Elusive Contentment

Here are some excerpts from the opening pages of a devotional book I am reading entitled Contentment: Seeing God's Goodness by Megan Hill.

1. We start with Scripture. God's Word is powerful. In fact, it's the most powerful force in the entire universe. It turns the hearts of kings, brings comfort to the lowly, and gives spiritual sight to the blind. It transforms lives and turns them upside down. We know that the Bible is God's very own words, so we read and study it to know God himself.

2. Our study of Scripture is practical. Theology should change how we live. It's crucial to connect the Word with our struggles.

3. Our study of Scripture is worshipful. Fundamentally, any struggle with contentment and ingratitude is a worship problem. We've lost our orientation toward the One who should rule our lives, and we need to turn back to him. The Word points us to Christ, who rescues us from our plight and reorients our life. The goal of our time in God's Word should always be worship. As we grow in our affections for Christ, the King, we put to death our disordered desires and ungrateful attitudes, The power of a greater affection for Christ can transform our souls. We'll grow in contentment and gratitude as we fix our eyes on the cross. Adore Christ. Love him. Cherish him. Praise him. Honor him. Give your whole life to him. Don't hold anything back.

Candy's thoughts: I've often been amazed at the quickness of the Israelites to start complaining and whining about their circumstances so soon after their dramatic rescue by God from the hands of their oppressors in Egypt. They said such encouraging remarks to Moses as "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?" or "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you (Moses) brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!" Yikes!

And yet, here I sit, typing on my computer these words while being bothered by the dishes in the sink, the laundry sitting in its basket within my field of vision, and 10-12 "to-do" church and family items on my list for today. Oh, and there is no food in the fridge and it's almost lunchtime. How can I get all these tasks accomplished? The murmuring in my brain is getting louder and louder. I have lost track of the number of books and articles I've read on contentment in the last few years. I even taught at a weekend retreat for women on the book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs! And yet here I sit, complaining in my heart concerning my duties for the day. Have I learned nothing? YIKES!

Those of us living on THIS side of the cross have even less reason to be discontent than our Old Testament friends. We should know better. We have the perfect example of contentment in Jesus. Despite his to-do list of saving His people from their sins by living a perfect life, dying on the cross, and taking the judgment of God that we deserve, He chose to pray to His Father "...not my will, but yours be done."

Surely I (we?) have "...lost our orientation toward the One who should rule our lives and we need to turn back to him. The Word points us to Christ, who rescues us from our plight and reorients our life."

Oh dear Lord, please reorient our lives toward the Savior who brings us glorious peace. Amen.

Go to Sleep!!!

"Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves - but Jesus kept sleeping." Matt. 8:24

Spurgeon's thoughts: "What? A storm where Christ is? Yes, it is generally so. If all seems calm, you may question whether Christ is there, but when he goes into the boat and his disciples follow him, it is not remarkable that the devil comes after him. Jesus slept. Here is the weakness of humanity, and here is, also, the strength of faith. Jesus went to sleep because that boat was in his Father's hands and he would take care of it. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to go to bed. You are worrying and troubling yourself, and you can do nothing - go to sleep. It is the climax of faith to be able to shake off all care and to feel, "If the Lord cares for me, why should I not sleep?" To sleep was the best thing Jesus could do to renew his bodily energies and to prepare himself for the time when his efforts would be needed for the deliverance of his disciples from danger."

Candy's thoughts: I am a terrible sleeper. I have always been a night owl, and as I get older I am becoming an early bird as well. My Fitbit informs me that last night I slept between 1:21AM and 6:52AM - but I was actually awake for 22 minutes between those hours - for a grand total of 5 hours 9 minutes of actual slumber. Ahhhh - the wonders of technology that can confirm that I am one of those people that Spurgeon is referring to when he states: "You are worrying and troubling yourself, and you can do nothing."

Sigh. When will I learn this truth that Jesus loves me and that everything that He ordains for me is for my good and His glory? As I lay me down to sleep tonight I will try to preach the gospel to myself and be further comforted by Psalm 127:2b: "...yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves."  💤💤💤

Nuggets of Wisdom on the Internet

Say what you will about the dangers of the internet and social media (and there IS a lot that is negative and harmful 😟), but there are definitely many positive benefits as well. Any tool can be used for good or evil, and technology is not an exception. Enjoying pictures of newborn babies and wedding albums, having at our fingertips unlimited resources to study the Bible, the blessings of being able to Skype with missionaries in a foreign land, or reconnecting with long lost friends and relatives are but a few examples of how the internet can enrich our lives. I am often so thankful, then, to also discover precious gems written by people of faith who share their thoughts and prayers with all of us. I saw these two posts recently, one on Facebook and the other on Twitter, and find them beautiful, instructive, and inspiring. I hope you will too.


Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people,
A heart that forgives the worst,
A mind that forgets the bad,
And a soul that never loses faith in God.

*Unknown author


Lord,
I worry because I forget your wisdom.
I resent because I forget your mercy.
I covet because I forget your beauty.
I sin because I forget your holiness.
I fear because I forget your sovereignty.
You always remember me. Help me to remember you.
Amen.

*Tim Keller

What a Family!

Read Genesis 27:1-40 or click here.

Some people in my family like to take personality tests. While I am initially skeptical of answering what seem to be ridiculous questions ("Would you rather read a poem or shoot a gun? 😮), I am always surprised by the accuracy of the 'personality' type that comes from such questionnaires. I am judged to be an "obliger" in the Four Tendencies test;  a "helper" in the Enneagram test; and a "nurturer" in the Myers-Briggs test. I've often sulked about my labels - they sound so boring compared to the other more exciting titles like "The Performer," "The Champion," and my personal favorite, "The Mastermind." 😆

And so it was that while reading the "Stolen Blessing" chapter of Genesis 27, I managed to see the four family members through the lens of personality tests. It certainly seems to me that both Isaac and Esau are "Impulsive" and "Love to Eat" and Rebekah and Jacob are "Deceptive" and "Can Hunt and Cook Quickly."

As we know from Chapter 25, Esau sold his birthright because he was so hungry he was "about to die." Isaac decided one fine day that he was "old" and didn't "know the day of his death" (he survived about 40 more years) so he arranges for Esau to cook up a buffet feast and then he will bless his son. Rebekah, hearing this and wanting the blessing to fall upon God's chosen (and her favorite son), Jacob, instructs him to hurry and beat out his brother in feeding his father. Jacob lies to his Dad ("I am your firstborn") and pretends to have a hairy neck and arms. By doing this, he obtained the blessing intended for his brother.

What a family, huh?

This year I am using The Spurgeon Study Bible for my daily reading, and he writes this about these particular family dynamics:

"Why is all this recorded in the Bible? It is not to the credit of these men. No, the Holy Spirit does not write for the credit of man; he writes for the glory of God's grace." 

Spurgeon is presenting us with a very encouraging thought. If God can use a family with such obvious sin tendencies to further His plans for the salvation of the world, then He can surely use us as well, despite our funny and not-so funny faults. That's good news indeed for all of us who turn out to be something less than Masterminds. 😎