"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines ... and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!" (cf. Hab. 3:17-18, HCSB).
"And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others," (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8, HCSB).
"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you keep your life for yourself you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process/" (cf. Mark 8:34-36).
Has someone ever asked you if you're getting what you want out of life? Have you ever felt incomplete as a person, having no identity, purpose, or plan? We must not love our lives so much that we don't want to give our spiritual life top priority. The closer we get to God, the more we realize our dependence and also how He blesses us. Paul claimed to have found contentment in all circumstances; a tall order. He had been there and done that if you know where I'm coming from and realized that the key to contentment is to harbor the right mindset, to begin with.
God hates ingratitude and we must never become ingrates who are not thankful for what God has already blessed them with. Yes, we may not have all our "wants" or "felt needs," but He supplies all our needs to do His will, not our will. He will "equip you with all that is good to do His will" (cf. Heb. 13:21, HCSB). ".... The LORD gives grace and glory; He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity," (cf. Psalm 84:11, HCSB).
Paul's attitude of prayer was to come before the Lord with thanksgiving making his requests known. God will withhold no legitimate need and blessing from us, but that is not the same thing as having everything we want. When we have this attitude of gratitude we can endure the suffering for the sake of the Name, as Paul realized in his many sufferings for the sake of the cross that the Lord had counted him worthy.
Some people need to lose everything to find out they need God. Some need to try the world's formulas before realizing they cannot save or satisfy the heart. We must realize that when we have God in our life, we have everything we need and some don't find this out till they have suffered great setbacks and loss. There is a certain blessedness of possessing nothing and realizing that God's grace is sufficient. There's always a place for the sacrifice of thanksgiving in every situation, some of us can always imagine if it were worse as we deserve sometimes. We must never resent God for holding out on us some blessing that we feel He owes us; this was what Satan tried to get Eve to believe--that God was holding out on her and she would be missing something if she didn't eat of the forbidden fruit.
Some are blessed in all ways, but all in some ways: God is good to everyone (cf. Psalm 145:9). It is true that some are so blessed that they focus on the gifts, not the Giver, and some see the benefits, not the Benefactor. We are all incomplete without God and our lives are empty and void of fulfillment, dignity, and meaning--that's the bleak outlook without God in the equation. When we experience abundance we ought to learn thanksgiving and that we don't deserve it--it's by the grace of God, not because we are better than someone. "What do you have that you didn't receive?" (cf. 1 Cor. 4:5).
Paul's secret source was that he learned the true and only source of blessing--God. If we know God, we can tap into God's riches at Christ's expense. Knowing this kind of true contentment is more valuable than anything the world offers. We can find God's purpose and plan for our lives and live life to the full as Jesus promised: "I have come so you may have life and have it in abundance." (cf. John 10:10, HCSB). Our security must be in Christ and we must evaluate our lives relative to Him.
Soli Deo Gloria!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
No comments:
Post a Comment