Living in Contentment

As we live in the presence of God, and enjoy the still, quiet moments of our devotion time each day, then our schedule, to-do lists and responsibilities fade into the background of our mind.

Cleansing our soul and life, of dead works and all negative emotions, enables us to freely hear God's voice. Unhindered by the destructive influence of the devil's lies, we walk in the Spirit. ( www.theophostic.com )

Continually praising God for His provision in our life teaches us gratitude for what we have, which overshadows our longings for what we do not have. We learn contentment at His feet (Philippians 4:11).

While we praise God for who He is, for His blessings and for His perfect plan for our life, we consult Him throughout our day and hear His will for each moment of our life (Proverbs 3:5-6).

This way, when work deadlines, emotional turmoil in our family, rushed schedules, slander and false accusation, and a lack of fulfillment in our life all upset our sense of stability, we have God's Spirit to return our soul and spirit to peace and rest (Hebrews 10:4).

Once we learn to live in the gratification and fulfillment, which walking in the Spirit afford us, we never go back (Galatians 5:15-25). If life pulls us from the shelter of God's wings, we scurry back under the shadow of our Almighty God (Psalm 91:1,4).

We accomplish more in our day under the instruction of God's Spirit than by the direction of all of our lists, calendar reminders and sticky notes. The light of God's Son brightens each step of our way (John 14:6).

Prayer:

Father God, draw us to Your side and never let us go. Wrap us in Your everlasting arms and help us to experience the contentment of living in Your presence (Deuteronomy 33:27). Lead us to accomplish Your will, rather than our will, for every moment of our day.

Remind us to look for divine appointments to share Your love with people we meet. Help us never to look past someone who may need Your light in their life, simply because we are too busy. Our days are numbered, and we want to live each one of them in the center of Your will (Job 14:5; Psalm 39:4).

Thought for the Day:

As we contentedly dwell in the Kingdom of God and seek His will for each moment of our life, God provides for all of our needs. - Luke 12:31-32

Our Identity in Christ

Our comprehension of who we are in Christ influences our thoughts, words and actions. If we have little knowledge of our identity in Christ, we will rely more on our human identity to describe who we are: our personality, occupation, family status, achievements, interests and church ministry.

When we recognize who we are in Christ, however, we gain a whole new perspective on our worth and our place in this world (Colossians 3:3-4). We have the power, love and mental stability of God’s Spirit (2 Tim 1:7); we are sanctified, and blameless from false accusations (Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 2:11); we are living stones in Christ’s spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). 

We are God’s beloved children, holy and acceptable to Him, chosen because of what Jesus did for us (Colossians 3:4, 12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4). Jesus brings us out of the darkness of sin and into His glorious light of righteous living (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Christ in us expresses Himself through our life (Colossians 3:3-4). We partake in His heavenly calling for our life (Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 3:1).

Christ lives in us and we no longer need to strive in this world, because we are dead to it and its temptations (Colossians 1:27, 2:11, 3:3-4). God’s Spirit deepens our roots in Christ, so we can flourish in our relationship with Him (Colossians 2:7). Christ in us completes us and is our whole life (Colossians 1:1-4, 2:10-13).

Prayer:
Father God, As Your own private possession, we daily thrive in Your presence (1 Peter 2:9-10). We come boldly before Your throne in any time of need (Hebrews 4:16). We are aliens and strangers in this world, which is our temporary dwelling place, because we are actually a chosen race, a royal priesthood and Your holy nation. Your give us the divine nature of Christ, through which we live each moment of our life on this earth (Galatians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:11; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 4:10; 1 John 3:1-2).

Thought for the Day:

God saves us and sets us apart as His church and bride, because He loves us.

- 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 5:25; 1 John 4:10

When You Try Your Best

Read: 1 Peter 2: 22-25

“For even Christ didn't please himself. But, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." – Romans 15:3

Have you ever gone out of your way and invested your time to help someone, only to have them turn your efforts into accusations against you? You give them your best, you go the extra mile, you bend over backwards to help them, and then it blows up in your face. If you did something wrong or from the wrong motive, you could take responsibility for it and apologize. But, when no unwholesome word came out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need (Ephesians 4:29), and you are misunderstood, then there is no justice in their behavior towards you.

You can take courage and solace, however, in the fact that you are in good company (Matthew 27:39). Jesus was falsely accused, scourged, spit upon, kicked, forced to carry a heavy cross in his weakened physical state and hung by nails upon a cross until He died (Isaiah 53:7). He did not deserve this treatment. He did nothing to earn it by His behavior. Yet, He was bruised and abused for His goodness and kindness to everyone He met (1 Peter 2: 22-25).

In Matthew 5:44-46, Jesus tells us how to relate to people in this type of situation,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and  pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like  your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors  do the same, don’t they?”

There is a higher calling for Christians. When we are falsely accused, unjustly blamed and misunderstood, we do not need to adopt a negative attitude or to strike back against the person(s) who berated us. Paul commanded that the Thessalonians (5:15) make sure that nobody paid back wrong for wrong, and he encouraged them to always try to be kind to each other in the Body of Christ, as well as to everyone else around them. Paul admonished the Romans (12:17), not to repay anyone evil for evil, but to be careful to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

We can, however, take a step back from the friendship or relationship in order to prevent any further misunderstandings and abuse. We do not need to repay insult with insult, but simply explain our actions and share our feelings calmly and without accusation.  We can bless those who accuse us, because we are called to take the higher ground. If we do, we will receive God’s blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us not to pay back a wrong done to us, but to wait for You to deliver us instead (Proverbs 20:22). Help us to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:28). Help us to work hard to help others; but when we are cursed, help us to bless; and when we are persecuted, help us to endure it (1 Corinthians 4:12).

Thought for the Day:

The real tests of courage is to remain loyal, even when we are falsely accused; to endure hardships, even when no one notices; and to stand alone, even when we are misunderstood.

To Judge or Not To Judge

Read: Job 34:5-11

"Brothers, if someone is overtaken by a fault, you who are spiritual should restore him gently" (Gal 6:1).

A person reprimanded me the other day for daring to say that I thought it was good to point out our blind spots to one another. He inferred that pointing out blind spots requires a judgment, and that we should leave that to the Lord. He implied that it is God’s duty to point out blind spots, because that was the most effective way to bring about change in someone’s life.

If this was true, then we would have no doctors or counselors in this world, and no teachers or overseers in the Body of Christ (Hebrews 13:17). There would be no older women teaching the younger (Titus 2:4). There would be no teaching and admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16). We would leave all the healing and instructing for God to do.

Many people quote the verse, “Judge not, lest you be judged (Matthew 7:1).” If they would continue reading, they would find, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”

These verses actually encourage us to correct one another. They tell us to “remove the speck from our brother's eye.” If you ever had a speck in your eye, you know how good it feels and how grateful you are when someone removes it for you. But first, these verses caution us to clean up our own act, before we start giving advice to other people. They also warn us that we will be judged by the same standards by which we judge others. This reminds me of what President Harry S. Truman gave as a warning, “If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen!” In this case, if you can't take advice, don’t give it; if you can’t handle correction, don’t provide it.

‎In Job 34:4 Elihu said, "Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good." I love to learn together what is true and right and pleasing to the Lord. I feel so blessed when someone “mothers” me, even when they “smother” me with words of instruction and correction. I usually respond with a sarcastic, “Yes, Mother!” Then, I always encourage them to keep it up, because I know they only speak to me like this because they genuinely care about me.

In Galations 6:1, Paul encourages us to point out our blind spots to one another, "Brothers, if someone is overtaken by a fault, you who are spiritual should restore him gently." That word “gently” is very important. Rather than beating people over the head with the Bible, we can ask them what their motivation is for their behavior, then instruct them using scriptural advice.

Sometimes, people misinterpret our words or actions and they falsely assume we have a faulty motivation for it. I do not mind someone pointing out my faults, but I despise being falsely accused. I already do so many things wrong that to be accused of what I did not do, only discourages me beyond hope! In Job 34:5-11, Job says the same thing. He points out that he is innocent, but he gets no justice. He tells the truth, but he is considered a liar. He informs us that the feeling of contempt for him among his family, friends and neighbors is as plentiful as water. Did you ever feel this way? Eternity will tell the whole truth about our life, unvarnished by what anyone else thinks about us.

In John 8:15-16, Jesus said that human beings judge by human standards. He made it clear that He passes judgment on no one; but if He does judge, His decisions are right, because He stands with the Father who sent Him. That is why it is so important for us to judge with righteous judgment, once our heart is pure and as tender as softened butter. God calls us to discern according to Biblical principles rather than to pass judgment according to our own prejudices or opinions.

Jesus says, “Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” He gives us an example here of how we should correct each other, by helping our brothers and sisters to stand in righteousness. Judging with derision and contempt, correcting with condescension and pride, or rejecting someone due to their choices in life is certainly wrong. On the other hand, discerning a fault and correcting, admonishing and encouraging one another is a noble effort. Timothy is another Biblical author that encourages us to correct one another. He simply advises us to use great patience and careful instruction with love when we do so (2 Timothy 4: 2).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Job concludes his speech in Job 34:5-11 by saying that You are our judge. You repay a man for what he has done and You bring upon us what our conduct deserves (Lamentations 3:39). We do not need to be concerned about another person’s opinion of us. You have mercy on whom You will have mercy, and compassion on whom You will have compassion (Exodus 33:19). I am so glad that we can rely on your grace, and that Your love covers a multitude of our sins (1 Peter 4:8).

Thought for the Day:

“Those who mind, don't matter; and those who matter, don't mind.” - Dr. Seuss