Contentment

I have learned  .... to be content. Philippians 4:11
Paul, The Apostle to the Gentiles

Contentment - It is a word we have all heard but few of us understand or truly possess. The dictionary definition says it is "the state of being satisfied or having ease of mind." Basically, when we are content, we are not looking for something else. We are willing to stay where we are.

This is not a quality that many of us possess naturally. In fact, our culture constantly pushes us to the opposite extreme. We tell our children from the time they are young that they need a college education. We push them to get good grades and apply for scholarships. This is not bad in itself, but somehow we have developed the idea that it is less honorable to make a living working with one's hands.

No where is contentment (or the lack thereof) more evident than in our shopping and spending habits. Many people work long, hard over time hours trying to pay for things they bought on credit because they weren't content with what they had and bought something they couldn't afford. Can anyone identify with what I am saying?

Contentment takes away the need for always trying to have more than we truly need at the moment. I am not saying we shouldn't strive to be better. That is a Biblical admonition. We should try to improve our lives. But at what cost? Bigger is not always better. More expensive is certainly not always better. There is so much to be said for a spirit that is happy with what God has given.

Last night, as pastor was preaching, he mentioned that what we ask God for reveals our hearts. Well, a couple of years ago I began to ask God to make me content. I must admit that I didn't really mean the words in the beginning. I wanted God to make me content to wait until he gave me what I wanted. But the more I pray that prayer, the more different I see his will to be. I can not pray, "God make me content", and still have a will of my own. To pray, "God make me content", is to have no ambition of my own. It is to let him put his ambition in me. It is to reach for what he desires. It is to wake up every day and ask him what he wants me to do with that day.

Contentment is not just patience. Patience says I can wait a while longer until I see the right opportunity. Contentment says I will do only what God says I can do. It is a complete change of mindset. Contentment realizes that I will never be "happy" until I am sure that what I am doing right at this moment is exactly what God would have me to be doing. Happiness is fleeting; it is a temporary emotion. But contentment comes from having peace with God. Contentment is not settling for less than what I know I can do. In fact, it is just the opposite. God will often ask me to do more than I think I can do. Later on, I will look back and realize that what he asked was the best thing I could have done with my life.

Contentment - Do you have the courage to pray for it? That prayer might take you some places you wouldn't have chosen to go but the end result is truly worth any price. To pray for contentment is to pray for the will of God.

Loving Him Daily,

Sullivan Jones 

Citizenship

Once I was on a bus headed from Tegucigalpa, Honduras to San Salvador, El Salvador when we were held up at the border. Nothing happens quickly in this part of the world but the border crossing seemed to be taking longer than normal. At the border all of us had to disembark and walk through customs to be admitted into El Salvador. While we were doing this, our bags were being checked by agents. Once we were back on the bus there seemed to be a problem with someone's bag. A young lady kept getting back on the bus and asking for the owner of a certain bag to come forward. No one was responding so she kept repeating the same message. "We can't go anywhere until we know who this bag is for. It is locked and we must check it. Please come forward. We have a long way to go. We are going all the way to Guatemala today." Finally, in frustration they held up the bag and asked who it belonged to. It belonged to one of two American gentlemen who were having a grand old time discussing their travels in Central America without understanding a word of Spanish. When the lady held up the bag, the owner stood up and walked toward the front. At this the lady commented, "Oh, English. No wonder." I was wondering if I should offer to translate but I was near the back of the bus and they seemed to straighten everything out with pantomime in short order.  We were soon on our way. Oh, the joys of traveling internationally. 

Have you ever felt like someone just didn't understand what you were saying? You try to express yourself and it is like you are on a foreign planet. Christians sometimes seem to have an especially difficult time explaining to those who don't share our faith why we live as we do. In reality the answer is both simple and complicated. We are citizens of a different realm and have a different language, loyalty and code of conduct. Just as our wayward traveler with the suitcase, we should endeavor to learn some of the language of the people around us. We should try to understand how people are thinking and why they are thinking that way. But we shouldn't be too frustrated if we are not always understood. After all, our citizenship is now in heaven and, as such, this world holds less of a pull on us than it did in times past. We have a God who understands us, fellow Christians who understand us, and the promise that our savior is coming again to catch us away to our new home where everyone will speak as we do. What more could we ask for! Heaven is out of this world!

Expecting His Coming,

Sullivan Jones 

Faith is Simple

Faith is not dependent on what I see or understand but on what I know God has said. If I could understand everything that God has spoken, either to me personally or through his word, then faith would not be required. Jesus said that we must come to him as a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven? Why? Because children are much more apt to accept things even if they don't make sense. Just consider how innocently they believe in Santa Claus.

What would happen if we began to take God at his word like a child waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve? I believe we would see more of the miraculous such as healing, deliverance, etc Sound too simple? It is simple, but then so is the entire message of the gospel. It is by faith that we accept Jesus as Lord, by faith that we submit to baptism for the remission of sins, by faith that we receive the infilling of His Spirit, and by faith that we receive anything we receive from God. Are you having trouble believing the message of the gospel today? You must quit analyzing it and just accept it by faith. In need of a miracle? Know someone else who needs one? Again, it will only come by faith.

It's time to accept that there are things I can not understand and rejoice in the fact that God does understand it all. Quit analyzing how it will happen and take God at his word. Faith is enough! It will move God's heart every time.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2: 8-9 

Trusting in Jesus,

Sullivan Jones

He's Still Working On Me

He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be .....

Anyone remember that children's song from Sunday School? I woke up this morning with that song in my mind. It was a reminder to me of how much God loves me that he doesn't give up on me as easily as I give up on myself. It's confession time. Here goes. I am my own worse critic. Most of us naturally critical people are. We may find things wrong with others around us but we tend to criticize ourselves even more harshly than others do. For this reason, we are often never satisfied. We have an unrealistic idea that things are supposed to be a certain way; if they aren't that way, we get upset. Anybody recognize yourself in this photo?

The beautiful thing about this is that God is not judging us the way we judge ourselves. He is the epitome of love and patience. He can see the end from the beginning and he knows what we will be if we stay on the potter's wheel, so to speak. He has a finished product in mind for our lives and therefore is not frustrated with the process like we can tend to get.

I have heard it said that one shouldn't pray for patience because it will cause trials to come into our lives. I have come to see it another way. Trials will come whether we are impatient or not. Asking God for patience isn't asking for a trial. It is asking for him to give us peace with who we are now and who we will be. When we learn to love ourselves (and others) for who we are, then patience will be a natural outflow of that love.

 If you are having trouble with patience, why not go back to the beginning? Ask God to help you see yourself and your surroundings as he sees them. Don't get frustrated if you are not where you think you need to be. And never, never, never judge yourself by what someone else has or is doing. This isn't realistic and it only brings heartache and frustration. Just learn to thank God for what he is doing in you and leave the rest to him. In time you will find yourself with more patience than you thought possible. Yes, patience is a virtue but like everything else in life it is second to love.

God Bless,

Sullivan Jones 

Life's Road Map

The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

Jesus tells us in John 6:63 that his words are Spirit and life. That was a bold statement, considering that there were some in the crowd who considered him a charlatan. Others thought he might be a good man but didn't really see him as the Son of God. Yet he spoke with confidence and authority. Why? Because he knew and understood who he was and is. He was and is the God of all creation robed in a human body. His words were not just the words of an ordinary man but the words of God himself. When Jesus spoke, God spoke. 

Do you need to hear from God today? You may not have Jesus here in the flesh but you do have his word. The Bible is God's recorded word for humanity. It is not just the soulful writing of some great thinkers but it is the inspired writings of God himself. So if you need to hear from God you can. Open his word and begin to read. His words are alive and relevant to every situation in your life. If you have always thought the Bible to be an out of date book you will be surprised. There is something in it that is relative to every situation you might encounter in life. If you ask him to, the Spirit of God will illuminate your mind as your read and help you to understand. Before you know it, you will be so caught up into what's happening in the scripture you will think it was written especially for you. The good news is, it was. 

God had all of us in mind when he moved on the apostles and prophets to write the scripture. He knew we would need a road map in life to give us some direction. All of us reach those decision making times and simply don't know which way to go. I say to you today that you can find the direction you need within the Holy Scriptures provided you read them with prayer. Open the Bible today and began to read, It is the best road map for life. 

Thankful for God's Word,

Rev. Sullivan Jones