A Contented Heart

      Have you ever wished that you could have the life that someone else has?  Maybe if you had their money, influence, fame, or job, you could finally be able to relax and enjoy life a little more.  Most of us at one time or another may have had that desire.  We look at our neighbor down the street who just bought a new car or went on a great vacation, and we find ourselves wanting what they have.  The Bible calls this covetousness.
      In Exodus 20:17, God gave this command:  "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."    This is a pretty straight forward command which God has given to us, and of the the Ten Commandments, it is the only commandment that deals with the inward motivation of the heart.  This is where coveting begins as an inner longing to have what someone else has.  We cannot see someone's inner motives, but God can and does.
     Furthermore, covetousness can actually be said to be a sin that leads to many other sins for if we break this commandment, we have broken them all.  The book of James says:  "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then, desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death" (James 1:14-15).  Examples of this abound in our newspaper every day.  We read about people who feel they deserve more money so they embezzle funds from their employer.  Then, another person may steal something from an innocent victim because he/she feels they deserve it.  People have been killed because someone wanted to have their possessions.  Coveting, then, is very much like a cancer that needs to be removed from our very soul.  It is the height of ingratitude for what God has done in our lives.
     Jesus spoke these words as recorded in Luke 12:15:  "...Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  Having more "toys" will not bring us happiness and being angry with God because our neighbor is prospering and we are not  does not change anything.  It is not for us to tell the Lord what we are to have in this life.  He is sovereign over us, our possessions and our days on earth.  Rather, we need a heart of gratitude and joy.  This leads to contentment which brings peace to our hearts.  The Apostle Paul learned this and we would do well to emulate his example:  "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need" (Phil. 4:11-12).
     I wish I could say that I never struggle with envy, and that I am very content at all times.  However, that would not be truthful.  There are times when I wonder why God allows someone else to have a certain opportunity and not me.  When the Spirit of God reveals how sinful my thinking is, I turn to the Lord and once again repent for having a covetous heart.  At this point, this is when I need to make a list of things for which I am grateful in my life.  Keeping an answered prayer journal as well as a gratitude journal would go a very long way to restoring our hearts to beat in rhythm with God's.  After all, He has given us life, provided us with salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, and He keeps us daily in His care.  How much more could we ever want?
      Instead of wishing that we had what our neighbor has, we need to develop a heart of contentment.  We need to thank God each day for all the things He has given to us,  If we would begin to live in this manner, we would find it easier to overcome the temptation to covet.  Paul learned how to be content, and this is what we must do.  Selah!

A Change of Seasons

   

     This past Fall, as I was out walking with my husband, I noted how colorful and beautiful the leaves were on the trees.  Here in Florida, we do not experience the wide ranging changes in the season and weather that I experienced in my native Ohio.  However, we do get a change of leaves in late November and into December.  Some trees even bear the most elegant berries just in time for holiday festivities even though the trees are a pest (the Brazilian Pepper tree....it is almost like holly in contrasting colors).  The cloudy day overhead seemed to intensify the colors even more, so despite the sprinkles, I took several photos.
     When I thought about the cloudy day, I could not help but compare it to the changes we experience in the seasons of our life.  Some days are sunny, restful, unburdened and full of joy.  There doesn't seem to be any challenges we have to face.  Then, there are cloudy/stormy days when all our energy seems to be sapped as we face circumstances we wish we could live without.  However, it was on a cloudy rainy day that I noticed how brilliant the colors were around me on the trees and plants.  Could it be like this in our life as well?  I believe this is what the Lord would like the world to see.

The Brazilian Pepper tree in bloom in December

     For each of us, it is easy to be a Christian when the times are good and life is going at an even pace.  The question is how brilliant is our light for Christ when the storms come?  Jesus gave us an example of two men and the houses they constructed to protect them from the storms.
     In Matthew 7:21-27 reads:  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell, and great was the fall of it."  This is a familiar story to us, but it contains the secret to weathering those difficult times in life that come to us all.
     Jesus indicates that those who hear His words and then do them have a solid foundation that can face all types of weather.  Their lives will remain strong no matter what life throws at them.  On the other hand, those who choose not to listen to the words of life which Christ gives will find that they will not be able to withstand the crippling winds of chaos that come along.  No one - Christian or unbeliever can escape the change that comes with living in this fallen world.  It rains on both the wicked and the righteous equally.  The difference between the two, however, is the way in which each handles life's problems.
     At one point in my life, I was busy raising four young children, caring for my mother who had Alzheimer's and home educating as well.  I certainly felt more than stretched.  Frequent trips back and forth to my mother's assisted living apartment to check on her coupled with teaching four different levels of school for our children left me exhausted.  It would have been easy to put aside my efforts to home school, but I knew the Lord had called us to this task.  Thankfully, my faith and trust in Christ saw me through these days and my house stood.  The cloudy weather that had set into my life made me run to the arms of my heavenly Father for comfort and guidance.    Like the colors of the fall trees against the cloudy sky, my life radiated a difference that others could see.  God  brought out the colors of deeper trust, a steadfast faith, and perseverance despite the hardships by allowing these trials in my life.  He may be doing the same in your life right now.  I am here to tell you that you can survive as I did by putting my life on the rock of Jesus Christ.  His words have life and can see us all through the most violent storms.

     Sunny weather is wonderful and to be enjoyed, but it is only when the storms come that we can see in whom we are trusting.  Our true colors become clear to us and others at these times.  While the time I spent caring for my ailing mother and teaching our children was not easy during those ten years, it made me more compassionate and able to minister to others.  God taught me so much as He walked with me through the valley.  Therefore, I encourage you to allow God to work in and through your current circumstances.  If your weather is cloudy/stormy right now, make certain you are anchored on the rock and trust in Him.  He is able to make us stand firm and reflect His glory.  Selah!

When Convictions Collide

     Jesus told us in John 16:33:  "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  With these words, our Savior pointed to the fact that we live in a fallen world where we are bound to clash with others.  This is no less true among Christians.  Within the pages of Scripture, we see examples of believers at odds with one another.
     Perhaps the best illustration is the Church at Corinth.  Here was a young congregation who had come from a pagan society.  They were growing at a rapid rate, and when Paul left them, they seemed to be moving in the right direction.  However, their background and the sin nature held them back.  A description of Corinth as noted in "The MacArthur Study Bible" introduction to this letter indicates the following:  "Even by the pagan standards of its own culture, Corinth became so morally corrupt that its very name became synonymous with debauchery and moral depravity.  In I Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul lists some of the specific sins for which the city was noted and which formerly had characterized many believers in the church there" (pg. 1681).  
     In addition to their carnality and immaturity, the believers there also could not get along and broke into factions.  When Apollos (a gifted teacher) came to minister, a group of his admirers formed a clique and did not mingle with others in the church.  Another group clung to Paul and still others pledged their allegiance to Peter.  Of course, there were also those who proclaimed their loyalty to Christ alone ( I Corinthians 1:10-13; 3:1-9).  These factions were creating a good deal of disunity in the Body.   Each group felt they had the right perspective, teacher and direction.  
     John MacArthur points out, though, that the greatest problem the Corinthians had  was their worldliness:  "...an unwillingness to divorce the culture around them.  Most of the believers could not consistently separate themselves from their old, selfish, immoral, and pagan ways" (pg. 1682).  Now if we step back after considering this, how many churches today fall into the same problems that these believers had?  I would venture to say that many do.  Why?
     One of the chief reasons goes back to the sin nature.  While the power of sin is broken by the blood of Jesus Christ in the life of a believer, we still have to deal with unrealistic expectations, old habits, prejudices and selfishness.  As someone once pointed out, the church would be perfect if it wasn't for all the people.  Imperfect people on the road of sanctification are bound to collide in their opinions, thoughts and outlooks.  It takes time to grow in Christ, and therefore, we need to extend the love of God to one another as we walk along.  The Apostle wrote these words in Romans 12:17-19:  "…17Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.19Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.…"  This, then, should be our goal when our visions crash into one another.  
     Disagreements and development of factions can happen in any group, but it can either be an opportunity for growth in the church as we work through these or it can bring division.  Our goals should be to love one another and maintain a bond of unity.  This brings glory to the Lord.  Likewise, our witness before the world is enhanced when we treat one another with respect.  The Body of Christ is meant to work together even when we have disagreements.  With this in mind, let it be our goal to think more highly of others than we think of ourselves.  Selah!