Tag: Treasure
The Secret of Contentment
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6
It’s a strange juxtaposition in which we believers find ourselves. We are filled with Spirit of God Himself, bringing heaven down to earth and all the godly riches available to us with such a glorious gift, and yet at the same time we are still on this earth, saddled with these fleshly bodies, so prone to temptation, walking among earthly riches, seeing, smelling, contemplating, desiring…
The flesh and the spirit are at war.
But Paul reminds us that while godliness is good, godliness with contentment is greater. It is gain.
Holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, but they can be especially rough on some who have suffered a loss of some kind. The days when seemingly everyone else is rejoicing can be a magnifier for those losses or unfulfilled expectations.
But a magnifying glass only magnifies that on which we are solely focused. And when we focus the magnifying glass on the world and its temptations, even on those things that aren’t necessarily bad, but God has simply, in His wisdom and grace and mercy, not given them to us, then our focus becomes lust and envy.
We become discontent.
Contentment means we have moved the magnifying glass to focus on our Lord and Savior. We’re focused on Christ and God’s Spirit working in our lives, even through those losses, and have found we have all we need, and even more, to live an abundant life right here and right now.
In Philippians 4:11-12 Paul declared “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
And what is that secret to being content?
He doesn’t leave us wondering; in the next breath he tells us “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
No matter what our circumstances, and we are all in some kind of circumstances–don’t let the enemy tell you that everyone else’s life is perfect and yours isn’t—Jesus Christ gives us strength, not just to endure, but to thrive, to be spiritually well-fed and well-clothed, to have all our physical needs met to the glory of His Name, the magnification of His goodness and faithfulness.
In the world there is always something more to want, something more to chase after. Just like we can stuff ourselves silly on Thanksgiving only to be hungry again two hours later, the world will never satisfy. But the overflowing, never-ending, treasure of God will satisfy the soul because that’s what we’re created for.
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” 2 Cor. 9:8
The same word that is “contentment” in 1 Timothy 6:6 is used as “sufficiency” here in 2 Corinthians.
Contentment–magnifying Christ in our hearts and minds–knowing He is sufficient for all our needs and able to work through those difficult or even impossible situations, watching Him move every mound of dirt until our mountain is thrown into the sea, will bring us a satisfaction that no amount of earthly riches ever will.
Contentment means we don’t have to worry about our needs because God’s got it covered. We can come off the sidelines of dismay as we realize the eternal treasures that are ours in the Lord and the strength we receive frees us to carry on, faithfully doing the good work He has carved out for us to do.
In His Good Grace,
Eyes on the Ball
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“Keep your eyes on the ball!”I don’t know how many times I heard those words lobbed to me as I stood at home plate, bat in my little hands, waiting for the pitcher to underhand the softball in my direction.
But I could never do it. The ball became nothing but a blur as it spinned toward me, and then past me. I simply could not get a fix on that little white ball.
Had I loved sports (instead of being forced to do my time by the Department of Education) I could have practiced and learned how to focus my eyes and maybe even make contact.
Learning to focus on anything, foregoing all the distractions, takes practice.
Even focusing on the Lord takes patience and lots and lots of practice. Without focus on Him, everything becomes a blur, and we forget our purpose–to glorify God in all we do.
But we first have to love Him, and in order to love Him, we have to know Him.
We have to forego other things in order to spend with Him, practicing His presence, hearing His voice.
But so much…life….can get in the way.
So much of our pains and sorrows and worries and temptations and earthly goals take us away from our time with the Lord. Maybe we’ve been offended by God and we’ve allowed that to create distance. Maybe it’s sin we’ve allowed to settle in our lives. An unforgiveness. A bitterness. Maybe we’ve just let the little daily urgencies of life keep pushing out what’s most important.
We can forget that those things that trouble us are not the problem, but only a temporary tool used in the hands of a loving and gracious God to bring us to full maturity. We can forget that He is fully capable of handling them and that we don’t need to let them overcome us. We can place them at Jesus’ feet and look into His eyes.
We can choose to take our eyes off those things…off the crowd, off the other team, off the world…and put them back on Jesus. Back on the ball. Only then will we find success—peace and joy and real love–in the kingdom of God. Only then will we be able lay up real treasures in heaven where this life will be but a distant memory, and eternity will be more real than this life ever was, where our reward is waiting with Him.
I love how Francis Chan puts it in this short video:
Blessings and Peace,
The Best Things In Life Are Free
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
They say the best things in life are free. Yet every year the day after Thanksgiving (well, now you barely have time to eat your last bite of pumpkin pie) the stores open and people rush the gates like race horses at the Kentucky Derby. Even now there are people everywhere still scrambling to find that last perfect present or two.
I wonder if we really do believe the best things in life are free. All the frenzied waving of credit cards is really just a distraction, a way to make Christmas mean something when we fail to make it about Christ. And it’s hard to do that when He hasn’t been Lord the other 364 days a year.
Thanksgiving Day I was in the kitchen, as I am every Thanksgiving, going about the cooking I’ve now gotten down to a science, when I stole a moment to take a peek through our kitchen window which faces the front of our house. The streets were lined with cars that had brought family and friends to spend Thanksgiving with so many neighbors. It made me feel just a little bit lonely.
I love my family, my husband and our two sons whom we’re still blessed to have at home, but we have no extended family we’re able to spend the holidays with.
I didn’t have much of a family life growing up, so it was always my dream to have huge family gatherings at the holidays, the house full of laughing, eating, cooking, and a dozen different conversations going on a once, catching each other up on our lives, our victories and our defeats, encouraging and loving each other, so that when the day was done we’d be as full in our hearts as we were in our bellies.
A long time ago, though, I accepted the house would be a little less full and a little more quiet. That it would be just the four of us, and I’m happy with that. Still, I couldn’t help but peer out the window a time or two (maybe three) more and caught a glimpse of all those cars in front of so many other houses.
Instead I’ve filled the holidays with one of the few talents I did have: mad baking skills. I started baking when my kids were tiny and we didn’t have enough money for store-bought birthday cakes. I started collecting cookbooks and practicing the art of cake making, frosting, and decorating. I bought all kinds of frosting tips and every food coloring in the rainbow. I practiced my royal icing roses. My mouth full of sweet teeth had me quickly expanding to almost any kind of cookie, pastry and dessert you can think of.
And when the holidays rolled around I’d have a field day. I’d stock up on flour and sugar and butter and chocolate and peppermint candies. I’d pore through my hundreds of recipes of Christmas cookies and delectable desserts and wonder which to bake first. Wedding cookies or Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels? And there are always cream cheese frostinged cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.
But now I have health issues that make it almost impossible to enjoy eating sugar or any kind of carbohydrate. Oh I can eat it, I just have to be willing to face the consequences when I do. My family is trying to eat healthier, too. So every year I’ve baked less and less, and this year I haven’t done any. Yet we are inundated with messages that for Christmas to be Christmas we should indulge in one sugar-laced treat after another. But since I can’t it’s just one more thing that can make me feel like I’m somehow outside the party peering in.
There are other things, too, that getting older make celebrating Christmas the way I’d like very difficult or impossible.
Sometimes, when we’ve been stripped away of so much that the world says we must have and do to be happy, God is able to show us what’s most important. To see what the best things in life really are.
No matter what gifts I’ve been given, the best by far will always be my salvation. Ultimately, of course, I am forever indebted to Christ for dying for me, and to the Holy Spirit for pursuing me, opening my eyes, and revealing to me my need for a Savior. Regardless of what I am not able to have in this life, eternity will be filled with family and feasting. Relationships will be restored and my body will be perfect. This life is only temporary. Eternity’s forever. And I’m looking forward to it!
I would not have that hope if it weren’t for the willingness of some to offer prayers and the honest teaching of God’s Word. Those were gifts to me, gifts I could never afford. Gifts that are free.
And now I, and many of you, are in the position to be able to offer those gifts to others. No credit card needed. Some may not open their gift of salvation right away, perhaps for years. But even seeds are gifts. Water is a gift.
So maybe it’s time to slow down and allow those things the world says we must have in order to have Christmas be stripped away. Maybe it’s time to give a gift that would last for eternity. Maybe you’re a seed-bearer, or a waterer. Maybe you’re a harvester.
Wherever God would have you be in the process, give a gift of your gifts. Your spiritual gifts have been given to you to not only encourage fellow believers, but to bring truth to unbelievers. There is no better gift than the truth that leads to salvation.
One phrase that I hear over and over every Christmas season that’s become a pet peeve of mine, is when someone uses the word Christmas in place of the word gifts. “She won’t be able to give her kids Christmas.” “They won’t have a Christmas.”
Even the Grinch came to understand Christmas when he’d stripped the Whos of all he thought would make them happy, yet their joy on Christmas morning was undeterred and unrestrained.
“That’s a noise,” grinned the Grinch, “That I simply MUST hear!”
So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow.
But the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn’t be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!
He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?”
“It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!”
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
A little bit more indeed. A lot more. It means the birth of our precious Savior who came to give us the best gift of all.
So if you’re struggling this year, I hope you’ll take heart,
And know that the life we live here is only the start!
Christ was born in a stable for you and for me
And He died to give us eternity.
So wherever you are, whatever you do
Remember that Jesus, yes Jesus loves you!
He gave you salvation and that’s the key
To knowing the best thing in life is free.
So remember that Christmas doesn’t come from a mart
It comes when we let JESUS fill up our heart!
So store up for yourselves treasures in heaven
Give the gift of telling others how they can be forgiven!
Merry Christmas and God bless you!
Which Rich?
A wealthy society, prominent schools, medical access, fine clothing, a good church. Successful. A community where anyone would be fortunate enough to have a home and raise a family.
Sound familiar?
Like one of countless neighborhoods in America, doesn’t it?
Only this community, more specifically the church in this community, is mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Jesus Christ speaks directly to her, the Church in Laodicea. But He doesn’t send His congratulations at being a center of modern medicine, or for being a mecca for trade and wealth, or for dressing themselves in fine clothes.
They had made the mistake of finding contentment in their earthly treasures. And in their wallowing, they had become spiritually destitute.
They thought they had everything, but because He sees differently than we see, Christ gives them an eye-opener – a warning and a call to repentance. He tells them they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
They had allowed their prosperity to rob them of their zeal for Christ, and their faith had become lukewarm. Good for nothing. Tasteless. And they were in danger of being vomited from His mouth.
Sound familiar?
America has anything anyone could want. Lady Liberty lights the way to welcome countless people from around the world who come to find their American dream – a job, a home, education, medical expertise. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And we’ve become spiritually impoverished.
We are now the home of the seeker-friendly church. We’ve watered down the gospel for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. We’ve made it exciting for fear of alienating young people. We’ve rested on our American laurels. We’ve molded to the world instead of allowing the truth to mold it.
And we’ve become, in large part, wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
But as always, Christ gives us hope. As He counseled the Church in Laodicea, I believe He counsels the Church in America, and wherever else it applies, to “buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” Rev. 3:18
It’s not in a white-collar career, a mini-mansion, a car with heated seats, clothes fresh off the Paris runway, or in any kind of fame that we are made whole.
It’s not in a set of religious rules, or intricate stained-glass windows, or hip, modern teaching about how nobody needs to worry about hell, maybe peppered with a cuss word here or there to prove that Christians aren’t all stuffy.
It’s in the person of Jesus Christ.
It’s in believing in Him and putting faith in Him and His work on the cross.
There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth or a finely-tuned Sunday morning service.
But:
1. Those will not save one soul. And in this sin-sick world, people need Christ. People are hungry for the truth, hungry for answers, hungry for hope and starving for love. And it’s a sin for a church to rob someone of that knowledge in favor of an entertaining Sunday get-together.
2. Those are not our goal. Our goal is to know Christ and take what He infuses into our souls to the world as salt and light. Our goal is to give ourselves over to Him for the sanctification of our souls and renewing of our minds.
Our goal is to get up on the cross with Christ and die.
It’s to overcome the world, not give in to it. To overcome the enemy, not join forces. To overcome the sin that entangles us, not sit and wallow in it.
And this can only be done as we hold onto Christ. And if we do, He gives us a promise:
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Rev. 3:21
We have a short time here, and then the reward. May we see ourselves through Jesus’s loving, gracious, sober eyes and remember the reason we’re here.
Grace and peace, love and joy,
Hello again!
I’m excited to announce that my testimony, along with 39 others, will be published in a book and released sometime later this year! Some stories, like mine, will be about how, against all odds, the truth of Jesus Christ penetrated hearts and brought people to a saving faith in Him. Other stories will be glimpses into the lives of believers and how they were able to keep holding onto faith despite trying times. All will be stories of hope and the miracles that only Christ can do. I’ll let you know more details as they’re announced. I’m excited to see how the Lord will use the book in the lives of many hurting people desperate for real hope in a world that’s increasingly lacking it. Add it to your Christmas list!
Where Are You Staying?
It was probably a day like any other day. People are milling around John, known as The Baptist, as he talks about the One Who is to come. Daily more people come to hear about the Light who has come into the world, to learn of repentance, and to be baptized.
John is talking with two of his followers when he sees Jesus of Nazareth walk by, and declares “Behold the Lamb of God!” John 1:36
They turn and see the One they’ve been hearing about. The One Who they’ve heard will baptize with the Holy Spirit. The One Who takes away the sin of the world. And they leave and begin following Him.
“Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, ‘What do you seek?’ They said to Him, ‘Rabbi’ (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), ‘where are You staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).’” John 1:38-39
These two new apostles, Andrew and probably the man who would author the gospel of John, wanted to know where Jesus lived. They left John the Baptist to stay, not in a certain place, but with Jesus Himself. Where Jesus went, they went. Where He slept and ate and spoke, they were there with Him.
His home, wherever that would be, would now be their home. And their lives would never be the same.
Had Andrew and John stayed with John the Baptist, they would have only heard about Jesus.
They would have missed out on three years of actually getting to know Him, walking with Him from place to place, talking with Him along the way about the great mysteries He held deep in His heart. They would have missed seeing Him perform miracles and watching Him change the hardened hearts of men and women. They would have missed seeing the joy in His eyes when children skipped up to Him and threw their arms around Him, and hearing Him laugh as He held them tight.
They might have missed that day at Pentacost when they were filled with the Holy Spirit and blessed with gifts from God to live out the greatest calling to go out into the world and preach the Good News. They would have missed seeing countless others come to know Jesus–the Man they knew as friend, confidante and Lord–as their Lord and Savior.
Hearing about Jesus was good, but living with Jesus brought them to the Source of all good things, to the very feet of God, the place of all power.
The word staying in the apostles’ question is the same word translated as abide that Jesus later uses in this admonition: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Jesus calls us to abide with Him, too. It’s not enough to hang back and hear about Him from teachers, parents or friends.
He now lives in us and He wants us to live in Him, wherever that may be. He wants us to beg the question of Him, “Where are you staying?”
Jesus doesn’t live in church. Don’t leave Him there.
If we’ve received Him as Lord and Savior, He lives in our hearts, and we are to live in Him.
He is now our home.
And for each of us He is in a different place. He is walking in a different direction in my life than He is in yours.
He is doing a different thing, teaching a different lesson, healing a different wound in each of our lives.
He is sanctifying individual souls. And only He has the power to do it.
Why be satisfied with only hearing about Him, when we can live with the Source of all life?
Where is Jesus in your life right now? What does He want to teach you? How is He working to mature your faith? Where does He want to go and who does He want to serve through you?
Are you right there, following in obedience, living where He’s living? Are you in communion with Him daily, learning from the Master, being filled with His Spirit, receiving His gifts and living the abundant life He longs to share with you?
Jesus said we can do nothing unless we abide in Him.
But if we do abide in Him, there is nothing we can’t do.
The Quiet Road
Hello!
Welcome to our new home! Make yourself comfortable. I pray you’ll find a quiet place here to rest with the Lord. And I pray you find His riches for your journey.
* * *
“And there he (Elijah) went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’
So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.’
Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:9-12
Elijah’s having a bad day. Well, it started out good. With a miracle, in fact. He’d faced the evil king of Israel, Ahab, and the false prophets of Baal. He’d put their god to the test. Of course, Baal never showed up. But God did, and in a big way. And Ahab wasn’t happy.
Now Elijah was running for his life, and he desperately needed wisdom from the Lord.
Like Elijah, each of us is on a journey. To walk it successfully, we must walk it with the Lord. We need to hear Him tell us which way to turn, when to wait, and what decisions to make along the way.
I’m convinced that one of the greatest weapons the enemy uses to keep us from hearing from God is the noise of the world.
Seems we can’t get through a day without being bombarded with news that can’t be more depressing, reading through a constant feed of what our friends are doing on social media, and exercising our texting thumbs. And the media feels the need to keep us constantly apprised of Snooki’s life. We watch to see who’s been voted off the island, picked as the next voice and what one housewife is saying about another. We Pinterest and Reddit and Tumblr. We email and online shop. iPhones and iPads. I, I, I. Our ears are constantly filled with the noise of the world.
And the words we need to hear most, the words God longs to speak to us, go unheard.
Because God’s is a still small voice.
None of those “noisy” things are bad in and of themselves (well, maybe the Snooki thing), but if we’re not careful, we can use them to fill the emptiness and loneliness of our hearts that only God can fill.
They can become our Baals.
The road walked with God is a quiet one. Quiet enough to hear His vo
ice. It’s the eye in the middle of the storm. It’s the road off the beaten path. It’s just you and Him, kicking up the dusty road as you share your hearts with one another.
That’s where the real treasure is found.
You share your worries with Him, He gives you wisdom. You confess your unforgiveness and anger. He gives you forgiveness and hope. You praise Him and He holds you tight.
We need that in the middle of this lost and dying world. We need direction and discernment. We need peace.
What’s more, the world needs us to have it. It needs to see what a life walked with God looks like. It needs to see that God is our hope and joy. People need to hear that He has a quiet path for them, too. Because they need Jesus, not Baal.
And so do we.
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3