Honoring Contentment

Often life is ruled by desires of what we think we want or should have but do not or can not have. Wrong desires accepted lead to life-taking attitudes and actions. Once we start seeking satisfaction somewhere other than in the LORD, our thirst will never be satisfied. Contentment has nothing to do with the size of your bank account. We can trust the LORD to take care of our needs. If we aren’t content with what we have, we are in danger of judgment.

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Shoestring Budget

Mark 6:8-9

      Have you ever had to live on a shoestring budget, money so tight that you don’t dare buy a cup of coffee because it will mean you can’t pay the rent? If you have never had to watch your spending like this, you have missed out. Living that close to the edge can teach you some very valuable lessons. You really learn the value of money when you work hard to earn it, and in the process you have to learn how to live on next to nothing.

      I think this is one of the drawbacks of our society. Kids get all the gadgets without having to earn it. Is there really a need for an eight year old to have their own IPad or smart phone? I am in my fifties, and I got my first truly smart phone a few months ago. I really didn’t need it. I was able to answer emails from my office. I would search the web before heading out to a new place. And I would ask people for help.

      I admire some neighbors of ours. They have an eleven year old son. They have helped him start a grass cutting industry. Now he is on it. He has purchased his own John Deere lawn tractor. He has all the equipment he needs. And he does a great job at it. They are teaching him the value of money and of hard work. This kid will go far.

      Jesus sends His disciples out to live on the edge. They have no food, supplies or cash. They don’t have extra clothes. They don’t have any emergency cash. They don’t have a company credit card. They can’t call AAA to get a tow. There is no roadside assistance. They do get to wear sandals, an important little extra when traveling around on unfamiliar roads and towns. They could run barefoot at home. Sandals are really a necessity when traveling. But they don’t get an extra shirt.

       Learning to live on less is a very difficult lesson, but a lesson worth learning. It means repairing those things that can be repaired rather than purchasing a replacement. This can be difficult in a throwaway society. Many things can’t be repaired. And so often it is just easier to go and purchase a new one.

      Jesus disciples are being taught to make due. The Kingdom of God is not about stuff. The LORD doesn’t really care what kind of car you drive, as long as you are a good steward of the wealth you do have. If only we could learn to be content with what we do have.

      The Preppers (those folks who are preparing for economic collapse) have one thing in common: they are learning how to make due and make use of things in a creative manner. They are learning how to repair and repurpose all sorts of things. They are learning to live simpler lives, lives without the conveniences of modern life.

The Ten-Plus-One’s

Psalm 11, 41, 71, 101, 131

Has the LORD called you to do something that you feel you can’t do? In Psalm 11 the wicked are in ambush mode and the writer is being told to find refuge in the LORD. But I get the feeling that in order to get to the LORD’s safety he must pass through an open area making himself vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. Sometimes we must leave relative safety in order to find a more permanent safety. We leave the safety and predictability of the known for something unknown and as of yet, not experienced. We leave behind addiction and abuse which is very familiar. We run to love and acceptance which is very new.

Illness has overcome the psalmist (Ps 41). People come and visit, some to rejoice in what they think is his final demise. But even in these dire circumstances, the writer calls out to the LORD for mercy. He knows that even if he dies, he will be in God’s presence forever (v12). So even if rumors about your early demise are being spread, the LORD will not leave you.

I can almost hear the writer of Psalm 71 working to talk himself out of his depression. He wants to be delivered. The LORD has been faithful in the past. Even when he feels like the LORD is about to thrown him away (v9), he still reaches out to Him. He will continue in worship (v14). Nothing impedes declaring the greatness of God.

What we do in life does matter! Our deeds need to match our confession. The writer of Psalm 101 recognizes this joining of word and deed. He outlines some of the common failings of that day and of every day. It can be easy to live a lie. No one may know. But integrity calls us to a higher standard. Just because it is secret does not mean it is acceptable.

Are you content? I know that many times I am not! In Psalm 131 we are reminded to recognize our place. We each have a sphere of influence (v1) and we should limit our energies to that sphere. Beyond that, we can do little. And when we recognize and accept that limitation then we can be content, like a weaned child (v2). A weaned child is not desperate for the next feeding. They have learned that adults will provide for them, and they don’t need to be afraid. Are you content?