Month: June 2019

“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 everything through him who gives me strength.”   Philippians 4:12-13

            Do you know what it is to be content? The dictionary defines content as “a state of peaceful happiness.” I always thought happiness depended on circumstances, but Paul is saying we can have happiness in any and every situation. Not just any happiness. Peaceful happiness. How is that possible? First, let me just say that I’m guessing that no one reading these words have every been in want. No really. Maybe we have been by America’s standards. But be honest. Has there ever been a time when you didn’t know where the next meal was coming from AND when you did get food you didn’t expect it to be more than some rice AND you didn’t have a roof over your head AND you had maybe one garment to wear? We in American have no idea what it is to truly be in want. Even those who have done missions trips to third world countries have viewed it, but we haven’t actually experienced it. Not to that degree.

            If we haven’t experienced that, all of us are content, right? Of course not. Obviously, contentment doesn’t depend on our circumstances. How often do you hear people say, “If only I had such-and-such, then I’d be content.” More to the point, how often do you and I think, “When I have (fill in the blank), then I’ll have that state of peaceful happiness.”  We may not say it or think it in those words, but isn’t that what’s behind the desire for more, or for different? But Paul has learned a secret. He’s learned how to be content even when he was in need. We may not be able to relate with what it means to truly be in need, but that Greek word could also be translated as “humble oneself.” In other words, we may be financially rich by the world’s standards, but have we ever been in a position where we were humbled, or we chose to humble ourselves? That’s a situation that fits this context as well. So now I have to ask myself if I’ve been content to be in a humbling situation. And, of course, the answer is no.

            Then we come to verse 13, a verse that’s very familiar to all of us. I’ve seen it on everything from plaques to greeting cards and I’ve heard it quoted in many different situations. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard it used in this context, though. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong to use it in other situations because if we go to God, He will give us the strength we need for any situation we’re in. What Paul is actually saying here is that God is the One who gives us strength to be content. Isn’t that interesting? We need strength in order to be content. I guess I always thought of contentment as a state of being that just is, not something we need strength to attain. Contentment, that peaceful happiness, doesn’t come from our circumstances. It comes from God. Whether we’re swimming in wealth, or don’t even have enough to make a budget, we can be content because we have God. Whether we’re in a season of life that is more difficult than anything we imagined, or things really seem to be going our way, life with God brings contentment. No matter what our circumstances are, God gives us the strength to rise above those situations to a place where He fills us with contentment. That’s where I want to be!

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11

            Anyone familiar with God’s word knows that He pays a lot of attention to our words. There are many verses throughout the Bible that tell us not to gossip, or not to lie, or to encourage one another. These are all things that I’ve struggled with in the past. Okay, maybe not just in the past. I used to work at a place where gossip and complaining were rampant. That’s what the conversations almost always consisted of in the lunch room. I tried changing the subject, but that did no good. I tried ignoring the conversation, hoping the speakers would get the hint. They never did. So I finally gave up and ate lunch in my car every day. I was being pretty spiritual, wasn’t I? After all, I was avoiding temptation by running from it. Right? That may have been part of it but I can’t say that was completely the case. If I did, I’d be falling into the next trap I mentioned, which is to lie.

            Other translations of this verse may not use the word, “aptly.” Instead, they may something like, “timely advice,” or “spoken at the right time.”  Either of those are closer to the meaning of the original Hebrew. In other words, just not speaking isn’t an option. Hiding out in my car so I don’t have to face the gossipers isn’t mentioned here. Neither does this suggest that I blast them with the word of God. However, at the right time, using the right words, God may have been able to use my words to bring His light into that rather dark situation.

            That brings me to the next point I mentioned, which is not speaking encouragement. This is another failing of mine. If I’m pleased or impressed with person A, I’m much more likely to brag about them to person B than I am to tell person A to their face what a good job they did. I don’t know that it’s a bad thing to tell others, but I should also be telling the person who may need to hear that what they’re doing is making a difference. It’s that timing thing again. Why wait to tell someone else? When you notice someone doing something well or right or trying hard or whatever, why not tell them so right then? God just may be using you to encourage the very person who needs it most.

            There’s quite a bit of opinion on what “apples of gold in settings of silver” means. Is it actually apples, or some other fruit? Is it fruit in a silver basket, or on a silver tray? Or maybe it’s a piece of finely formed jewelry. No one has asked for my opinion on the subject but here it is: it doesn’t matter. The one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that it would be valuable. The right word spoken at the right time is more valuable than any amount of money or precious metal. How can we know what we’re supposed to say and when we’re supposed to say it? That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. If we are living our lives in tune with Him, if we’re seeking to know Him and follow Him, He will give us those words right when we need them. The thing is, we may never know what an impact our words had until heaven. That’s okay. God and the other person both know, and that’s all that matters.

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  Psalm 139:16

            This has long been a favorite verse of mine. In fact, if I had to pick a favorite chapter of the Bible, it just might be Psalm 139. It assures us that God made us just the way He wanted us to be, that anywhere we go, He is there, that He knows us more fully than we know ourselves. And yet, He still loves us. What a comfort each one of those thoughts is to me! Nothing about the way I was created was a mistake. No one has ever heard God say, “Oops!”  That just doesn’t happen, whether it’s the body shape He gave you, or the personality, or the timing of when you were born. We won’t get to heaven and hear God apologize for the nose He gave us or that He meant for us to be born in the 1500’s.

            As much as I’ve loved this chapter, God has started to show me something new in this verse. It may sound like splitting hairs, but it has put things in a new light for me. This verse has always comforted me during tough times because I can know that God knew what was coming, even if I didn’t. He has prepared me to face whatever difficulties come my way. I still believe that and still find comfort in that, but there’s more to the story. This view is pretty self-centered. God prepared me. He planned for me to face the trial. This view is all about me. What I’ve begun to see is that God has me placed in the situation I’m in right now. Whatever it is, good or bad. I’m sure He wants to teach me something and grow me through difficulties. But is it possible that He ordained this particular situation to include me because He wants to use me in the situation? Did He make me exactly the way I am because He knew this situation was going to need exactly that personality?

            I guess you could argue that this is still about me, but it’s a different focus. Instead of concentrating on the fact that God has prepared me to face whatever comes along, this focus has me asking how God wants to use me in this situation. Instead of wondering how I’m going to make it through, it has me wondering how God can and will use the unique creation He made me to be. What situation are you in? Are you in a good place? Just wait – difficulties will come. Are you going through a tough spot? Just wait – it will get better. Either way, have you asked God why He ordained that you be in that particular situation in your life? In other words, He has you in that situation to use you. When we allow Him to use us, we are not only a blessing to others but will be incredibly blessed ourselves.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

This is such a well-known verse that I hesitate to add my own thoughts to all of the excellent material that’s been written about it. But I’ve found myself thinking about this verse quite bit the last couple of weeks so for my own sake, I’m going to dig into what God has to teach me about it. I’m a little disappointed that the NIV quoted above uses the word “remain” instead of “abide”. For some reason, when I hear the word “abide” it seems more peaceful to me, like the person is more at rest. I read somewhere that when it comes to grapevines, the branches do nothing. It’s the vine that pushes the sap into the branches to feed them. All the branch has to do is stay connected in order to receive all that is needed. I love that picture! All we have to do is stay connected to Jesus and we’ll be fed in every way: physically, emotionally, spiritually. That, to me, is a wonderful picture of abiding.

What happens if we disconnect ourselves from the vine? According to this verse, we can do nothing. The word translated “nothing” is actually two words in the Greek. One of the words refers to emptiness, like a material or physical emptiness. The other refers to people. So this is saying that if we are disconnected from the vine, it impacts us physically and relationally. Both our physical situation and our relationships start to slide down a very slippery slope. Here’s the picture I have in my mind: either we are at rest, abiding in the vine, being fed and through that feeding, somehow producing fruit. Or we are separated from the vine, which causes us to slide further away from Jesus every day. On our downward slide away from Him, we also slide away from other people. We find ourselves working harder and harder to produce a crop that we simply can’t produce by ourselves so frustration builds, exhaustion sets in, and we begin to shrivel.

My family currently finds itself in a situation that has different ones of us asking at different times, “How much longer can we keep doing this?” The answer is that we can’t. Whatever God is calling you to do, whatever situation you’re in can only be handled by abiding in Him. Then He will give us what we need. Has anyone ever seen a vine that gives the branch all the sap it’s going to need all at one time? Of course not. The vine only gives enough sap for this day, this minute. A young vine that’s just beginning to grow will receive enough sap to continue that growth. Later will come enough to produce grapes. If that young vine started looking ahead to grape production, it could easily get overwhelmed and discouraged. So how much longer can we keep doing this (whatever the “this” is in your life)? I don’t know. I only know that God has given each of us exactly what we need just for today. And that’s enough.