Saturday, May 16, 2015

What Does It Take For You To Be Satisfied?




“…you may be partakers of the divine nature…” —2 Peter 1:4

“[…] We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, “Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle.” And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives. […] He is our Source; as the psalmist said, “All my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7). […] “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you…may have an abundance…” (2 Corinthians 9:8)— […] learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.” CHAMBERS

How much is enough? As you live your life .. what does it take to be satisfied?  Do you look to your culture or your bank account to decide if you have attained success?  One thing that North Americans lack is perspective.  Material possession … good health … no relational problems … is that what it takes for you to be happy .. to be content?  That is what the Bible calls wood, hay and stubble.  It will be burnt up in the end … it will be left behind when you die … “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:11-16)  You see the point is having an eternal perspective.  If your contentment is dependent upon what you drive, where you live, what you eat, where you go then your focus is on the wrong things.  That is not my opinion, it’s God’s.  All of those things will fail you, because God did not create them to replace your relationship with Him.  

It is not a new problem, but a result of our fallen nature ….

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:20-25)

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

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