Contentment At All Costs

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“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6 (NKJV)

Last night I could not sleep, so I started reading Oswald Chambers book, Daily Thoughts for Disciples.  And as it is my birthday on June 26^th, I turned to that entry.  It both blessed and convicted me.

“The inevitable barriers are there in every one of our lives. They may not be of all intense order, such as a terrible maiming, or blindness, or deafness, or something that knocks one out of fulfilling one’s ambitions; they may be hereditary incapability’s; but the peril is lest we lie down and whine and are of no more good.  The thing to do is to recognize that the barriers are inscrutable, that they are there not by chance but entirely by God’s permission, and they should be faced and not ignored.”

You see, I have had a rough two years.  On July 23^rd I will celebrate my two-year anniversary surviving brain surgery.  My tumor has not grown back and I am in good health.  For this alone I should be eternally grateful.  However, during the course of my recovery, I’ve had many moments of self-pity. I cried many times over the things I lost due to my illness.  These earthly treasures are not of heavenly worth, so now I am bent on building up my heavenly treasury.

Everyone will face challenges in life.  Many of these trials will remain mysteries, impossible to understand and interpret.  How we deal with them will demonstrate our faith and true devotion to God.  Maturity in Christ comes with a cost.  The treasures we lay up in heaven are gained through sacrifice and pain because of our love for Christ.  He honors us with the opportunity to share in His sufferings. 

Lessons are handed out to His students, and we must diligently strive to master the spiritual concepts without complaint.  With a contented heart, we leave the enemy behind in the dust, confounded by his failure to lead us into hopelessness and despair. Victory is ours, if we are determined to trust in a Savior with our yielded heart.  Surrender must come before you can expect to take any forward steps in the journey He is directing you.

So now, whatever path God leads me on, I will be strive to be happy and content.  In His presence is fullness of joy, and I am permitted to enter into His sanctuary any time I desire.  Therefore, I can be joyful throughout my day no matter what I face, because I choose to sit at His feet.  At His right hand are eternal pleasures that feed my spirit and nourish my very being.

How can I even consider grumbling in His presence when He has given so much to me?  It is at those times when I forget the many blessings and gifts He has graciously given in the past and present, that I stumble and grieve His loving heart.  He is the same yesterday, and today…. And so will He be in my future forever more.  Blessings will come, as they were evident in my past.  He is not one who changes.  He is faithful and true.  What ever He gives me I will gladly take, joy and pleasure or sorrow and hardship.  All will prove to be for my benefit.  I will take His hand and go wherever He decides to lead me.  Will you??

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. “  Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)

Filed under: BODY OF CHRIST, DEVOTIONS, EVANGELISM, HEALTH, MEDICAL/SCIENCE, OUR DAILY STRENGTH, REVIVAL Tagged: Bible, Christianity, Facing Trials, Faith, God, Healing

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