Never Satisfied

Never Satisficed. I saw this sentiment recently stenciled on the back window of a car. It could be our national motto, couldn’t it? Most of us here in the United States have a lot, but we are always yearning for a little bit more. A better job, a bigger house, a more exciting vacation, a fancier wardrobe. Not only that, we’re proud of feeling that way — it fuels the economy, right? Well, it’s also one of those occasions for sin. Here’s what the Bible tells us in the book of James:

“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?  You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” James 4:1-3

In other words, being dissatisfied with what we have can lead to all sorts of sin from personal disagreements to war. It can make us envious and unhappy. The remedy is simple — ask God! No, you may not get everything you want, because sometimes (often) what we want isn’t what we need. However, if we ask sincerely, trusting God to give us what is best, we will be satisfied.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

For more about envy and jealousy see:

Thy Will Be Done

Practicing Thankfulness by Sam Crabtree–Book Review

Surrendering Every Day

Quiet and Peaceable Lives

Almost every Sunday in church, we pray for the leaders or our country, in the hope that their work will enable us to “live quiet and peaceable lives.” Isn’t that what most of us desire above all else? The thought comes directly from these verses in 1 Timothy:

“ urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 1:1-2

I’ve been reading and watching a good bit of historical fiction these days, and it has made me realize how fortunate we are in our country these days.  Most of us alive today have not experienced the day-to-day chaos of war.  We’ve never had to flee our homeland to escape persecution;  we’ve never been occupied by a foreign power;  we’ve not had to make hard choices about whether to resist or support an oppressor.  We don’t need to fear being taken off to a concentration camp, or worry about where our next meal is coming from.  This is a blessing!

When I think about true peace and serenity, the first thing to come to my mind is the Shepherd’s Psalm, number 23.

 

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley ,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Even if we ever do experience the worst, our Shepherd is with us.  He will provide for us that which is truly needful;  He will keep our soul safe.  Not even war or death can remove our peace in Him.  This is an even greater blessing.  Thanks be to God!

For more on Psalm 23, visit this post:

A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller– Book Review

 

Love Through God Goggles

Welcome to today’s blog post on Ecclesiastes 3…we continue with verse 8

A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

Such a contrast between these… love/hate, war/peace… But, God’s Word says, through King Solomon, that there is a proper time for both.

The first thing Verse 8 made me think of when reading it was the saying “love the sinner, hate the sin”. There are many people I know that live in sin… living together/sexual immorality outside of marriage, drug and alcohol addiction, people who are continually dishonest, cheat, or steal. I have friends who live in alternative lifestyles, people who have shopping/spending addictions, I have a friend that is addicted to food, I have people in my life that are dealing with abuse of some kind, friends who have anger management issues. Some of these people are Christians and some of them are not. But they all have one thing in common…my love.

If you have read some of my blogs, or you know me personally, you know that I love people! I have been a people person all my life. I was modelling my love for people, the way Jesus did, before I ever even gave my life to Him. I have always wanted to love people.

Growing up, I got into a lot of trouble. Some of my own doing, but some because of the company I kept. I always gave people the benefit of the doubt, never understood how someone could be cruel to someone else, and I always stood up for people that were picked on because I knew how it felt.

I had a lot of heartache in my childhood. I was picked on, made fun of, called names, had cruel jokes played on me more than once, and not just by kids at school but my own family as well. I never felt as though I really belonged anywhere. I always felt like an outsider and always felt like the “black sheep” of the family.

It wasn’t until I was in my 30’s that Jesus started to change my perspective. I realized how to look at people through what I call, “God goggles”. My opinion of others behavior didn’t change but I was able to look at them with a new filter. One thing I’ve learned in my life is that people who are angry, bitter, committing crimes, abusing others, trying to escape reality with drugs, alcohol, or alternative lifestyles…they are people who are hurting… just like I was when I have displayed some of those traits in my own life. People express the hurt in their hearts in so many ways.

And so that is why I am friends with all types of people. I don’t discriminate. People have asked me “How can you be friends with so and so?” And I tell them, “Just because you can see their sin doesn’t mean that I don’t struggle with some of those same sins, you just don’t see it.” With some people I do take more caution for obvious reasons… I can now love them but hate the things they do. How can I do this? I’ve learned something as a Christian that I wished I had learned a long time ago… boundaries. I stick to my boundaries and guarding my heart above all else.

The second thing verse 7 made me think of was war and peace… no, not the book! I thought about war and peace in my heart. There are times in my life when I have been at war with myself, at war with God, at war with other people. There have been times in my life when I have had extreme peace in my heart, contentment within myself, my relationships, and my faith. Like I wrote in yesterday’s blog post, it is possible to be in a state of two opposite conditions of the heart simultaneously.

One for me that comes up often is spiritual warfare. As a warrior in God’s army, I am constantly fighting to protect myself from the devil’s attacks but I am at complete peace because I know that no matter what fiery arrows come my way, God is walking alongside of me. He is my heavenly father, my protector, my healer, my counselor, my provider, my comforter, my strength, and my power. That is where my peace comes from. Without it I would be lost, just like I was before I found it. Without it, I would be just like the lost, hurting people I know, who have no hope.

I love to sing! If you know me, you know that about me too! There is a song that I love to sing when I am praising my Savior for all He is for me… Because of Who You Are by Vicki Yohe. She is my favorite gospel singer. In fact it is one of the songs I have been practicing to sing at church. These are the lyrics…

Because of who you are, I give you glory
Because of who you are, I give you praise
Because of who you are, I will lift my voice and say
Lord, I worship you because of who you are
Lord, I worship you because of who you are

You see your Jehovah, Jehovah Jireh, my provider
Jehovah Nissi, Lord, you reign in victory
Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace
And I worship you because of who you are

The words to this song remind me that I am His and He is mine. He is my everything, just because of who He is.

Who is God to you? Is He your everything? Or do other things hold a higher place in your heart? Are you spending more time with God or with the things of the world?

How about those “God goggles”? Do you look at others through the eyes of Christ? Or do you sit in judgement at the speck of sin in the eyes of others, meanwhile forgetting the log of sin in your own?

God loves you and so do I,

Leslie

photo courtesy of hannahhelpme.com

(and by the way, my chihuahua looks just like this pic!)