Contentment Comes from God

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge him, and he will
make your paths straight.”

May the wisdom that comes from
God direct your life; use faith
rather than doubt; prayer rather
than fear; today’s love rather than
yesterday’s memories; and closeness
to God rather than going your own way.
If you do these things, you will enjoy
a life full of peace and happiness.
Always trust in God to do the right
thing for you, and your life will
be full of contentment and
great satisfaction.

You Need to Take a Break

Many people are driven by the fear of having a useless life that has no meaning and no significance. It drives many people to overwork and lead undue stressful lives. God never meant for us to have this empty feeling of insignificance and fear, for to have a life of meaning allows people to relax and be content with their lives. This empowers people to have energy for living positive and productive lives. However, in order to have significance you need to have evidence that your life has made a difference. How would you define having a fruitful and meaningful life? For many, it is to accumulate lots of material possessions and for others it means living a life of service to others. However you define “significance” will mold your daily lives, and it can over extend your body energy reserves and build a mentality of desperation!

For men, work can be a means of attaining significance and meaning, and when a person retires they are left in limbo of what to do next. Life can just be one day passing after another without meaning or accomplishment. This can be stressful to people, who are used to going to work everyday and are now without this activity that defines who they are. As strange as it may sound, their daily routine can become a replacement for their work schedule, but they never experience the relief of a day off. One day just blends into another. This can be exhausting and stressful to the body and the mind. People need a break; even people who are retired. This fact also applies to people with repititious or sustained job functions. People need to take a break to recharge their lives.

The Lord took time off (Mark 1:35-37), and told his disciples to take time off (Mark 6:30-32). Jesus knew that people need to have time off to lead fruitful lives; even from the most meaningful activities. God designed us to be productive, but part of being productive is following a routine of structured work and rest cycles. A day of rest does not have to be a day of doing nothing; it just has to be a day of change from a regular routine. The Scriptures tell us to be productive and “bear fruit” with our lives, but it also commands us to have periods of rest (John 15:1-8). The idea of the Sabbath is a point-in-fact of this concept of rest being beneficial to our daily lives. In Genesis even God took a day off, after a heavy work week. This does not mean he did nothing, it just meant he did something different that day. Since we are created in God’s image, we too need to develop a routine of structured work and rest times. It has been said that change is as good as a rest. We need to be creative in planning our rest periods. Carelessness in this will lead to “burn out.”

I Can Do Great Things

I can do all things in Christ - Anytime we have a huge job to do. We get overpowered by our fear of failure. A voice within us says, “You cannot do it. You do not have what it takes. You need to realize your limitations. You are reaching beyond your abilities.” However, the Scriptures do not give us such a viewpoint. They are more precise. The say, “It is impossible.” Spirituality is impossible for us. As the Scriptures say, “All have sinned a fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Holiness is impossible for a man to achieve. Why? “They have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (verse 12). If there is no hope, what can we do?
Our hope is in God, for nothing is impossible for him to do. In him, we are able to do the impossible. The Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me” (Philippians 4:19). Our sufficiency is in Christ alone. In our weakness, God in Christ gives us the power necessary to achieve the job God has given us to do. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Our ability comes from God through grace. The gift of the Holy Spirit cleanses and motivates us to live better lives, and to express eternal life to others through our lives today. God uses us as channels of his grace to others. Christlikeness is not being like Christ, but doing the works of our heavenly Father as Christ did them. Jesus said, “We must do the work of him who sent me” (John 9:4). I do what my Father does” (John 10: 37). “I do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (John 14:31). Obedience to the Father is true Christlikeness, and this is the source of our spiritual enthusiasm or zeal, for “nothing is impossible for God.” We are doing the work of the Father that he may be glorified by his glory in us. As we live in the power of the Holy Spirit, we show the world God’s glory (John 14:20-23). Without Christ we have no particular power to accomplish God’s work. We are common everyday people, but in Christ we can do glorious things.

Its All How You Look at It

I am reading Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad’s book: A Passionate Life. It mentions the importance of having the right perspective towards life. One of the things they say is that "as followers of Jesus, we are called continually to change how we think.” We need to build a framework of perspective about our lives. Too often, we see the things that happen to us as bad things and try to escape them, and not face the truths the circumstances are trying to teach us. We need to view the events in our lives from a faith perspective. In essence, we need to experience the paradigm shift of faith.
Being a Christian means thinking differently than the world thinks. The Apostle Paul in the Epistle of First Corinthians calls it folly, but he means that to the world outside of Christ it looks like foolishness, but in actuality it is the wisdom of God. Wisdom is merely making the right choices in life. Something we all want to do. However, you cannot make the right decisions, unless you have the all the facts. Yet, in reality, we never have all the facts but just enough to make the decision that seems right to us at the time.
The first thing we need to do is to have a change in our thinking. Rather than looking at things from a negative perspective, we need to see them in the context of our lives. For example, just think of the word repentance and many negative thoughts start to manifest themselves. However, repentance is a beautiful word for it anticipates grace and forgiveness. Repentance is about changing our lives for the better. It is more a turning towards God than a turning away from sin. The focus is not on sin, but on the purity and loveliness of God. Likewise, when we think of suffering, we get negative thoughts as well. Yet, the Scripture tells us to consider it pure joy, when we suffer (James 1:2). This is the paradigm shift we need to make in our thinking.
The bad things that happen to us are learning moments. They happen for a reason, and it is for our good (Romans 8:28). Whatever, we are going through has a purpose in our lives. No woman thinks that the pains of childbirth are fun, but afterwards the joy of the baby’s presence overshadows the grief and pain experienced. Even things like depression are learning events. Our minds are being altered by the experience. The worldly thinking says, “Don’t be ridiculous! This is foolish talk.” But the wisdom of God and our faith sees the situation differently; it is a moment of spiritual growth and a process directed by the hand of a loving heavenly Father for our good. Why do we get so upset about trials and suffering? It is because we think that what is happening to us is bad and without purpose. As the book, "A Passionate Life" points out: “Why am I worrying about this when I know God is in control?" As the Bible states, “Are you not much more valuable than other creatures on earth, which God looks after?” God treasures and loves us more than anything else in the universe. If things come our way that we cannot understand, we can in a step of faith say, “This is in God’s hands and he loves me with an everlasting love. All will be well.”

Learning to Serve One Another

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Let me tell you a short story. Once upon a time in a kingdom far away, there lived three brothers who were extremely rich princes. They constantly fought with one another, and they spent their great wealth trying to out do each other. The brothers were very proud of themselves and their selfish achievements. Their father the king got tired of all their wastefulness and he told them he would disinherit them, if they did not learn to get along with each other and use their money more wisely.
The princes were very upset and sent for a court advisor to help them find a solution. The advisor Jothan told them to go and visit a wise man, who lived in the mountains to the east of the kingdom. Immediately, they set off in their great chariots with pockets of gold to pay for luxuries along the way.
They finally arrived at a small town at the foot of the great mountains. The princes looked at the trail and realized that they could not bring their great chariots and their many servants with them. The trail was narrow, steep, and rocky. The surrounding forest was thick and wild. They decided to bring only the court advisor Jothan with them. It amused them to have this wise man carry the supplies and serve them. Jothan was commanded to cook the meals, wash the dishes, do the laundry, and clean the toilets in very difficult conditions. The princes found this very funny. Jothan just did all his work without complaint. In fact, he did a great job of keeping everything in order, and the princes were very happy they had brought such a good and faithful servant along on the journey.
Early one morning, a long way along the trail, the princes woke up and found that Jothan the servant was missing. There was no breakfast or traveling preparations done. The princes looked at each other in dismay. Since they had little choice, they continued on their journey. The days were hard and laborious, but the princes found themselves not fighting as much. They would help each other and take turns doing distasteful chores. It was a hard and difficult journey without Jothan to help them, but they learnt to help one another.
Finally, they came to a magnificent temple. They had never seen such a beautiful place. As they walked through the entrance, they were amazed at the gold, ivory and marble surroundings. They thought that not even their father the king lived in such a marvelous place. Upon entering the great hall, they looked up to the seat of the temple ruler. They could not believe their eyes, for seated upon the gold and ivory throne was their servant Jothan. They asked him, “Why are you sitting on the seat of the great prophet?” Jothan answered them, “I am the prophet.” He continued, “You have come to find a solution to your fighting with each other and your wasteful lives. I have shown you the way of serving one another. Great leaders must learn to be servants. If you serve one another, you will all become great rulers. The greatest amongst you will be the servant of all.” The princes were amazed at the words of Jothan, and in sorrow they acknowledged the error of their evil ways. Upon return to their father’s kingdom, they told him about the great prophet Jothan and his wisdom. The king said to them, “Yes, the Emperor is a great and wise man.”

Live up to Your Full Potential

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"Since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let us go ahead and be what we were made to be" (Romans 12:5, The Message).

When we are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all our thoughts break their bounds. Our minds transcend their limitations, our consciousness expands in every direction, and we find ourselves in a new, great and wonderful world of possibilities. Yet, we need to respond to God's voice of direction within us to attain them. We need to unleash our potential in Christ, for our identity drives us toward our destiny and fuels our passion for significance. The inner voice of revelation of who we are in Christ triggers our desire to accomplish our dreams and fulfill our life visions. We will pursue excellence at all costs. Then and only then is the glory of God effectively manifested in our lives and our passions be fully actualized.

Enough is Enough - It is time to stand up for ourselves

The church has been silent too long. We have allowed others to dictate what we should do and think? We are told that we are too pushy with our beliefs and moral judgments. Yet, as I see it, it has been the other way around. We are judged for being judgmental, but those attacking us are telling us that we are wrong and we need to change. We have been made to feel shame for thinking like God thinks. The concepts of love and faith are sneered at, but there are standards to maintain and truths worth standing up for. I say enough of this nonsense; enough is enough. It is time for the church to fight back and stop being so passive. The silent majority of the church needs to stand up and express themselves. It is time to stop the intimidation of unbelievers. They say we should not dictate how people live and think, but they do it all the time. They criticize us for trying to do what they are doing. Well, I say it is time for people with morals to stop hiding in the closet. It is time for Christian believers to come out of the closet and stand up for themselves. It is time to stand up for what is right!
Our society is in a downward spiral. Crime and drug use are the trademarks of our society. It may even eventually become the law to be immoral. People are hiding in their homes behind bars from criminal activities. Computer games push violence as the solution to all problems. We may criticize Middle East Muslims, but one thing they have right. Western culture is the great Satan. Western society is marked by immorality, greed and drinking. “Love your neighbor as yourself” has become “exploit your neighbor for yourself.” We have an abusive culture that exploits the world’s resources, so that we can live in pleasure and abundance. Our society’s media generates the environment of relational dysfunction; even the poor can be prosecuted for asking for mercy on the streets. We blame them for their own destruction, but fail to see that our society does not love its neighbor. It is time for a new perception. It is time for the church to rise up and fight the opposition. All members of our society have rights, and it is time to express them. Our democracy has become representative dictatorship, where the minority forces the majority into compliance through bribery and intimidation. People are judged for standing up for what is right. The Bible is mocked for telling people to love one another and stand up for truth. Justice and righteousness have become word of derision, and caring for the poor has been replaced by ideas of “profitability” and “cost cutting.” The idea of lowering your own living standard to benefit others is a joke in our society’s outlook on life.
When all is said and done, answer the questions: Is our society any better off now than it was decades ago? Has the free thinking, no moral judgment experiment worked? Are the crime rates and moral structures of our society any better? The experiment of leaving the “morality” of the Bible has failed. A society without God has no hope in its future. Just look at Hollywood’s vision of the future. It is a world without hope and without faith in God. It is a world destroyed by man’s greed and violence. Love, kindness and peace are not in their vision. The Christian has a more productive vision; a vision of love, hope and faith; a world where people care about each other and live in harmony; a world where justice and righteousness mark the people. It is time to spread a new vision and a new hope for our future. It is time for Christians to stand against the tide of injustice and intimidation. I urge you to stand up and be counted, and tell people what you believe is true and right. Express yourself; it is your right!