"How to be Content"

How to Be Content

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation,  whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  Philippians 4:12 (NLT)

When I was first married people didn’t buy anything on time, that option wasn’t even available then.  If you didn’t have money to pay for things, you didn’t have them.  Here is how I started.  My parents gave me 2 old wooden rocking chairs and his parents gave us a table and chairs stored in the barn.  We bought a used gas stove for $15 and a big old cupboard to hold dishes, cookware, tableware and a places for dishes.

I painted the rockers, table & chairs and the cupboard all white.  Then my mother made some pillows for the chairs.  For a stand to set between them, I got an orange crate and painted that white and made a little curtain to hang across the front.  I brought my bed from home and dresser that held all our clothes. (This is what an orange crate looked like.)

I want you to know I loved my little one and a half rooms and was very content with what we had.  It wasn’t much, but it was all we needed at that time.  Then as time went on and children came along, we obviously needed a larger place to live.  So, we moved and then we moved again when another child came along.  I learned to decorate things and before I knew it, I had 4 children and that meant a larger place to live.  By this time, I was not so content. 

Money was scarce and as the children grew up they needed more, and I didn’t have faith to believe God would provide.  Today, as I looked back, God provided for us in so many ways; I just didn’t recognize it.  I have been content with little and with much and discontent even when there was much.

All these years later I recognize God’s hand in everything.  I have come to know His provision when I could not see an answer. The Bible tells us that: “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”  2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT) I have surely found that to be true in my life.  I often wonder, “How was that taken care of.”  I don’t always know how He did it, but He did.

Jehovah-Jirah is one of many Hebrew names of God and means ‘The Lord will provide’. This comes from the story of Abraham when he took his son, Isaac up in the mountain and following God’s command, lay him on the altar and was going to kill him as a sacrifice, when God stopped Abrahams hand and God said to him,     “Abraham don’t harm your son for I know now that you fear me.”  And Abraham looked and there was a ram caught in a bush.  So Abraham called that place, “Jehovah-Jireh”, God Provides. Genesis 22:14 (KJV)

When I was a child in grade-school, I found a book in the library that had wonderful stories about miracles and I read it over several times.  There was one story I have never forgotten!  There was a story about a very poor family and they had no food left.  Their mother prayed and in faith believing, told her young son and daughter that God was going to send them some food.  The children were so hungry they didn’t see how God would bring them something to eat.  The mother told them to just believe and go stand out on the corner and wait.

The children stood on the corner and waited and waited.  By now they were even hungrier than before and tired from standing.  They decided to go home and were turning to leave when a bakery truck came speeding around the corner.  Suddenly, the back door flew open and out came loaves of bread and cakes.  The door swung back shut and went on down the road.  The children ran out and gathered everything that had fallen out.  When they arrived home and showed their mother what they had, she thanked God for how He had provided food for them when they were hungry.  The end.

I’ve never forgotten that story and understand that God is who He says He is.  In Philippians 4:19 we see how much He cares for us.  “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  If you believe that God supplies all your needs, you can also believe that you can be content. It is faith that causes contentment.

I love the scripture in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”  Have faith and find contentment.

When I lived with little, I was happy and content, and now I have come full circle, for I find myself satisfied in Christ and know without doubt that God is my Provider.  How can I not be content when I know He will take care of my every need?  The ‘wants’ don’t always come to pass, but whatever need I have will be provided.

"How to Be Content"

How to Be Content

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation,  whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  Philippians 4:12 (NLT)

When I was first married people didn’t buy anything on time, that option wasn’t even available then.  If you didn’t have money to pay for things, you didn’t have them.  Here is how I started.  My parents gave me 2 old wooden rocking chairs and his parents gave us a table and chairs stored in the barn.  We bought a used gas stove for $15 and a big old cupboard to hold dishes, cookware, tableware and a places for dishes.

I painted the rockers, table & chairs and the cupboard all white.  Then my mother made some pillows for the chairs.  For a stand to set between them, I got an orange crate and painted that white and made a little curtain to hang across the front.  I brought my bed from home and dresser that held all our clothes. (This is what an orange crate looked like.)

I want you to know I loved my little one and a half rooms and was very content with what we had.  It wasn’t much, but it was all we needed at that time.  Then as time went on and children came along, we obviously needed a larger place to live.  So, we moved and then we moved again when another child came along.  I learned to decorate things and before I knew it, I had 4 children and that meant a larger place to live.  By this time, I was not so content. 

Money was scarce and as the children grew up they needed more, and I didn’t have faith to believe God would provide.  Today, as I looked back, God provided for us in so many ways; I just didn’t recognize it.  I have been content with little and with much and discontent even when there was much.

All these years later I recognize God’s hand in everything.  I have come to know His provision when I could not see an answer. The Bible tells us that: “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”  2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT) I have surely found that to be true in my life.  I often wonder, “How was that taken care of.”  I don’t always know how He did it, but He did.

Jehovah-Jirah is one of many Hebrew names of God and means ‘The Lord will provide’. This comes from the story of Abraham when he took his son, Isaac up in the mountain and following God’s command, lay him on the altar and was going to kill him as a sacrifice, when God stopped Abrahams hand and God said to him,     “Abraham don’t harm your son for I know now that you fear me.”  And Abraham looked and there was a ram caught in a bush.  So Abraham called that place, “Jehovah-Jireh”, God Provides. Genesis 22:14 (KJV)

When I was a child in grade-school, I found a book in the library that had wonderful stories about miracles and I read it over several times.  There was one story I have never forgotten!  There was a story about a very poor family and they had no food left.  Their mother prayed and in faith believing, told her young son and daughter that God was going to send them some food.  The children were so hungry they didn’t see how God would bring them something to eat.  The mother told them to just believe and go stand out on the corner and wait.

The children stood on the corner and waited and waited.  By now they were even hungrier than before and tired from standing.  They decided to go home and were turning to leave when a bakery truck came speeding around the corner.  Suddenly, the back door flew open and out came loaves of bread and cakes.  The door swung back shut and went on down the road.  The children ran out and gathered everything that had fallen out.  When they arrived home and showed their mother what they had, she thanked God for how He had provided food for them when they were hungry.  The end.

I’ve never forgotten that story and understand that God is who He says He is.  In Philippians 4:19 we see how much He cares for us.  “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  If you believe that God supplies all your needs, you can also believe that you can be content. It is faith that causes contentment.

I love the scripture in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”  Have faith and find contentment.

When I lived with little, I was happy and content, and now I have come full circle, for I find myself satisfied in Christ and know without doubt that God is my Provider.  How can I not be content when I know He will take care of my every need?  The ‘wants’ don’t always come to pass, but whatever need I have will be provided.

"Struggling With Faith"

Struggling With Faith

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen;

it gives us assurance about the things we cannot see."  Hebrews 11:1  (NLT)

Faith is what the Bible speaks of as the foundation of a believer.  In fact in Hebrews 11:6 it says that, “It is impossible to please God without faith.”  Then the rest of the chapter gives us examples from the Old Testament of those great people of old from Adam’s son, Abel, all the way to Moses.  They had unbelievable faith even though they did not see the fruit in their lifetime.

We see their great faith because we know the end of their stories, but there were times that they struggled with faith.  I would say that most Christians struggle with their faith at times.  I would like to share a true story with you about faith and let you come to your own conclusion.

I was a young mother and my first daughter as a baby had come through polio, meningitis and pneumonia.  At the time she was 8 years old and was left with severe curvature of her spine.  My neighbor was a devout Catholic and I was a Presbyterian, but we believed that God still healed people.  We decided to pray together and believe God would heal my daughter.

That night when I put her to bed, I laid hands on her and prayed for a miracle.  I hardly slept that night waiting for morning to come.  I ran to her room and pulled back her covers, but her spine was still curved.  I quietly left her room and sat down at my kitchen table weeping for a long time.  I was so sure she was going to be healed, but it didn’t happen.  Little did I know at that time what God had in store for her future.

After years of spinal fusions and therapy, among other problems, her spine was never healed, yet God has led her on mission trips around the world.  She has ministered to thousands of people of all nationalities and countless people came to know the Lord because of her testimony.  She is still leading people to the Lord through singing, Bible studies and teaching.  The doctors in her early years never thought she would live very long or be able to do much of anything, but she is a walking miracle and unstoppable in her faith.

There is so much more to her story (which was published in Guideposts magazine), but getting back to “Faith”.  The morning that she wasn’t healed and I sat at my table crying, I was angry at God and wouldn’t believe in miracles ever again.  I didn’t go to church for many years, although I sent my children to Sunday School.  I did what many people do when they start blaming God for something that didn’t turn out the way they think it should; my faith dropped to nonexistence.

God was still with me and led me in a journey where my faith took root and grew again because I asked Jesus into my heart and I’ve never looked back.  My four children are grown now and along the way I prayed for them every day and had faith to believe they would come to asking Jesus into their heart.  Now, they are all born again, filled with the Holy Spirit and serving the Lord.  Praise God for His faithfulness!

My faith continues to grow, although I haven’t moved any mountains yet.  When I am weak, God is strong.  In recent years God has given me faith to overcome cancer, a broken shoulder and serious back surgery with fusions. I used to carry my eight-year old daughter around because I had a strong back.  Now my back is weak and my legs aren’t strong, but I know God is with me.  I have faith in what He tells me from the Bible, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

If you have faith enough to know that there is a God, if you believe that God had a Son, Jesus, then you have faith.  Jesus said, “He would never leave us or forsake us.”  Believe it!  In Ephesians 2:8 (KJV), the Bible explains how we get ‘faith’.  “For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” The Lord covers even the details of having faith. 

Here is the clincher; God gives you faith and faith grows by using it.  Your answer doesn’t always come by tomorrow or the next day; it may take years and it may not even be answered in your lifetime.

By faith, Abraham believed what God told him thousands of years ago; He told him about the Promised Land and today we see the fruit of it in the nation of Israel.  The Jewish people have always struggled, but Israel is God’s Promised Land and it remains today.  Have faith in what God has promised and it will come true.

When I go to be with the Lord, I want written on my tombstone this scripture, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.”  2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV)

"Falling Out of Love"

April 10, 2016

Falling Out of Love

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”   1 Corinthians 13:2 (NKJV)

Years ago I read a quote from Billy Graham which said, “God never promised you that you would always be happy.”  I’ve never forgotten that and it has come to my memory many times when I’ve been so unhappy.  That statement is so appropriate in these days when people get divorced for very small reasons. 

I’m not talking about spouse abuse, unfaithfulness, or things like that, because that’s an entirely different situation.  I am talking about things like, ‘I can’t stand the way he chews’ or,’ he hasn’t picked up his clothes,’ or, ‘he doesn’t take out the garbage without me telling him to.’   He may think, ‘she complains all the time’, ‘she is never satisfied’ or, ‘she’s on the phone or Face book all day long.’  The lists go on and on. It may be you think you have fallen in love with someone else.  Don’t use the excuse of falling out of love because you’re wanting someone else.

These probably are not reasons to ‘fall out of love.’  When we have a healthy, godly mind, I don’t believe you can fall out of love with your spouse.  You may not be happy about certain things, or what he or she does that bugs you, but when you take into account that God loves you just like you are, think about the comparison.  What have you done over the last few days that you know is not pleasing to God? Do you think He has stopped loving you or separates himself from you?

It isn’t just husbands and wives that think they’ve fallen out of love; it can also be your children.  I remember a time when one of my children were living an ungodly life and it drove me to the brink of distraction. So I said to that child, “I love you; I’ll always love you, but I don’t like you anymore.”  I could never ‘not’ love my children, so after a good deal of prayer and leaving it over to God, that child in time has become an awesome servant of God who loves the Lord.

My husband and I have been married over forty years and love each other dearly.  We were both married early in life to other people, but neither of us knew the Lord as our Savior.  Later on we met and married.  It was not until this second marriage that we both were saved – and from there our lives changed greatly.  We soon were studying the Bible daily and realized there were ways we could have changed in our first marriage if we had known the Lord.

Here I speak for myself, because I truly believe that if I had been a Christian, I would not have divorced. I had no knowledge of Biblical principles to follow.  I was more concerned with myself than my marriage and was discontented with life.  I would not have been discontented if I had known Jesus personally. Let me add this; when we do things that are not pleasing to God, if we are repentant he forgives and gives us a new start.  God loved me enough to give me a wonderful, godly husband and I am so grateful.  He feels the same about me.

Now let me clarify this by asking a question.  Why does God hate divorce?  He knows the misery that will come; it’s like tearing and ripping apart others’ lives.  Children suffer from this separation and it affects their lives for years. No matter what you think, divorce is miserable!

Is divorce the unforgivable sin?  No sin is unforgivable except, “Every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven.”    Matthew 12:31 (NLT)  However, if you are a Christian, ‘Falling out of Love’ is not an excuse to break up a relationship.  In John 15:12, Jesus made this pretty clear, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”  How do you argue with that?  Loving one another doesn’t only mean all the other people you know, but it covers your spouse and your children.

Once we began to follow the Word of God, we understand repentance and pray for God’s forgiveness.  Jesus said in Luke 5:32, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”  We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) 

 Let’s pull all this together by reading 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” God loves the unlovable and I’m sure you know people like that.  As a Christian we need to realize that even if it is your husband or your wife or even your child, God loves them and he is not going to ‘fall out of love’ with them. You may not like that person because of their action, or how they treat you, but the Lord tells us we must love them anyway.  We must not wish them to go to Hell – no, you need to pray for them.  Don’t use the excuse that you’ve fallen out of love.  Pray for God’s direction.

However, In I Peter, 3:8-9, I believe that God wants us to live in peace, “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers (each other), be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

If you have an abusing or unfaithful relationship, then I believe God does not expect you to remain in that situation even though there must be much prayer.  In I Corinthians 7:15, “But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister (husband or wife) is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.”

"God Has a Plan for You"

“God Has a Plan for You”

               "For I know the plans that I have for you," says the Lord. They are plans for good                        and not for disaster,  to give you a future and a hope.   Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Are there times in your life when you feel like you’re all alone and you don’t know what you should do with your life?  I think most of us have felt that way sometime.  However, we must make decisions everyday of our lives; either positive or negative.  One decision you make is to either follow God or not. If you don’t choose to follow God, the enemy of your soul will soon have his hooks in you.

God has plans for our lives as it tells us in Jeremiah and when we don’t listen to Him, we can make some pretty big mistakes.  Many times I have jumped into things I shouldn’t have without asking God about it only to find I should have waited.

Right at this moment while you are reading this, you may be struggling with an issue that calls for an answer.  You may feel all alone in making a decision about it, but you are not!  God has the answer because as it says in Jeremiah 29, “God has good plans for you and not bad ones.”  His plans are for the present and the future, because the decisions you make today will affect your future. 

There are several ways to find out what God wants you to do.  First, pray about it.  Second, read the Bible and thirdly, “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”  Psalm 27:14 (NKJV) It is so hard to wait if there is something you want or need right now.  Why is it so hard?  Because you’re not sure if God will give you the answer you want from Him.  We must remember that there is ‘our timing’ and there is ‘God’s timing’.

This age is known as ‘The Instant Age’.  We like micro-wave meals, quick drive-ins, drive-ups, quick buys on Amazon and sending quick messages on Face-book; doing on-line banking, paying bills and connecting on the internet.  We Want it Now! God doesn’t always do things quickly, but in His own time because He knows what we need and when we need it.  There are times when he answers immediately and times when it’s a long wait. 

King David, in the Old Testament struggled many times trying to fit in with the plans God had for him, but he finally learned a little and wanted to share it with others.  In Psalm 37: 5&7, he gives this advice.  “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” What he suggests is to give it over to God and trust him to take care of it.  Then he goes on in verse 7, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently”. Yes, folks; God wants you to be patient.

It makes me think of the song, “Cats in the Cradle”.  It’s about a father and son and as the son was growing up, he asked his dad to do things with him like playing ball, but the father was always too busy.  In the early years, the boy always said, “I’m gonna be like you, Dad.” The son grew up and went to college and when he came home his dad wanted to sit and talk a bit, but the son wanted to do other things.  When the son got married and had his own children, his dad called and told him he would like to see him, but his son said he was too busy. The father hung up the phone and it occurred to him that his son had grown up just like him. It’s a sad song, but so true.

To put it in a spiritual sense, whoever you trust in and spend your time with, is who you’ll be like.  Our heavenly Father always has time for us and is always available.  He has great plans for you if you pray and then wait.  He will direct you in the way you should go.