My Pathway to Contentment

Philippians 4:11-13

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.  I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.  I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

One day I voiced to my friend “I don’t know what happened or where time went, but I feel like I’m behind in life.”  There was so much that I had planned on doing by the close of my late twenties that had yet to be accomplished.  My friend and I talked through things and she was confident in the fact that I could complete everything that I had placed on my timeline.  A few weeks later I had the joy of having a conversation with someone I consider to be a big brother and my pastor.  He began to list the things that I HAD accomplished and the things God had protected me from.  I left his office and got to the car I began to cry.  I wasn’t sad for myself, but upset with myself.  That was the first time that I had REALLY looked at my circumstances.  You see in the grand scheme of things God has given me amazing opportunities and guarded me from making some of the WORST mistakes of my life.  Even in the mistakes that I made He was right there waiting for me to decide I was coming back to Him.  

                You see I understand this scripture all too well.  Many times we say that we are in need, when the reality is that there are things that we WANT and have not been granted access to.  Only God can look at the complete story of our life and tell us if that thing we really want is what we need.  Recently I received a reminder about the scripture above.  Many times we focus on the ending of the scripture as we yell and scream praises to God for giving us what we WANT.  In reality, you need the beginning of that scripture because you won’t always get what you want.  There are times that we ask for things that could kill us.  I’ve learned that lesson the hard way, but thankfully God was merciful.  I’m learning as I grow older the goal is not things.  It is to be content.  Now we live in a society that teaches it is not enough to be content, but I believe that we are acting from the wrong definition on content.

·         Content -- satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are

                Our goal should be to have a sense of satisfaction the way things are, however we slip into a state of complacence.  

·         Complacent -- contented to a fault with oneself or one’s actions

Contentment in itself is not the problem.  You can be content in your current situation and working towards the next thing God has given you.  The issues appear when you become complacent and believe that you in a place because of something you have done.  It is in those moments that you are so comfortable with where you are and what you are doing that you no longer want to move forward.  You stop in your tracks!  This comfort can come in having little or much!  It has been said that there are people that live amongst us that have a “poverty mindset”.  They have never been shown another way to live and therefore feel that it is the only way.  But can you imagine the fear that a person feels in moving from poverty to wealth.  The change could bring the person into avenues and situations they have never seen or imagined.  There are people amongst us that are self-made millionaires and billionaires that grew up with nothing.  Imagine not having anything.  Could you be content in that?  And then imagine over time you’ve earned your first hundred thousand dollars, and then half a million, and then a million, and then a billion.  Now for those millionaires and billionaires it could have been easy to remain at the first hundred thousand because it was the most they ever had.  How much courage and strength did it take to keep moving forward into new territory to get to that half a million, million, and billion? 

        You see God trusts those that can be content, and not complacent, in little.  That shows Him that He can trust you with much.  The goal is to move through each realm that God takes you to without taking your focus away from His voice.  He will give you things when He knows He can trust you to keep moving with His plan.  In the ten years that I have been on my own I have never NEEDED anything!  My needs have always been met, and so have many of my wants.  Was I content in every situation? NO!  Have I learned over the years to be content? ABSOLUTELY!  My contentment is a sign to God that I completely trust Him and believe what His word says.  He takes care of us whether we are living in His will or not because He is full of grace and mercy that flows freely to those that will accept it.

 

        In the end I want you to sit back and think about your current situation.  Are you content or complacent?  In the past, have you rested in contentment or complacency?  If you find that you have been or are currently in a place of complacency, then shift your eyes to the C-clause of the scripture.  You can’t get to contentment on your own.  In our own flesh we will fall short EVER time, but God is gracious enough to share his strength.  And as we all know, we can do any and everything through His strength!  So I charge you today to stop acting in your own strength (will) and use the strength He is offering you.  Step out of complacency and onto the pathway to contentment.  Oh and when you get to the path know that God will be there to walk with you.  Even if you can’t feel Him, He’s always there.

Blessings,

Divine

Instructions Included

                How many times has God spoken to you about something that He wants you to do?  I am talking about those things that make you think to yourself “He could have picked anyone, but He chose me…WHY!?!”.  We’ve all been there at one time or another.  Along with those lovely assignments you will also receive specific instructions on things that need to be done to ensure that idea or promise comes to fruition.  This can be the most rewarding yet awkward place in a person’s life.  On one hand you feel so privileged to be trusted to carry out the assignment that God has given you.  On the other hand you are terrified that you just might mess this up (or was that just my thinking…LOL)  

                There is a woman in the bible named…well actually her name is never mentioned.  She is only referred to by her affiliation with her husband, Manoah.   **PAUSE** As with any promise, the name of the person carrying the promise is not and should not EVER be the focal point.  IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR NAME! The focus is on the promise.  **PLAY**  Now Manoah’s wife was unable to become pregnant.  She wasn’t even able to hold on to the hope that she had become pregnant and was not able to carry the baby to term.  No, she could not become pregnant at all!  Have you ever been around a group of people and it feels like the Lord is talking directly to them about their purpose (the thing he has placed in them to birth out), and you can’t hear a mumble from the Lord let along a promise from him.  How discouraging is that!?!  I have even asked before “when will it be my turn.”  Selfish, I know, but oh so true.  Sadly to add insult to injury Manoah’s wife appears to have no identity without her husband.  (See Judges 13 as a reference)  Amazingly there is a lesson in this as well!  Our identity should be in line with that of God, so that when someone see’s the promise fulfilled they should only see God and His marvelous craftsmanship through you.   

                Well one fine day Monoah’s wife was granted a visit from an angel of the Lord.  This angel came to her and let her know that despite her past experience, she would become pregnant with a child.  Immediately following this proclamation were specific instructions on what exactly she was suppose to stay away from and what she needed to do after the child’s birth.  Now what I find interesting is that he strongly encourages her to follow the instructions, and later in the chapter reiterates those instructions to Monoah.  He simple tells Monoah “Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.” (Judges 13:13 NLT)  In the end it is her responsibility to follow these specific instructions to receive what God promised her.  

Now here is where it usually gets tricky for us.  God promised us a thing, and we feel as if He owes it to us no matter what.  (I’m not talking about you though because you would NEVER feel this way :) )  We think that if He said it, then it’s ours no matter what!  We neglect to understand that the instructions we receive are very important pieces to the puzzle.  If they are not followed to a tee the condition of the promise can be altered or null and void all together.  The instructions are not meant to control you, but to give the promise the needed conditions to develop properly and within the time frame that has been set.  Doctors recommend that women do not drink during a pregnancy because alcohol has the ability to delay/stunt a fetus’ growth.  That fetus only has 9 months to develop in the protection of its mother’s uterus.  Any foreign chemical could prevent the fetus from reaching its full potential.  

Not only would she become pregnant, but the angel promised that she would give birth!  He is giving you a guarantee.  All she has to do is trust Him, believe that which was spoken to her, follow the few instructions that she was given, and wait.  She had already waited for YEARS, what was another 9 months? So is that promise that you waited on, or still may be waiting on, worth the time and care needed to make sure it comes to term at its full potential?  Or are you so impatient after this long wait that you would forsake the instructions from the One who created the promise and placed it in you?  There is no doubt about it, the promise is yours!  However, there are instructions included.  You are not forced to follow them, but the Manufacturer suggests that you do so to reap the full intent from the promise.  He’s handed you a manual (your bible).  It gives you every possible instruction on EVERY life situation, conflict, and problem.  The question is will you stop long enough to seek the answer from the manual and the Manufacturer.  If you choose to take the time needed I can guarantee that the time you invest will be the best time you have EVER spent. In the end God chose you to carry this promise because He knew you could!  Don’t think for one moment that He made a mistake!  He’s there for you at every turn during your pregnancy and the birthing process.  Just lean on Him and know He made you for this very moment. 

Love & Blessings!

Divine