on being content

Years ago, when my kids were all little, God taught me how to be content in all circumstances.  I remember the day (years ago) when our washer or dryer went out, I can't remember which it was.  The front load appliances had just come onto the market, and I thought it was a great opportunity to upgrade to that style.  Even though only ONE of those appliances went out, I didn't really want to have just one new one...why not go ahead and make it a nice, matching pair?  Preferably in that pretty red, thank you very much.

But the Lord worked on my heart through my husband.  I don't know if Todd was even aware of the battle in my mind I was having on this topic, but he knew it wasn't economical for us to replace just one bad appliance with two new ones.  And, as it turns out, we didn't even need one new one, because he was able to repair it himself.  But through all that time, the Lord worked on my heart on the topic of being content and Him being our provider. 

I love the verse Philippians 4:13 about being able to do all things through Him who gives us strength, but that verse is always taken WAY out of context.  It's true, that verse, but the writer of that verse had just written in the verses before this one that he had learned how to be content whether with little or with a lot.  Those were the verses God used in my life during that time, and I wrote them out and taped them to the laundry room cabinets.  Laugh if you want, but when I learn a lesson like that, I need to always be reminded me of it over and over again. 

In the years since then, I have remembered this that the Lord taught me.  As a believer and follower of Jesus, I know that we need to live only within our means, and we never need to buy things just to buy things.  We do each have things we like to purchase, Todd and me, but I always pray and ask that the Lord would help us to be good stewards of all that He has given us.  I know that we never need to put anything above the Lord in our lives, and "stuff" and the love of all that stuff can easily become idolatry.  It's just one thing I always ask of the Lord: to help us be good stewards of both our money and our time, and never to let us be so wealthy that we would be tempted to forget Him or so poor that we would be tempted to steal.  (That last part is based upon a couple of verses out of Proverbs.) 

Also, this that I am writing about is something that is very personal for each person.  Everyone was made unique and different, and what I do, someone else may shake their heads at.  I never share about this type of thing to judge anyone; that is not my job.  I do like to share and encourage, though, and I always wonder if it is something someone needs to hear on this day.  The Lord does that kind of thing for me all the time, so that is always my prayer for anything I write on here, if it's not fluff.  All that I am and have and do is for the Lord, even this silly little blog space I have on the internet. 

Moving on now, the Lord has also shown me the truth of 1 Timothy 6:10.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." 

Money is not evil, but LOVING money is.  That is also why I pray the way I do...I never want to love any THING or ONE more than I love Jesus.  And this day and time that we live in proves this verse (1 Timothy 6:10) to be true.  The love of money changes a person, and I've seen people walk totally away from the Lord because of that in their lives.  I also know a lot of people who have a lot of money that are not like this; that money is not idolatry in their lives and they're not consumed with it, in fact, a lot of them that I know give most of it away. 

It's always so interesting to see how God uses certain things in people's lives to work on them, and I know that for me, He has shown me time and again that He alone is our provider.  God has never once let me down, not when we were young and married and living off cheap macaroni and cheese, or even now as we prepare to do a lot of work on our home that we currently live in.  He helps me to keep my eyes fixed on Him, and in doing that, I don't become easily overwhelmed.  He gives me perspective about thing I buy, and I am so glad He does.  I think I would always be tempted to go the opposite way on this, so He has definitely shown me that this way is better, for me at least. 

It's something we have, it's something we need to be able to live while on this earth, it's just that our mindset needs to be right.  I love what these verses below say on this.

(1 Timothy 6:17-19)

"Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.  Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real." 

Well, I need to get going on this day, so thanks for reading!  Love to all.