Paul writes in Philippians that he is content in all things. At this point in time he has been beaten several times, been shipwrecked, and now was sitting in a prison. Where and how did he find this contentment? He found it in knowing that his life was in the hands of a sovereign God. God had provided peace in him, a peace that cant be received from this world. During this time he pressed on with what landed him in these spots to begin with. For us , we have everything at a push of a button. It is a microwave society. Our friendships, relationships, churches, ministries and jobs are all disposable for us. If we arent happy with something we just walk away. We complain about any little thing that goes wrong. We dont stop and think about it but maybe a few seconds before its on to the next thing. So, I have to ask the question. Is this contentment we show? I would have to say, no. If we are truly content with our lives we would be thanking God for the opportunities He has given us in this life. Our lives are not for ourselves but to serve Christ, share the Gospel and help others. Now, if we are of the world then we would be serving ourselves and this isnt an issue. We can go about our lives of complaining and bouncing from one thing to the next. But we are not of the world though we may live in it. We are believers who live in a fallen world that desperately needs to see that Christ is enough to satisfy all our needs. In Him we find true contentment and a true peace. Jesus said He would give us a peace but not as the world knows it. A good test to determine if you are truly content is to look at your prayers. Are your prayers full of complaining to God or filled with thanksgiving? There is nothing wrong with making a request to God about something. Paul in this letter tells us to ask but he place a key word in there, with thanksgiving. Just prior Paul says rejoice. Rejoicing in my mind is the opposite of complaining. It is through this thanksgiving that you will see that God has truly met all your needs and in that you can rejoice. Then you can begin to see true contentment in your life. For me over the past 2 years or so I have found contentment in my situations. They maybe less than ideal. I still have my passions and hopefully one day God will allow those. But it hasnt always been that way. I have watched dream after dream shattered. Every time that I land Bayflite, I watch my dream get out of the cockpit. I wanted to be that man, I wanted to be a Bayflite pilot. It was just one of many dreams. I wanted a different life but God wanted something else for me. Once I began to see that I am where He wanted me, I found that peace and contentment. When I found this peace, something else became apparent. I began to see lost, hurting people around me and their needs. The focus came off self and Christ centered things. So my encouragement is to rejoice in your current situation. Knowing that God has allowed you to go though this time or season for a greater purpose that you may never get to see this side of Heaven. 10 years ago, I sat in a Christian coffee shop that use to be a long standing neighborhood bar of all things. I heard a message that taught me that you may not see what God is doing this minute but in retrospect you will. The message was about Ruth. That night I stopped fighting God for control and began the slow process of finding the true peace and contentment that Paul talks about having in his life. I should mention that the first step is placing your faith and trust in Christ who died for the sins of all mankind, if you havent already. The process begins as by you asking God for forgiveness of all your sins and turning away from the things of this world. He will place in you a new heart and a new set of values. The best part it is free and the work has already been done for you. You just have to accept and believe. that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved ; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. - Romans 10:9-11 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. - John 14:27 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.- Philippians 4:6-7 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity ; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. - Philippians 4:11-12
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 18:35:19 +0000
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