Contentment...

a word not often used in our society.... in fact I would go so far as to say it is the antithesis of our society today.

This morning was the monthly meeting of the hens, at church... commonly known as Ladies Fellowship Breakfast.
The topic of the devotion was.... you guessed it... Contentment.

I know this is something that we all struggle with... If it wasn't... we all wouldn't be imagining our next car, or new furniture, or what it would be like if our kids actually listened.... planning our next great vacation, walking through model homes and drooling.... Yes all of these activities are societal norms, and all of them are rooted someway in a bit of discontent.

Satan is quite crafty in the ways he steals our joy. He gets us to thinking we deserve it... or wouldn't it be nice to have the house remodeled? Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that we should all walk around in rags... or that we should go live in a cardboard box.... What I am talking about is when you visit an old friend, and you see their house, hang with their family, and then when you leave... you are in a bad mood because somehow, your life, lived in your house, suddenly isn't as nice as it was before your vacation, and your just wish your life could be easy like your friends was.....

Psalm 84:11 Says : " The LORD God is a sun and shield, He will give grace and glory, and no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

It reminds us that God is all we need...He is our sun... our light and our warmth, He is our shield, and protects us from the enemy, He gives us grace to carry on when we need it, and the grace that saves us when we didn't know we were so lost, He will finish out His promise with glory ... for us in heaven. He wants to bless us.... but we are responsible to walk uprightly, or according to His will, to receive those blessings..... and remember even some of the "bad" things we go through are a "good" thing. Don't forget that we do not understand all of how things work in God's economy..... ALL things are for HIS glory and our growth.

So the next time you are in the midst of a fit of envy.... or your kids see the next big hot toy on TV and start to whine.... or your husband wishes he made more money so he could get that cool truck.... Think about Psalm 84:11 and remember the Lord is what you need the most.... and the more you ( or they ) focus on HIM.... the less they will need to keep up with "the Jones' "

Thanks Mrs. Piper for your timely and gentle reminder that we are called to be content.