Finding Contentment in a "Earthly" World

How many times do you find yourself envious of others?  How many times a day do you drive down the highway and see your "dream car" driven by someone else or drive past your "dream house" occupied by another person?  It is in our human nature to desire things and to be jealous of others' possessions.  I am guilty of this daily.  When my husband and I are taking back roads to Rockwall I occasionally ask him not to drive through certain neighborhoods because I get so jealous of the beautiful mansions and the lifestyles of others.  I can't help, but wish I could live in "that house" or drive "that car."  I even imagine how happy they must be to have all the things they desire.  I am guilty of even jokingly telling my husband that I would be SO happy "if" I had a mansion like the ones I see or "if" I was driving my dream car.

 

When I think about the word 'happiness,' I often think about my wedding day, the day my sons were born or what it would feel like driving around in my brand new, fully loaded car and what it would feel like to walk around in my new million dollar mansion.  Children can imagine happiness on Christmas morning when they see what gifts "Santa" brought them or at a birthday party when they see all of the presents stacked up on the table.  For my 3 year old son, happiness is running through the sprinkler in his underpants or drawing on the sidewalk with chalk.  Everyone wants to be happy and will chase whatever it is that they think will make them happy.  Some will spend money on things only to discover that those things didn't satisfy them as much as they thought, which creates another desire to get something else.  Sadly it is the pursuit of happiness that causes many marital problems and financial nightmares.  We are never satisfied with what we have and constantly try different avenues to find happiness only to discover that didn't make us happy either.

In Philippians 4:10-20, we find Paul's writings on contentment.  He writes in verses 10-13:

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.  Indeed, you have been concerned, but you have no opportunity to show it.  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 want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (NIV)

Paul was content in his life because he could see life from God's point of view and he focused on what he was supposed to do and not on what he should have.  His priorities were in order and he was grateful for the things God gave him.  In verses 19-20, Paul reminds the Christians in Philippi that God will supply their needs:

"And my God will meet all of your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever.  Amen."

We trust that God will always meet our needs, not our wants. Paul knew how to be content whether he had plenty or whether he was in need.  Learning to rely on God's promises will help you be content.  If you always want more, ask God to remove the desire to want everything you long for and ask Him to help teach you contentment in every circumstance.  He will supply your needs, but in the way that He knows is best for you.

We live in a materialistic society where we desire everything we don't have that others do and we can never have enough money.  Jesus teaches us about the dangers of money in Matthew 6:19-24:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rusts do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....no one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money."

Jesus makes it clear in this passage that having the wrong treasures leads to our hearts being in the wrong place.  What we value the most will control us.  If the desire for money and "earthly" things become more important to you than your service to God, then you need to step back and gain control of your desires as you also ask God for forgiveness.  Jesus calls for us to be content with whatever we have because we as Christians have accepted Him and are heirs to the King!  Our riches are in Heaven which is where our hearts and desires should be focused.  We have chosen an eternal richness over temporary, earthly treasures.  As Christians we know that what we do for Christ here on earth is blessed beyond our riches.  The things we desire here on earth will not be taken with us once we leave this world behind.  We can spend years collecting worldly things that we find temporary happiness in, but those things will break down, rust or get stolen just as Jesus reminds us in verses 19-20.  Can you honestly say that God, and not the desire for money, is your master?  If you spend more time thinking about money or earthly things than you do thinking about your service to Christ and reaching the lost, then money is your master!

The next time you see your "dream house" or "dream car," remember the promises of God. He supplies all of our needs from His riches (Philippians 4:19) and He meets the needs of those who seek His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33).  Psalm 34:10 says,"Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing." Be content with what you have and do not be jealous of how God has chosen to bless others.  If you find that the desire for earthly things overpowers your desire to be content, ask God to remove the longing for material things and to reveal to you the things that He has blessed you with.  You will be surprised about all the things you do have that were hidden by your desires for more.  Ask Him to take away the desire of wanting everything you don't have and reveal to you those things that He knows you need.  When you find contentment in your every day life, you are more focused on Christ and His plans for you.  Don't take lightly the things He gave you for He can also take them away.

Honor to Serve

A couple of weeks ago I received my annual jury summons to appear at George Allen Court Building.  Like most of you, I immediately got frustrated for being summoned.  It seems that within the last couple of years I get one every time the rotation goes around.  My husband laughs when it is me and not him which adds to my frustration.  I contemplated coming up with an excuse to get out of it.  I could have put that I was the primary caretaker of a child under 15, but that would have been dishonest since he was going to be in daycare that day anyway.  Then I thought I would postpone it and then when the next one came along I could claim that I no longer live in Dallas County since we are moving into Kaufman County, but that would have also been dishonest.  Being a Christian sometimes makes being dishonest hard because we are overcome with this sense of guilt for even thinking about tricking the government.  I finally decided to serve my time and fill out my juror questionnaire online.  

When the day finally arrived, I found myself sitting with hundreds of other "lucky" citizens who were also summoned to appear as a juror that day.  While I was sitting there I was praying that God would help dismiss me from jury duty, so I could go home.  I even started thinking to myself, "I hope that person and that person get picked, so I don't have to do it."  The morning started off with a 25 minute informational video about what we would expect if we were chosen to serve on a jury and included testimonials from jurors who felt honored to serve.  As I watched the video the key statement the producers wanted to interject was that it was an honor to be chosen to appear in court that day and an even bigger honor to actually be picked to serve on the jury.  They did a really good job portraying that message because by the end of the video my anxiety and frustration turned into calmness.  In fact I felt so calm that I had to take my mind off of it because I had determined that the Lord was calming my nerves to prepare me for my number being written on the board to appear in a particular court room.  Could this be it??  Would my number be called?  During all of my jury duty appearances, I was fortunate to never be called out of the juror's room.  I was always dismissed.  Had my "luck" finally run out?   Finally 3 hours later I received the dismissal I had been waiting for all morning.  I was finally free!!!  

Later that evening while I sat down for my quiet time it dawned on me that what I had experienced that morning was the experience that Christians face daily.  Once we accept Christ we are summoned to appear before others to share Him with the lost.  We are summoned to serve with honor just as the court indicated while I was at jury duty.  How often does God send us a summons when He places someone on our hearts to talk to on a specific day?  He expects us to accept it and serve Him, not make excuses to get out of it.  Most of the time, we as Christians, expect our pastors and spiritual leaders to be the ones who reach the lost while we go through the motions of a Christian, which includes going to church, praying for others and giving our tithes.  We come up with excuses that we are not spiritually mature or ready to share Christ with the lost.  We come up with an excuse that we are too busy taking care of minors or invalids to accept the summons from God.  We also, too often, start pointing fingers at other people and hope that God summons them to appear before the person He placed on your heart, so we can be dismissed.  We may also complain that God is always summoning us to appear before others and not this person or not that person.  When God summons us, He has a specific reason as to why "us" and not "them."  People are placed into our lives for specific reasons and God uses those encounters to further His Kingdom.  

As Christians, we must consider it an honor to serve Christ and share His love and Word with others.  We cannot look at it as a duty that others should be picked to do as we hope for when we receive a jury summons.  Serving Christ needs to be something that we look forward to doing and pray that God sends us a summons to appear before someone that He has placed on your heart.  When you think back to the day that you accepted Christ, aren't you thankful that God sent someone a summons who considered it an honor to talk to you about Him?  Without God placing you on the hearts and minds of the people who reached out to you, where would you be today?  

God may also summon you to serve within your church.  He calls people to serve in some capacity in their church, so that they can contribute to His work as the church reaches others within that community.  How often have you ignored this type of summons?  I Corinthians 12 specifically discusses spiritual gifts and what Christians are expected to do with them.  I Corinthians 12:14 states, "now the body is not made up of one part but of many."  That section of Scripture goes on to say in verses 21-27, "the eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you.  And the head cannot say to the feet, I don't need you.  On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.  But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the parts should have equal concern for each other.  if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored every part rejoices in it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."  Each one of us are given a God given gift which He expects us to use.  As a body of believers each of these gifts work hand in hand and contribute to big parts of His church.  

The greater gifts are those that are more beneficial to the body of Christ.  Paul made it clear that one gift is not superior to another, but he urges the believers to discover how they can serve Christ's body with the gifts God has given them.  Your spiritual gifts are not for your own self-advancement.  They were given to you for serving God and enhancing the spiritual growth of the body of believers.  When God summons us to further His Kingdom, whether it be to appear before a specific person or serve in a specific capacity in our church He eases all of our anxiety and uncertainties.  He creates a calmness over us which gives us the motivation to follow through with the summons.  

So the next time God sends you a summons, accept it with the highest honor and pride knowing that God chose YOU to be an important part of His Kingdom.  Instead of praying to get out of it or being frustrated that you always get summoned to do something for Christ, start feeling honored to serve God.  Christians are part of a rewarding and honorable experience.  When you follow Christ, you live with no regrets and have a sense of pride knowing that you are doing your part.  Then one day when you come face to face with God, He will say to you, "well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!"  (Matthew 25:23)