"He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
What great love the Father has shown to us! "He demonstrated His own love for us in while we were still His enemies Christ died for us." ( Romans 5:8)
These verses cause me to praise and be hopeful and happy despite what life looks like at the moment.
God is the hope that does not disappoint. Life is filled with disappointments and struggle. Sometimes our circumstances can cause us to lose hope and let our countenance fall, so to speak, rather then live like we share in our Saviors abundant joy. At least I know that I do not always live like Jesus came that I may have life and have it to the full. I can trace it back to discontentment. Lydia Brownback had an interesting observation about Romans 8:32. She asks: Can we be content if part of the "all things" includes some withholding? For the daughter of God, any withholding is itself a provision, and we experience it with joy when we know that the withholder love us.
So what has God withheld from you? A job? A house? A husband? Children? A certain desired ministry? Financial security? Health?
Remember the withholder is the Lover of our souls. He sent His only Son to purchase us to be a people for His own possession. He is Our all in all, in Him we have everything and He is Good. Sisters,we know it! We have tasted it, now let us savor it and look to the future with joy. A joy that is sustained even in times of suffering and loss (because they will come) because we have a sure hope in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Showing posts with label Contentment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contentment. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Contentment
I have recently begun to go through a devotional by Lydia Brownback called, Contentment: a Godly Woman's Adornment. Contentment can only be attained if our delight is in God alone rather then the futility of fleeting pleasures here on earth. And much to my shame I am in a constant battle with my flesh to be content, which reveals to me that too often I am distracted by and attracted to this world and what it has to offer - hence the reason I need to go through a devotional on contentment!
I should be content in all circumstances just like Paul said he had learned to be. Whether I am experiencing a time of great prosperity or a time of great need and trouble God is with me and with that should come great joy and contentment. Which means I need not feel guilty in a time of plenty but can instead rejoice in the God who has given it and allow others to share in it. It also means that when times are tough I should never have a pity party and be angry, but rejoice in the God who supplies all my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
I want to be a women whose total delight be in God, not a finished home, a husband with a secure job, perfect health, well behaved children or flourishing ministry.
Lydia Brownback says: if we will trust God in whichever place we find ourselves, we will know contentment whether the season is easy or hard. We will know contentment whether the season is easy or hard. We will find peace in the hard times because a good Father is controlling them, and we will not be anxious in good times because our happiness is not bound up in having to maintain them. Good times are designed to come and go, but contentment is designed to be constant for all who are in Christ.
So I cry out with the Psalmist:
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to meditate in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
Oh, to be content with this!
I should be content in all circumstances just like Paul said he had learned to be. Whether I am experiencing a time of great prosperity or a time of great need and trouble God is with me and with that should come great joy and contentment. Which means I need not feel guilty in a time of plenty but can instead rejoice in the God who has given it and allow others to share in it. It also means that when times are tough I should never have a pity party and be angry, but rejoice in the God who supplies all my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
I want to be a women whose total delight be in God, not a finished home, a husband with a secure job, perfect health, well behaved children or flourishing ministry.
Lydia Brownback says: if we will trust God in whichever place we find ourselves, we will know contentment whether the season is easy or hard. We will know contentment whether the season is easy or hard. We will find peace in the hard times because a good Father is controlling them, and we will not be anxious in good times because our happiness is not bound up in having to maintain them. Good times are designed to come and go, but contentment is designed to be constant for all who are in Christ.
So I cry out with the Psalmist:
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to meditate in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
Oh, to be content with this!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A Prayer For Contentment
I often use the book, Valley of Vision during my Bible reading/prayer time. This little book is helpful in that it gives me much to meditate on and quite honestly is continually used by God to draw me deeper into communion with Him and is often what I need to pray through. Today I would like to share one of those prayers that just left me thinking and agonizing over with God in my spirit.
Heavenly Father,
If I should suffer need, and go unclothed,and be in poverty, make my heart prize thy love, know it, be constrained by it, though I be denied all blessings. It is thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants, for by these trials I see my sins, and desire severance from them. Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations, if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil. and be delivered from it with gratitude to thee, acknowledging this is the highest testimony of thy love. When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin, he became more dear to me than sin had formerly been; his kindly rule replaced sins tyranny. Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued I must not only labor to overcome it, but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it, and he must become to me more than vile lust had been; that his sweetness, power, life may be there. Thus I must seek a grace from him contrary to sin, but must not claim it apart from himself. When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch, but in Christ I am reconciled and live; that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest, but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace; that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good, but in Christ I have ability to do all things. Though now I have his graces in part, I shall shortly have them perfectly in that state where thou wilt show thyself fully reconciled, and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely, with sin abolished. O Lord, hasten that day.
Heavenly Father,
If I should suffer need, and go unclothed,and be in poverty, make my heart prize thy love, know it, be constrained by it, though I be denied all blessings. It is thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants, for by these trials I see my sins, and desire severance from them. Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations, if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil. and be delivered from it with gratitude to thee, acknowledging this is the highest testimony of thy love. When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin, he became more dear to me than sin had formerly been; his kindly rule replaced sins tyranny. Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued I must not only labor to overcome it, but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it, and he must become to me more than vile lust had been; that his sweetness, power, life may be there. Thus I must seek a grace from him contrary to sin, but must not claim it apart from himself. When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch, but in Christ I am reconciled and live; that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest, but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace; that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good, but in Christ I have ability to do all things. Though now I have his graces in part, I shall shortly have them perfectly in that state where thou wilt show thyself fully reconciled, and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely, with sin abolished. O Lord, hasten that day.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Frugality and God’s Grace
I am not a frugal person. If the subject were being discussed, I might say that I aspire to be a frugal person, but upon examining myself I believe that for the most part, I’d really just like to be known as a frugal person, while still being able to make purchases at my whim and with little regard to wisdom. (As such, though, you cannot accurately say that I’m frugal - you can accurately say that I am prideful. But that is for another discussion!) However, I have been observing some people around me and I have noted how some people actually are blessed with frugality! My sister in law Leila is very frugal. She is an inspiration to me. Other people that come to mind are my mother in law: Ruth, as well as my husband Ryan, his two brother’s Randy and Rick, and his sister Rebecca.
Now isn’t that strange? My mother in law and all four of her offspring have this enviable quality. Not only that, but I have seen in her and her sons a contentedness with simple living with no regard to their financial situation. (I do not mean to exclude his sister in this, but she is much younger and only lived outside of her parent’s house for a short time. So I haven’t had time to observe her as much.) As I look at their lives I see lived out the heart attitude of Paul who said in Philippians 4: 11-13 “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 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. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
I have seen all 5 of them live in prosperity and in lean times, and they all show forth a heart of contentment and faith in God who both provides and blesses in whatever measure is best. This is such an example to me as I struggle with contentment and covetousness sometimes even in the best of times! Also, I am encouraged as a mother because I see how my mother in law was able by God’s grace to live out and instill these qualities in her children! What an encouragement to press on in my witness to my children and training of them, all under the covering of prayer to my Sovereign and merciful Lord Jesus!
Another thing that gave me a chuckle was a memory from one of the first times I had ever met my husband’s mom and the striking resemblance that the memory has to a current situation with my husband. First the memory: Ryan and I had only recently met and were spending time together at his parent’s home (over 14 years ago!). His mom walked into the kitchen with a lovely shirt on, which I complimented. She replied to me, “Thank you! Would you like to have it?” Needless to say, I was taken aback. She was not joking, though. She was serious. She would have gladly given me (literally) the shirt off of her back, if I had so desired it. Second, the present situation: Ryan and I have some cabinets in our garage that we offered to my sister, all of which we had intended for use in our kitchen, but circumstances prevented that and so they were still in their boxes, unused. However, there were a few of the cabinets that we had been able to use in our garage for Ryan’s work bench, which I did not offer to my sister. Ryan heard my sister and I discussing the cabinets and the possibility that we would not have enough to meet their needs, when he offered up his own cabinets to my sister, if that would help out. So I had to laugh to myself… he might as well have said, “Would you like my shirt?”
In this, I see the work of God in His grace! I see how God has granted that my mother in law has trained up her children in frugality, contentedness, and generosity as well! Praise God for He is ever at work in subtle ways in those around us!
Now isn’t that strange? My mother in law and all four of her offspring have this enviable quality. Not only that, but I have seen in her and her sons a contentedness with simple living with no regard to their financial situation. (I do not mean to exclude his sister in this, but she is much younger and only lived outside of her parent’s house for a short time. So I haven’t had time to observe her as much.) As I look at their lives I see lived out the heart attitude of Paul who said in Philippians 4: 11-13 “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 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. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
I have seen all 5 of them live in prosperity and in lean times, and they all show forth a heart of contentment and faith in God who both provides and blesses in whatever measure is best. This is such an example to me as I struggle with contentment and covetousness sometimes even in the best of times! Also, I am encouraged as a mother because I see how my mother in law was able by God’s grace to live out and instill these qualities in her children! What an encouragement to press on in my witness to my children and training of them, all under the covering of prayer to my Sovereign and merciful Lord Jesus!
Another thing that gave me a chuckle was a memory from one of the first times I had ever met my husband’s mom and the striking resemblance that the memory has to a current situation with my husband. First the memory: Ryan and I had only recently met and were spending time together at his parent’s home (over 14 years ago!). His mom walked into the kitchen with a lovely shirt on, which I complimented. She replied to me, “Thank you! Would you like to have it?” Needless to say, I was taken aback. She was not joking, though. She was serious. She would have gladly given me (literally) the shirt off of her back, if I had so desired it. Second, the present situation: Ryan and I have some cabinets in our garage that we offered to my sister, all of which we had intended for use in our kitchen, but circumstances prevented that and so they were still in their boxes, unused. However, there were a few of the cabinets that we had been able to use in our garage for Ryan’s work bench, which I did not offer to my sister. Ryan heard my sister and I discussing the cabinets and the possibility that we would not have enough to meet their needs, when he offered up his own cabinets to my sister, if that would help out. So I had to laugh to myself… he might as well have said, “Would you like my shirt?”
In this, I see the work of God in His grace! I see how God has granted that my mother in law has trained up her children in frugality, contentedness, and generosity as well! Praise God for He is ever at work in subtle ways in those around us!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Counting my Blessings
Wednesday morning was… unique. I woke up edgy and as the early morning unfolded I found that I was continually fighting to be patient and kind to those around me. On the agenda for the day was a trip to the airport to drop off my mother, who was going to visit my sister in Utah. Her plane was supposed to take off at noon and the airport is about a half an hour away, so we needed to leave (at the very latest) an hour and a half early. In an unusual show of preparedness, we decided to leave two and a half hours early. When we got out to the mini-van, we found that it had a flat tire. I mean entirely flat. (I knew I should have picked up that screw I saw in the driveway the other day!) I spent fifteen minutes unsuccessfully trying to air up the tire enough to drive it to a auto repair place, only to have my mom and my 3 sons walk down to the corner repair shop, while I drove the van really slowly down the alley to meet them there. By the time I drove the 100 feet to the repair shop on the corner, my tire was entirely off of the rim. The gentleman informed us that this wasn’t “fixable”; that we had to drive 2 blocks to the tire shop in order to have it replaced in any reasonable amount of time (that is: within a day). I really didn’t want to ruin the rim but he assured me that if I drive very slowly and put on my hazards that it should be alright. (Apparently this unique combination of driving slowly with your hazards on protects the rim of the tire.) So, my mom and the boys walk the 2 blocks to the tire repair shop and I drive slowly (with my hazards on) to meet them there. I pull the van ever so gently into the parking lot and talk to the owner who informs me that I need to drive the van down their gravel filled alley and around to the back of the shop so that they can replace the tire. (Did I mention that I am essentially driving on just the rim?) I could hear every crunch of gravel digging into my rim and could picture all the potential damage that was being done to it. I imagined the man telling me that I’d need to replace the rim as well as the tire, by the time I got around to the back of the shop.
So when I got the van to where they wanted it, they pulled out the car jack. One guy had to lift up on my van just to get the jack into place because it was riding so low. The rim was bunged up a bit, but it was only cosmetic scuffs and dings, etc., so they repaired the tire. Meanwhile, the owner pointed out how poor the condition of the other rear tire was and convinced me to get that tire replaced as well. So they start fixing the other tire. At this point the owner says, “You weren’t planning on paying with a credit card were you? Because my machine is down and I’m only accepting cash.” As a matter of fact I was planning on paying with a credit card and don’t carry any cash. So he kindly told me I could walk 3 blocks away to an ATM so that I could get cash. He would not let me leave my mom and my boys and drive my van up to get the money. So I ended up jogging barefoot (due to the fact that I was wearing floppy sandals) to the ATM to get the money and back. I was winded but paid for the van and off we drove to the airport with two new-ish tires. Guess how long this adventure set us back? One hour. So as I was driving away I had to stop (mentally) and praise God for all the blessings that I could see in this experience (and for the ones that I can’t see, too)!
So when I got the van to where they wanted it, they pulled out the car jack. One guy had to lift up on my van just to get the jack into place because it was riding so low. The rim was bunged up a bit, but it was only cosmetic scuffs and dings, etc., so they repaired the tire. Meanwhile, the owner pointed out how poor the condition of the other rear tire was and convinced me to get that tire replaced as well. So they start fixing the other tire. At this point the owner says, “You weren’t planning on paying with a credit card were you? Because my machine is down and I’m only accepting cash.” As a matter of fact I was planning on paying with a credit card and don’t carry any cash. So he kindly told me I could walk 3 blocks away to an ATM so that I could get cash. He would not let me leave my mom and my boys and drive my van up to get the money. So I ended up jogging barefoot (due to the fact that I was wearing floppy sandals) to the ATM to get the money and back. I was winded but paid for the van and off we drove to the airport with two new-ish tires. Guess how long this adventure set us back? One hour. So as I was driving away I had to stop (mentally) and praise God for all the blessings that I could see in this experience (and for the ones that I can’t see, too)!
- Praise God that He moved us to decide to leave an extra hour early
- Praise God that the tire went flat in my driveway rather than on the freeway at 70 mph
- Praise God for the great attitude of my mom who accepted with contentment the possibility that she might miss her plane and miss out on her visit with my sister.
- Praise God for the attitudes of my sons who saw the flat tire experience as an “adventure”
- Praise God that He provided the money for the repairs just that morning before we knew of the expense
- Praise God for the new tire repair place being so close to our house so I didn’t have to drive the car far or pay to get it towed
- Praise God for my health and fitness which allowed me to be able to walk (or jog, as it were) up to the ATM
- Praise God for my mom’s and my children’s health and fitness that they were able to walk to the repair shops (thus taking a bunch of weight off of the rim of the tire)
- Praise God that we were able to get the whole situation taken care of and we still managed to get my mom to the airport in time
- Praise God for the new found appreciation of planning extra time “just in case”…
There are so many more praises to be said, but God knows them all. This situation was a big reminder of the grace of God in our everyday lives. May the Lord help me to praise His name all the more in every situation!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wants, Contentment, and God’s Perfect Plan
My husband is a carpenter. Up until recently he had a great paying job for a union company. He was getting 40 hrs each week and things in our little “financial world” were looking good. But not quite two months ago, Ryan was laid off because his company didn’t have enough work for all of their employees. Ryan has been applying at different union contractors, but they all seem to have a shortage of available work. This change in Ryan’s employment may be temporary but it shows us how quickly our finances can change, which in turn causes us to be wary of any future plans which would increase our expenses such as house sales, and purchases, etc. We have a nice house that we’ve been fixing up in hope of selling (and moving far away from our current neighborhood) with dreams of building our own home… the DREAM home. I had given much thought and spent long hours planning and dreaming about where we could build, what lot to purchase, what type of house to build, which floor plan to choose, etc. So as I look over our current situation and then look to the future, I must consider the possibility that my worldly dreams may never come true. Why do I mention all of this? Well, because God is using this time and these particular “trials” to show me what’s in my heart.
Let me just say right up front that God is providing for our needs. Our bills are paid each month and we are well fed. We have many encouraging friends who pray for us and show Christian concern and brotherly kindness all the time. Yet I see in my heart a sadness at the prospect of giving up my dream of moving and building our dream house, along with the pleasant feeling of a steady (if not inflated) income. I know in theory that God’s plan for us is what’s best but it’s times like these when our application of those truths is tested that I find myself less than joyfully accepting of God’s will. I am sure that one reason God has brought these trials into our lives is to show me my heart and it’s idols, so that I may tear them down and offer up my whole self (including my desires, dreams and plans) to the Lord for His glory. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though.
I spend so much time thinking “wouldn’t it be great if…” or “I would love to…” that I have to pull back and re-orient myself to the present tense. I need to spend less time dreaming about what could be (in the “American dream” sense) and more time being thankful for the things that are. I need to start really believing in my heart, not just in my words, that whatever God gives to me is the absolute best thing for me and that whatever He withholds from me, is because it was NOT good for me (at least not yet). I also need to be careful to not focus on the future too much, thinking that I know how God will work out my tomorrow based upon what’s happening today. Today, God may have said “No” but that doesn’t mean that He’ll always say “No”. He gives me the best thing for today, which may not be the best thing in two years. I need to trust Him to work out the details and to do it all well. I need to take seriously the call to keep my eyes focused on heavenly things and my feet firmly grounded in today, for each day “has enough trouble of its own”. Matthew 6:33-34
Let me end with the thought that reassures me. If God is so excellent as to plan something as wonderful as salvation for a person so undeserving as me, then He can certainly be trusted to work out a wonderful and excellent design for my daily life. Or, to put it another way, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. So though I may be temporarily sad over what appears to be the loss of my “dream”, I can be much more permanently happy knowing that however God blesses us, it will be better than I could have ever planned. I just have to look with eyes of faith to see it!
Let me just say right up front that God is providing for our needs. Our bills are paid each month and we are well fed. We have many encouraging friends who pray for us and show Christian concern and brotherly kindness all the time. Yet I see in my heart a sadness at the prospect of giving up my dream of moving and building our dream house, along with the pleasant feeling of a steady (if not inflated) income. I know in theory that God’s plan for us is what’s best but it’s times like these when our application of those truths is tested that I find myself less than joyfully accepting of God’s will. I am sure that one reason God has brought these trials into our lives is to show me my heart and it’s idols, so that I may tear them down and offer up my whole self (including my desires, dreams and plans) to the Lord for His glory. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though.
I spend so much time thinking “wouldn’t it be great if…” or “I would love to…” that I have to pull back and re-orient myself to the present tense. I need to spend less time dreaming about what could be (in the “American dream” sense) and more time being thankful for the things that are. I need to start really believing in my heart, not just in my words, that whatever God gives to me is the absolute best thing for me and that whatever He withholds from me, is because it was NOT good for me (at least not yet). I also need to be careful to not focus on the future too much, thinking that I know how God will work out my tomorrow based upon what’s happening today. Today, God may have said “No” but that doesn’t mean that He’ll always say “No”. He gives me the best thing for today, which may not be the best thing in two years. I need to trust Him to work out the details and to do it all well. I need to take seriously the call to keep my eyes focused on heavenly things and my feet firmly grounded in today, for each day “has enough trouble of its own”. Matthew 6:33-34
Let me end with the thought that reassures me. If God is so excellent as to plan something as wonderful as salvation for a person so undeserving as me, then He can certainly be trusted to work out a wonderful and excellent design for my daily life. Or, to put it another way, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. So though I may be temporarily sad over what appears to be the loss of my “dream”, I can be much more permanently happy knowing that however God blesses us, it will be better than I could have ever planned. I just have to look with eyes of faith to see it!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Being Content
When you are saved you do not have a new part to your life...you have a new life. God is not part of my life, He is my life. These words are really easy to say and think but they are often hard to live out.
If I truly believe that Christ is my life, then by default He should be Enough. He should be sufficient. A screamingly obvious sign of sin is that I am so often not content with Him. Outwardly I make all the right decisions. I go to school, then go to work, then go home. I go to hang out with other believers my age on Thursday nights and Sunday nights I hang out with kids from my church. Its the inward reaction to these decisions that shows my lack of contentedness (is that a word?)
If Christ is my life and if He is sufficient for me, then when I don't see my life working out the way I always though it would, it shouldn't sadden me, rather it should fill me with joy. God is working out my life in the way He wants me to go rather than the way I want to go. And I'm just saying right now that its a good thing he is. I don't always have very good judgment about the ways I think my life should go. Like I said, I know intellectually that where I am now is where I am supposed to be. I know in my head that I should be glorifying God for where He has me.
I've always been good at having the right intellectual reaction to life, but I've never given the emotional part much thought. I don't handle emotions very well so I usually just try to ignore them. Yeah, I know. Remember earlier when I said I don't always have the greatest judgment? Well I won't repeat myself then. I wasn't making the connection that its not enough to just outwardly obey the Lord, you have to want to obey the Lord.
And I do, I really do want to obey God. He is my life and I am very much aware that without Him I have nothing. Therefore I am beginning to strive to teach myself to be emotionally content rather than just outwardly content. I am starting in little steps, by humbling myself to friends and seeking forgiveness for any outward signs of non-contentedness.
This has been very much on my heart lately (to steal my dad's phrase) and I wanted to share it with you. Everyone has something in their lives that they wish was different. Sometimes several somethings. If we say that we love the Lord, but do not find our happiness solely in Him and what He has determined to give to us, then we are in sin. This was hard concept for me to get through my head because sin seemed like such a hard term. But at the end of a lot of wrestling I realized that God meant it when He wrote in His commandments, "Thou shalt have no other god before me."
If I truly believe that Christ is my life, then by default He should be Enough. He should be sufficient. A screamingly obvious sign of sin is that I am so often not content with Him. Outwardly I make all the right decisions. I go to school, then go to work, then go home. I go to hang out with other believers my age on Thursday nights and Sunday nights I hang out with kids from my church. Its the inward reaction to these decisions that shows my lack of contentedness (is that a word?)
If Christ is my life and if He is sufficient for me, then when I don't see my life working out the way I always though it would, it shouldn't sadden me, rather it should fill me with joy. God is working out my life in the way He wants me to go rather than the way I want to go. And I'm just saying right now that its a good thing he is. I don't always have very good judgment about the ways I think my life should go. Like I said, I know intellectually that where I am now is where I am supposed to be. I know in my head that I should be glorifying God for where He has me.
I've always been good at having the right intellectual reaction to life, but I've never given the emotional part much thought. I don't handle emotions very well so I usually just try to ignore them. Yeah, I know. Remember earlier when I said I don't always have the greatest judgment? Well I won't repeat myself then. I wasn't making the connection that its not enough to just outwardly obey the Lord, you have to want to obey the Lord.
And I do, I really do want to obey God. He is my life and I am very much aware that without Him I have nothing. Therefore I am beginning to strive to teach myself to be emotionally content rather than just outwardly content. I am starting in little steps, by humbling myself to friends and seeking forgiveness for any outward signs of non-contentedness.
This has been very much on my heart lately (to steal my dad's phrase) and I wanted to share it with you. Everyone has something in their lives that they wish was different. Sometimes several somethings. If we say that we love the Lord, but do not find our happiness solely in Him and what He has determined to give to us, then we are in sin. This was hard concept for me to get through my head because sin seemed like such a hard term. But at the end of a lot of wrestling I realized that God meant it when He wrote in His commandments, "Thou shalt have no other god before me."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
