It’s Monday and God is right where YOU are! He has prepared a
resource for every need you face, promises to walk with you through every
situation- good and bad – that will come your way. I awakened this morning to
pray and the Spirit filled my heart with this word; I am now here, ‘a very present help.’
If you want to experience the peace of God the open secret of
it is learning to be content. What is contentment? Learning to live in this day, to accept this
moment, to be no more or less than who He wants you to be. In Matthew 6, we
read Jesus’ counsel about worry. His wisdom is to ignore the opinions others have about you, to enjoy the things you have right now, and to make the most of this day.
I know stress. It is unavoidable if a person is fully engaged
with life, active in the work of the Kingdom, and reaching for excellence. I
refuse to retreat into apathy, believing that God has a high calling for me as
His co-laborer in this world. Thus, I
will experience difficulty, I will be called to fight evil (in myself and my
world), I will walk through temptation and sorrows of others. But … when my mind and heart are filled with
the Presence of the Spirit, there is a kind of contentment that renews me. If I attempt to do life as a Christian while
focusing on my own abilities, trying to control life with my own strengths and
strategies, stress produces anger and frustration. (A failure I know too well)
Paul, a Spirit-filled man, went through life's up's and down's. He was hero (even thought to be a god by some pagans!) and he was heel; chased out of town like a criminal. Sometimes he was respected by the Christians he taught and sometimes they ignored him preferring smooth talkers that fed their ego! He felt joy and pain equally. Yet, he never wavered from his commitment to Christ he loved because his true contentment was not circumstantial, but fixed on a Person greater than this world.
His life backs his words that say - "I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. ... You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. " (Philippians 4:11-13, 19-20, The Message)
So, on this Monday morning will you start down the road miserable, overwhelmed, complaining; OR will you lean on Jesus for all you need to live in grace and peace?
God is good, all the time, dear friend. He is equally Lord of
life when things are good and when things go wrong. Will you allow Him to be Lord in both the
sunshine and the rain? A Christ-centered
person will experience the full range of emotions and yet keep his commitment
intact, for he will be contented with the love of His Savior.
Here's a word from the Word for this day. "Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" (Lamentations 3:21-24, NLT) "But godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6, KJV)
Here's a word from the Word for this day. "Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" (Lamentations 3:21-24, NLT) "But godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6, KJV)
_______________
(turn up the sound and rejoice with Don Moen)
God
is good, all the time.
He
put a song of praise
In
this heart of mine!
God
is good, all the time,
Through
the darkest night
His
light will shine.
God
is good! God is good,
All
the time!
If
you're walkin' through the valley
And
there are shadows all around;
Do
not fear, He will guide you,
He
will keep you safe and sound.
'Cause
He has promised to never leave you,
Nor
forsake you, and His Word is true.
Though
I may not understand,
All
the plans You have for me,
My
life is in Your hands
And
through the eyes of faith-
I
can clearly see-
God
is good, He's so good,
God
is good, He's so good,
God
is good, He's so good all the time!
Don Moen | Paul Overstreet
© 1995 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG
Publishing (IMI))
Scarlet Moon Music, Inc. (Admin. by Kobalt Music Publishing
America, Inc.)
CCLI License # 810055
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