Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash
I wrote and published the blog post “What Does Contentment Really Mean?”. In it I wrote that being content doesn't mean settling for the consolation prize. Being content is being in a place of extreme satisfaction. Being content in Christ has nothing to do with our emotions or our stuff. It is resting in Him knowing that He will provide everything that we need materially, emotionally, or spiritually even if we don't like the situation or circumstances.
When Paul wrote;
Philippians 4:11-13 NIV I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
he was saying that he had made the choice to rest in the security of a trusting relationship with God. He didn't say that he was happy in every situation but that he knew by faith that God was with him and would provide for him.
Hebrews 13:5 NIV Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Sometimes we have to accept the place and circumstance where God has placed us even if we don’t like it. Although we accept where we are and are content there it doesn't mean that we’re happy.
If that’s where you are today then don't be afraid to tell God that you're not happy where you are but that you trust Him. Tell Him that you trust Him because His word says that even though He has you in a rough place you know that:
Romans 8:28-30, 38-39 NIV And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When Paul wrote;
Philippians 4:11-13 NIV I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
he was saying that he had made the choice to rest in the security of a trusting relationship with God. He didn't say that he was happy in every situation but that he knew by faith that God was with him and would provide for him.
Hebrews 13:5 NIV Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Sometimes we have to accept the place and circumstance where God has placed us even if we don’t like it. Although we accept where we are and are content there it doesn't mean that we’re happy.
If that’s where you are today then don't be afraid to tell God that you're not happy where you are but that you trust Him. Tell Him that you trust Him because His word says that even though He has you in a rough place you know that:
Romans 8:28-30, 38-39 NIV And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Photo Credit: Creative Commons - Dee Brestin
Accept Where You Are And What God Is Doing
From the YouVersion Bible Reading Plan Hope In The Dark by Pastor Craig Groeschel and Life.Church from his book, Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not. (Emphasis mine)
It’s not denial. I’m just selective about the reality I accept. — Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
Sometimes, even when we remember all that God has done for us, it doesn’t change our circumstances. Sometimes we just have to accept that it’s beyond our understanding right now and just keep going. But we must also realize that acceptance is not denial.
When you accept what God is doing, you don’t simply stuff your feelings down and let your heart die, even as you’re practicing your smile in the mirror and memorizing Bible verses. When you accept that God’s up to something that you can’t see or understand right now, you don’t just roll over and play dead and resign yourself to despair. No, you keep praying for a miracle from him unless he tells you otherwise. But you don’t pretend that everything is okay when clearly it’s not.
Habakkuk certainly couldn’t pretend and keep his head in the sand. After he questioned God and the Lord responded by telling him that he was going to use the wicked Babylonians to destroy Israel, Habakkuk said, “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled”
Habakkuk 3:16-18 NLT I tremble inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord ! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
His response is visceral. You know that sinking sensation you get in your gut when something bad happens that’s beyond your control? That’s what Habakkuk was facing.
When Habakkuk accepted reality while waiting on God, it wasn’t denial. It was faith. Not faith that God would do what Habakkuk wanted God to do. But faith in God’s character. Habakkuk goes on to say, “The sovereign hand of God is doing something here. God has spoken, so I’ll accept whatever he is doing, as difficult as that may be for me.”
Sometime, something is going to happen that you don’t like. It may be happening right now.
You remember what God has done. You accept what God is doing. You trust what God is going to do.
Psalms 42:5 NLT Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and
Psalms 33:20-21 NLT We put our hope in the Lord . He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
RSS Feed