We’ve been studying contentment this month at Ordinary, with a splash of flash. The apostle Paul has given some wonderful advice on being content in Philippians 4. But…

What happens…

• When the music ends…
• When the habit is forgotten…
• When the pressures of the season overwhelm me…
• When the sandpaper people scratch me…
• When I’m not sitting still at His feet…
• When I don’t think I will ever get this Christian living right…
• When I can’t make myself content even with all these lessons?

That, my friends, is when we need to remember Paul’s secret to being content:  I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). Above all else, remember this.

All things: We are ready to face anything.

Through Christ: as believers, we have Christ in us (Galatians 2:20) and resurrection power available to us (Ephesians 1:19-20). That resurrection power enables us to say no to sin and discontent, and yes to God!

Who strengthens me: We are self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency (Philippians 4:13 AMP). Our strength comes not from our own trying or striving, but from Christ alone. We wholly depend on Him for all our spiritual power.

The more time we spend in God’s word, the more we know Him. The more we know Him, the more we want to be like Him.

I watched my granddaughter demonstrate this so innocently one night. She was about six at the time. That night, there happened to be an “older” boy visiting. He was eight. Brooke had her young eye on him. She watched him drink milk, and suddenly she wanted some. He sat on the swing, and before we could blink, she was next to him. She kinda liked him, and wanted to do what he did.

Same premise here. We want to be more like Christ. We want to dig deep into His power, and be content in all situations. We want the peace that surpasses all understanding. So we’re gonna follow Him around (in scripture) and get to know Him.

And when we do, our contentment becomes more than just singing praises when we’re down. It becomes more than just a habit to be practiced on auto-pilot. It becomes a new way of life for us!

Until next week,

 

 

Lord, You sent Your Son Jesus to pay the price for my sins. For this I thank You. Because of Him, I have strength to do all things. Because of Him, I have peace and contentment. Because of Him, I can choose joy in all circumstances. Christ enables me to do this. Thank You, God! In Jesus precious name. Amen.

 

Linking up today with Holly Barrett, Equipping Godly Women, Blessed But Stressed and The Weekend Brew.

’Tis the season to be…stressed? Agitated? Discontent? We’re almost to Thanksgiving day, and then the countdown to Christmas will begin. Are you frazzled? Take a deep breath, and let’s see what can be done about that!

We’ve discussed discontentment and some reasons for it, as well as different ways to ward off the beast. We have discovered from the Apostle Paul that contentment is learned and can be practiced until it is a habit. This week we’ll delve a bit further into Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

“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 4:12 NASB

When Paul speaks of learning a secret, he is saying he has been instructed and initiated into mysteries he had not known before. Who is instructing Paul?

Jesus. How can that be, since Christ had already ascended to heaven? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 that he was “caught up to the third heaven…I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.”

And he also says this in the following verses:

Galatians 1:12 (NLT) “I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NASB) “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”

The word “appeared” in the original Greek conveys the idea of someone gazing with wide open eyes and looking at something remarkable.

Do you long to be there? Sitting at the feet of Jesus? Gazing into His eyes, and listening to Him teach? Learning how to be content in all situations? Learning the deep things of Christ? It’s possible, you know.

As followers of Jesus, we have Christ in us (Galatians 2:20 link). We also have His Holy Spirit who will teach us and help us remember (John 14:26 link). The deep secrets of God will be revealed to us by His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10), we just need to open our hearts and listen to Him speak.

Until next week,

 

 

 

Father, Close my mouth and open my heart to hear Your words, the deep secrets from scripture. I pray that my contentment comes from You and You alone. In Jesus name, Amen.

“But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” 1 Corinthians 2:10 NLT

 

Linking up today with Holly Gerth, Holly Barrett, Equipping Godly Women and Counting My Blessings.