Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: Contentment


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Bent Out Of Shape!

Scripture for Today: Philippians 2:14-15a “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure , ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation…'”

It is a mystery!  No one knows why this grove of about 100 pines in Poland became so bent and crooked!  Each tree sharply bends towards the North for three to nine feet before curving back upright.  They were planted in 1930 and no one is around to explain.  As nearby trees grow normally, the best explanation is that it was done by man to ready the wood for curved ship-building parts.  Although, I personally like the alien explanation!

Today’s verse describes a whole generation as being warped and crooked.  Being “bent out of shape” is the natural state of those who follow their own way rather than God’s way.  The works of the Lord are perfect and He is perfectly upright (Deut. 32: 4-5)  Those who belong to Him have His righteousness and stand upright as well, just as those surrounding straight trees.  One of the most telling differences between the children of God and the surrounding crooked generation is doing everything without grumbling or arguing.

We all grumble, complain and argue.  I find it difficult to imagine never indulging in doing this.  But the idea is that a believer is not to be characterized by this behavior.  If I really believe that the Lord is in control of my life, then it stands to reason that He allows those complaint-inducing circumstances!!  I can complain about being stuck in traffic or I can trust God’s timing for my day.  I can pine away about what I do not have, or I can thank Him for all He does give me.

Lord, You are so good to me.  Keep me from complaining today.


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The Leprechaun

Scripture for Today: Colossians 2:2 “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ.”

Today is a day for all things Irish.  And the leprechaun has been part of Irish folklore for centuries.  Our American ideas have changed him a bit as originally he is said to wear red.  The leprechaun in the beginning was a much scarier figure who would warn off people from sacred sites for their protection.  Now he is all about making shoes, granting wishes and hiding his gold at the end of he rainbow.  This leprechaun does not look so happy counting his gold!

Today’s verse talks about different riches.  They are described as “full” and have nothing to do with wealth in the traditional sense.  These riches involve understanding and knowing a Person, Jesus Christ.  Progressively coming to know God’s Son makes a life full and rich.  This kind of wealth is eternal rather than temporal.  Wealth of this kind cannot be stolen or taxed.  It is a wealth that has no limit.  The riches of Christ are boundless! (Eph. 3:8)

My riches are not tangible.  Their value is not easily recognized by the world.  Even so, I would never trade them for that “pot of gold!”  It cannot compare with the surpassing value of knowing and loving my Savior.  The closer I am to Jesus, the richer I am.  The further away I move from Him, the more impoverished I become.  Knowing, Him, loving Him and serving Him enriches me like nothing else!  How rich I am!

Thank you Lord, for the boundless and endless riches I find in You!

 


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Chocolate Citroen

chocolate-citroenScripture for Today: Psalm 90:14 “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”

My husband is passionate about cars and I am passionate about chocolate.  This creation seems to cover all our bases!  My husband always turns his head to see one of these “Deux Cheveaux” go by.  But my head turns at any sign of chocolate.  This Citroen is made of 2,645 pounds of chocolate so both our heads turn!  It was created by eleven students in France as part of a project at their school for restaurant management.  This masterpiece took 4,000 hours of painstaking effort and the result is impressive.

Satisfaction with both cars and chocolate is not so easy to find.  Today’s verse tells us where true satisfaction can be found.   This psalm is a prayer of Moses.  After recounting all the times the Lord disciplined the Israelites in the desert, Moses recognizes that God’s love remained faithful and constant.  The people had experienced “trouble and sorrow” over many years.  Now Moses prays for the satisfaction that comes from God’s unfailing love.  That satisfaction will bring them joy and gladness every day, despite the hard times.

Chocolate, cars, or any other earthly passion can fail to consistently bring me satisfaction  But God’s love does not fail.  His love and compassion are renewed every morning (Lam. 3:22-23).  When I am feeling an emptiness and lack inside, lots of good things can be a temporary distraction.  But nothing can reach that deeper longing of my soul like an awareness of His love.  That reassurance not only satisfies but replaces the emptiness with a song of joy!  And what a wonderful way to begin a day, to be satisfied in the morning!

Lord, thank you for Your love that never ever fails me!

 


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Oil Dipstick

engine_oil_dipstickScripture for Today:  Ephesians 5:18b-19 “…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your heart to the Lord,”

If our car maintenance were up to me, we would be in real trouble.  I am one of those women who are totally at sea when opening the hood of a car.  Even so, my husband put the tiniest bit of faith in me to research and find a particular dipstick on line for his upcoming trip to the cold eastern states.  He wanted a dipstick that was heated so there would be no issues with the weather in getting an accurate reading.

Today’s verse provides us with an accurate reading on whether we are filled with the Holy Spirit.  We are filled with Him when we are filled with praise and thankfulness.  The Spirit’s presence in our lives is evident when our hearts are filled with song for all that He has done for us.  The “oil of praise’ keeps us in good running shape.  Like the car, we will start to grind, seize up and then completely stall without the Spirit’s filling.  We burn out.  But when we are filled with Him than we are also filled with song.

I can almost feel myself sputtering and slowing down when I am complaining and negative.  When I cannot acknowledge and thank Him for all of His blessings, everything seems to grind to a halt.  But when my heart is filled with gratitude, not only do I gain new impetus praising Him, but I will want to share that praise with others.  When I am filled with praise I am filled with Him!

Lord, may today be a day of making music in my heart to You.

 


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Reality Shows

lifetime-unrealScripture for Today: Proverbs 19:23 “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

The popularity of the reality show has soared since the early 90’s.  Candid Camera was an early prototype, first airing in 1948.  But since then there have been many different genres including: court shows, soap opera styles, elimination competitions, documentary styles, self improvement or renovation shows, to name a few.  The most popular seem to be the “Fly on the Wall” shows directly involving big names, also called “Celebreality.”  Of course reality has little to do with these shows as scenes are staged and re-staged.  The participants are coached and the editing is deliberately misleading.

Today’s verse has the secret to what constitutes real life.  The fear of the Lord leads to life as it is meant to be lived.  Anything else is a life without that spiritual dimension.  Without a relationship with our Creator, we have edited out what is essential to a life well-lived.  The fear of the Lord is an attitude of respect, awe and obedience to Him.  This fear leads to  true real life and is also the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7)  Fearing and obeying Him allows us to be and stay content, untouched by the trouble that comes from a grasping envious life.

The media and our world system in general tends to stimulate in me a state of discontent.  I can be swayed by watching those who are wealthy, influential trend setters.  It is easy to look on my own life and wonder if I am missing out.   What I am seeing may seem perfect but it is not real.  Nor is it satisfying.  My life becomes richer and fuller as I turn to the Life-Giver!

Thank you Lord that I find real life in You!