Week 14 / FRIDAY SOME THINGS DON’T CHANGE I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (PHILIPPIANS 4:11) Contentment with what we have is worth far more than all the things we don’t have. The person living on the basis of merit is never content. One day he thinks he isn’t being rewarded fairly by God; the next day he’s afraid he has forfeited all hope for any reward. Far better to adopt the biblical attitude that grace doesn’t depend on merit at all, but on the infinite goodness and sovereign purpose of God. I would much rather entrust my expectations of blessings and answers to prayer to the infinite goodness of God and His sovereign purpose for my life than rely on all the merit points I could ever accumulate. With this emphasis on contentment, I’m not suggesting we should always be satisfied with the status quo in every area of our lives and not pray for or seek improvement. Remember, God by His nature is graciously disposed to give us all good things (Romans 8:32). But for all of us, there are certain things that simply aren’t going to change. In those areas, we must learn to be content, always accepting the fact that God doesn’t owe us something different. Frankly, I’ve had to struggle to learn this myself. God has given me a physical body that, in a number of ways, is less than average. He has given me spiritual gifts that lie largely outside the mainstream ministry of the organization I’m called to serve with. Neither of these circumstances is going to change, so I’ve had to learn to be content with what God has given me. I’ve learned this by focusing on two facts: He doesn’t owe me anything, and what He has given me was given by His grace alone.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 04:07:31 +0000
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