When Having Less is More Than Enough

We were seated on a bench, waiting for a train, in the heart of Jerusalem. I'm not sure how the conversation shifted to small electronic devices designed for reading, but one of the missionaries had a more advanced version that allowed internet connections. 

"We watched a movie on it last night," she told us.

I was incredulous. 

"It was free with Amazon prime," she assured me. Missionaries are accustomed to justifying even the smallest "splurge," lest donors think they're being frivolous with donations.  (The electronic device had been purchased on sale...)

My surprise wasn't that she'd watched a movie, but that she and her husband had watched a movie on a screen the size of a paperback book. "That's such a small screen. Could you see it?"

"Oh, yes. It was enough." She went on to tell us about the movie, as if two people crowded around a tiny electronic device to watch a full-length movie was the most common thing in the world.

I can't get those three words out of my mind. "It was enough."

Enough.

That's the problem, isn't it? We're not always content with enough. 

The children of Israel were a great example of discontent. Manna from heaven was enough, but they wanted something different. Something more. 

I'm afraid we want more, too. A bigger screen. A nicer outfit. A newer car. A better view from our kitchen window. We want more, and God often gives it.

I wonder, though, how He would respond if we asked for more souls saved, more lives changed, more hearts softened, more glory for Him.

In the big scheme of eternity, the size of the screen on which we watch a movie doesn't matter at all. The number of people we tell about Jesus does.

The size of our retirement fund won't matter in heaven, but how we cared for widows, orphans, and the poor will.

The square footage of our homes won't matter when we're with Jesus, but how we used that home to welcome the lonely will.

In this country, most of us have enough of what we need. What we lack is contentment, and that only comes by surrendering our worldly desires to Him and embracing whatever He provides.

Today, let's take time to thank God for all His gifts. Let's look around our homes, your lives, and thank God for all we have. Let's tear up our "want" list and replace it with a list of kingdom wants, things that please and glorify God. 

Let's ask God to teach us contentment - no matter what He gives.

"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. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12,13 niv

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Making a Choice and Choosing a Path 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Jordan, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.
#contentment 

Lessons from Sam: Hunger and the Importance of Having Enough

Yesterday (April 10th) was Sam Wiley's birthday. As you may remember, he is my much-loved neighbor. This was Sam's first birthday since his wife died, so we spent a good bit of the day together. 

After church, we walked through the azaleas and reminisced about all the years we've planted azaleas together. We'd plant as many as one hundred azaleas each spring. (Those were mainly the years when we found them on sale for $1 apiece because we are both frugal.) 

As you might imagine, it took a while to get all those azaleas in the ground, but it was worth it to us because we love spring. We love flowers. We love azaleas.

We spent some time talking about life and growing older, and I thought the lessons he shared were worth passing along. (You can expect a few more lessons from Sam this week.)

Sam was born in 1930. His father contracted TB while he was in the army, and he received a check every month for $50 from the government because of it. 

I complained that $50 seemed a pitifully small amount for such a dreadful disease, but Sam said the $50 saved his family. That meager amount made the difference between food in their bellies and hunger. "We never had to go hungry."

When he was ten years old, they moved from Center to Blue Springs. They loaded everything they owned into a four-wheeled wagon, hitched it to the mules, and moved to a farm. 

The family had ten acres that they share-cropped there. That was as much as they could farm with only two mules and just two sons still at home, but it was enough. Sam and his brother worked the land. Fifty percent of all they grew went to the landowner. That seemed like a lot to me, but Sam said not, because it still left them enough. They never went hungry. 

"We was just coming out of the Great Depression. I don't reckon it could've been any worse than it was, because it was bad. We didn't have nothing. Nobody ever told us we was poor, because they didn't have any more than we did. No one did. 

"You know, we didn't have much of anything, but we was happy because we had enough."

Sam and his family had food to eat, a roof over their head, and two mules to work the land. He looks back on those years with thanksgiving. He told me several times that he was never hungry, and I realized later that not being hungry was quite an accomplishment. 

Sam and his family were content. They didn't worry about having the latest car or a fancy suit or a pretty dress. His sisters didn't worry about having their nails done or getting a pedicure or having highlights in their hair. They worried about putting food on the table and, when they had food, they were concerned that it would be enough. It always was.

We're not talking steak or lobster. They ate cornbread and peas. Vegetables they grew in the garden. Pork from the hog they raised and slaughtered and preserved. Sometimes they had meat and sometimes they didn't. 

You may have noticed that several words were repeated over and over again. "Enough. "Never hungry". If you've never been hungry, you may not understand the importance of those words, but Sam does.

Sam understands priorities. He knows what matters and what doesn't. Food on the table matters. Going to a fancy restaurant to get the food doesn't. A change of clothes matters. A closet full of clothes doesn't. 

We've lost the perspective on priority that Sam has, and we are poorer for it. We've lost the sense of family and interdependence that his family had. They needed each other to survive, they worked together to make it happen, and they didn't complain. 

Paul wrote to young Timothy about the importance of contentment and the snare of seeking wealth. We'd do well to listen to his words and take heed.

"But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction." 1 Timothy 6:6-9 nasb

Today, let's take a close look at all the wealth we've accumulated and give thanks to the Lord for His great generosity to us. As we sit down to tables laden with food, let's remember Sam's words, "We never went hungry," and give thanks with a grateful heart for the bounty of the food God has provided. 

Let's look outside our own homes, too. There are people in need all around the world. There are still people who are hungry. We can do something about that, if we will. So let's do it. In the name of Jesus, let's reach out our hand and our hearts. Let's love our neighbors as we do ourselves. 

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:40 nasb

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We've had a great response to the new Bible study starting May 1, but there's still time to sign up. It will be an online course and those who sign up will have a link to access it. (It will not be posted as part of this blog.)  This 12-week study of Hosea is designed to teach the participants to dig out truth for themselves.

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Trappings of Religion

#Mondaymotivation #GoodMonday #Jesus #content 

Confessing Jesus Before Men: I AM the Good Shepherd

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"And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9 NASB)

In an attempt to understand what it means to "confess Jesus before men" (or say the same things about Jesus that He says about Himself), we are reviewing the "I AM's".  So far, we've covered I AM the Bread of Life, I AM the light of the world, and I AM the door. 

Today, we continue the passage from John 10 with a look at the pasture into which the door of Christ opens.

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:19,11 NASB

Most of have seen pastures. These are wide, open fields in which livestock live and feed. Pasture management is a science of it's own and has taught us that a healthy pasture requires considerable attention. (I have more than one book on pasture management.) The type of grasses are chosen for their nutritional value. A source of clean water is imperative. There must be shade from the sun and protection from the elements. 

If the pasture is well-maintained, it provides a safe home for livestock, replete with everything needed for a safe and healthy life. In that same way, when we enter through the door of Jesus into the pasture He provides, we (according to Thayer) "shall not want the needful supplies for a true life." 

There is a difference, of course, between the "needful supplies for life" and our mountain of wants. In a society of entitlement, such as we have here in this country, it's easy to confuse the two. 

In 1943, Maslow described the hierarchy of human needs. Our most basic needs are simple. Breathing, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep. The next level of need includes health, job, family, property, and social stability, but is not required to sustain life. 

Take a look again at the most basic needs. Air, food, water, shelter, and sleep can all be found in a good pasture. (Clothing is just another form of shelter, or covering.) When we enter into the pasture of faith in Jesus, he is our stability. We become part of the family of God. We are joint heirs with Him. He gives us the work of the kingdom. The "needful supplies of life" are all provided, and more.

Jesus is the door that opens into the pasture of our provision. We, the sheep of His pasture, must occupy that pasture in ways that demonstrate the care lavished upon us by our Shepherd. One of the ways we confess Jesus before men is the attitude with which we occupy our "pasture". When we receive the gifts of God with a grateful heart, we give glory to Him with our gratitude. 

A lifestyle of contentment, rather than grumbling, says to the world that we serve a Good Shepherd who provides all we need for a productive life. Let's take a look at our attitudes. Do we grumble about the gifts of God? Do we constantly want more or different than He has provided? Today, let's take note of the provision God has given us, then thank Him for His generosity toward us. Let's confess Him before men by a lifestyle of gratitude.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (Philippians 4:11-12 NASB)

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Our Father, thank You for giving us our daily bread, our needful supply. Give me a grateful heart that honors You by the way I receive your gifts. Replace my grumbling with contentment in Your abundant provision. In Jesus' name, Amen

Sending the Seventy, part 11:

Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house.' ... Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. (Luke 10:5, 7 NASB)

This verse is nearly impossible to understand in our culture of entitlement. For some absolutely crazy reason that makes no sense at all, we have been hoodwinked into believing that is it our "right" to be comfortable and content. It is not. There is nothing in Scripture about our "rights" to comfort at all. Even our beloved forefathers in this country, describing our "inalienable rights" did not list comfort or contentment. Their list is pretty short: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. Liberty did not mean do whatever you want to do. Liberty meant "not a slave". "Pursuit of happiness" means that pursuit is the part we get to do. Actually achieving happiness is not guaranteed at all! That seems like an unusual way to start a devotional thought, I know, but we have to break free from our sense of entitlement to go where we need to go today. 

Jesus was speaking to men who were not accustomed to handouts. They were not accustomed to depending upon the charity of others. The apostle Paul would write a few years later, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8 KJV)" These "sent ones" understood that they were to provide for their families and themselves. 

With that in mind, look at what Jesus told them to do. They were to go to the villages to which He would be going later and preach and heal. They were not to take any money with them, nor any way to work for a living (no tools). "The laborer is worthy of his wages," He said. What they would be doing would be work, and they could expect at least a subsistence living in payment. Teaching, preaching, and healing may not be manual labor, but they are exhausting work, and all that Jesus expected. 

Can you even imagine what this must have meant to these men? They were accustomed to supporting themselves. For this journey, Jesus was saying, "This time, I will support you." He did not promise elaborate accommodations, but made it clear that they would have food and shelter. With that, they should be content. 

To be sure, there must have been the possibility of discontent, because Jesus repeated Himself. "Do not keep moving from house to house." They were to be still and stay where He placed them, even if they didn't particularly like it. His provision might not be what they had expected, but it was enough and they were to receive it happily. 

This has great application for our lives today. In our society of entitlement, it is difficult to overcome the mistaken idea that we deserve more or better. We need to embrace the truth of Philippians 4:11 and live accordingly: "...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:11 KJV) In whatever state God allows, like the apostle Paul, we are to be content until He moves us. 

At this time of year, there is a cultural impetus to want more, buy more, get more. We would do well to reconsider that flawed philosophy. This year, let's be content with what God provides. This year, let's be content. Instead of seeking more, let's seek less stuff and more Jesus. Be still. Be content. Thank God for whatever He has allowed. 

Content in any circumstances (Luke 6:1)

Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. (Luke 6:1 NASB)

An interesting thing happened one Sabbath day. Jesus and His disciples were walking from here to there. Their route took them through a grain field. His disciples were hungry, so they broke some of the grain heads off and began to eat them. We don't know the conversation surrounding this quick repast, but there is no evidence that these men whined or grumbled about eating the grain. They were hungry, so they ate what Jesus had provided along the way. These were the very men who had enjoyed a sumptuous feast with Matthew and his friends just a few verses earlier. In fact, Matthew was probably in the midst of the group. They did not, apparently, require elaborate and delicious meals as part of their discipleship. Comfort was not one of their requirements for following Jesus. 

I don't know about you, but I like comfort and I especially like delicious, perfectly seasoned and well-cooked meals. I like air conditioning and central heat, silk comforters, and pillow top mattresses. I like seat warmers in my car, warm coats when it's cold, and leather gloves to keep my hands warm. I suspect you do, too, or at least have your own list of comforts that you prefer. Jesus, however, did not promise us comfort. 

It's easy to be a disciple when we are comfortable. The question we all must answer is whether or not we would follow in a difficult and uncertain situation. Discipleship that is contingent upon favorable circumstances is not discipleship at all. Serving Christ should be done because of Who He is and not what He gives. Just as important, serving Christ should include accepting what He provides without grumbling or complaining.

Are you content with what God has given you, or do you complain and continually ask for more? 

Today, pray for a heart that is content with what God provides, and grateful for whatever circumstances He allows. Pray that our loved ones would not hold back from Christ from fear of having less than they want, but would embrace the life He planned for them.