and Kathy.  Thank you for being awesome, loving, supportive neighbors.  Thank God for FB, we will stay in touch.  And we say hello to all the wonderful, new people God is going to bring into our life.

Seasons are just that; SEASONS.  They last for the exact length of time God has set to accomplish His will in your life and then He leads you to the next chapter in His plan.  If you are going through a rough season, keep praying, keep following a step at a time, God is doing a work in you.  If you are going through a wonderful, happy season, keep praying, keep following a step at a time, God is giving you a breather and restoring your strength because exciting things lie ahead.

We serve a Good, Good God.  He is the God of the Mountain, the God of the Valley and the God of every season.  Have a blessed day, today and REJOICE!

ALL FIGURED OUT

Proverbs 16:19 A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

We all have those wonderful people in our life who THINK they have life “all figured out.”  You can just feel their beady little eyes peering down their nose at your own chaotic, merry-go-round of a life.  They can barely keep the disdain from seeping out as they let loose a fountain of advice.  And sometimes you wonder, “Am I the only one who just can’t get it together?”  Every time I see a hint of blue sky, a storm cloud moves in and strong winds scatter my puzzle pieces all over the floor…and believe me, they’ve been stepped on multiple times.

Well here is a little secret that those “life together/figured it out people” don’t want you to know…IT IS JUST A FAÇADE or at the most a temporary situation.  It never fails, just when I start to fit the last puzzle piece in place, ready to lean back and say, “finally, it's finished,” God says, “Here is a part you forgot to finish” and hands me another pile of confusing pieces.  Most of the time, He doesn’t even let me see the box, so I can at least envision the finished picture. BUT, that doesn’t mean, I have to put the pieces together alone.  Oh no, if I will invite Him to join me, He directs my hand to the right piece and helps me fit it in perfectly.  It is only when I think I can finish the picture on my own or change the picture to fit my ideas; when I think I have it “all figured out,” that I get in trouble.

Luke 12:18-19 So he said, “I will do this, I will pull down my barns and build greater and there I will store all my crops and my goods.” And I will say to my soul, “Soul you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry.”

Luke 12 relates a story of a man who finally had life “all figured out.” He had spent his life working hard, had spent his money frugally and was now ready to rest.  The final piece of the puzzle was in his hand and he was ready to finish the picture.  After all, what could be wrong with enjoying the fruit of his labor?  He would get the barn built and spend the rest of his life pursing pleasure…He would finally get to experience all the things he had dreamed of all those years.  BUT, he forgot to ask God to be involved…God, however, had not forgotten him or the finished picture; He had planned for the “barn builder” from the beginning.

Luke 12:20 But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then who will those things be which you have provided?”

OOPS!!! Not the words he wanted to hear.  “The best laid plans” etc, etc, etc.  How differently the ending of the story could have been, IF ONLY…IF ONLY, he had consulted with God; IF ONLY, he had not spent his life pursing temporary happiness; IF ONLY, he had placed his hope in things eternal…IF ONLY!

The ending of my story has not yet been written and my puzzle is still unfinished, surrounded by many confusing pieces but years ago I surrendered the pen and the box to Jesus Christ.  He sees the finished picture and is writing the beautiful ending. 

So, peer down your nose with pity at my life or look me straight with eyes of pride at your own life, I am not afraid to admit, “I DON’T HAVE IT TOGETHER!”  And I don’t have to because I not only desire God to DIRECT MY STEPS but I am asking Him to also put His plan, complete with the ending in my heart.

TRUST, DO GOOD, DWELL, AND FEED

Psalms 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.

I read and reread Psalms 37:3, several times today.  The last line, “feed on His faithfulness,” keeps bringing me back to this chapter.

Psalms 37:1 Do not fret because of evildoers nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

Verse 1 begins, “Do not fret because of evildoers.”  Talk about Prophetic!!! The Psalmist could have been watching the evening news.  It seems there is one story after another, blatantly or with underlying evil.  The world is turned upside down…right is wrong, wrong is right and you had better just accept it!!!  But the true Child of God cannot accept the wave of ungodliness that is sweeping across the country…SO WE FRET!

If you turn off the news, you are faced with the evildoers in your own family or the evildoers that dwell among your own congregation…Yes; the devil is one of the most faithful church attendees and he also likes to join your Thanksgiving gathering.  Unless you wrap yourself in a “prayer blanket” cocoon, evil is inescapable; it permeates the atmosphere…SO WE FRET!

WHAT IS A BODY TO DO??? Read and obey Psalms 37:3…

TRUST in the Lord…STOP, looking to Presidential Candidates to fix things, become your provider or even “make America great again.”  KNOW in whom you have believed and BE PERSUADED that He is able to keep all that you have committed to Him…TRUST IN THE LORD!

DO GOOD…So what, if some don’t believe…DO GOOD!  So what, if they laugh at the “ark” you are building for your family…DO GOOD!  So what, if you are considered intolerant and old-fashioned…DO GOOD!  So what, if you are shunned, ignored and stepped on…keep DOING GOOD!

DWELL in the land…About that “prayer blanket,” use it frequently; wrap yourself in prayer but it IS NOT a cocoon…come out from under the blanket and DWELL IN THE LAND!  The “land” needs the LIGHT to help guide them back to the right path.  You must shine the light, so DWELL IN THE LAND!

FEED on His faithfulness…God hasn’t left us to flounder and finally drown in the cesspool of this world.  He is a PRESENT help in time of trouble and He is FAITHFUL.  It is in the knowledge of His faithfulness that we can draw strength to keep on walking; to endure to the end…FEED ON HIS FAITHFULNESS!  Don’t lose heart, it isn’t a lost cause, Jesus has a “table spread,”…FEED ON HIS FAITHFULNESS!

God has a great reward waiting for all who will TRUST, DO GOOD, DWELL AND FEED…He’ll fight the battle and you can enjoy the “last laugh.”

Psalms 37:6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday.

WE WIN!!!