Guard my heart . . .

There are several kinds of heart problems; some caused by hardened arteries, blocked vessels, injuries, or other concerns. My hubby has a stent. I have a pacemaker. However, not one of this list gives anyone as much grief as a troubled heart. The disciples found themselves upset when they began to understand that Jesus would leave them. So He said:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1–7)

At one point Peter said Jesus should not leave them and He strongly rebuked him with “Get behind me, Satan” because Peter proudly thought he was defending Jesus. In reality, this man was thinking as many modern Christians do; that Jesus and every disciple of His is only blessed if life is without stress of any kind.

Peter learned a great lesson: the love of God does not mean being coddled. If hardship will make me more like Jesus, then hardship will be used. If He was willing to die for me, what does that tell me about my willingness to suffer for Him. Peter finally was able to say:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6–7)

In the list of heart problems, pride is close to the top. My pride thinks I’m too good to have trials so when they come, so does stress and deep inner sorrow. Spurgeon noted that most of our sorrows arise from within and said, “When self is conquered, sorrow is to a great extent banished from the human heart.”

That said, others would put unbelief as the chief cause of all heart trouble. Worry, anxiety and fear are the fruits of unbelief and every physician would agree these also wear out the heart. But if I totally trust and believe God… why worry?

Unbelief has other fruit, like covetousness or wanting something that God has not given. This lack of trust stresses the heart. God wants me to learn “in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:11) It is the same with envy (wanting what someone else has) and even with complaining about everything from bad weather, to daily news, to political issues, to who won the hockey game. This is saying without the words that God does not rule the world my way and puts knots in my muscles.

With a pacemaker, I do a regular heart check. I have a device that connects to the clinic like a phone and it sends a full set of signals to an expert at the other end. They can change the speed, know the remaining battery life, and report on how well the pacemaker is working. This is important to my physical well-being. How much more important to do a heart checkup with God by connecting with His Spirit and making certain all causes and issues are confessed and cleansed — and that my faith is fully in Him, not in anything else.

PRAY: Lord, forgive my lax attitude in allowing these negatives to do damage instead of dealing with them as diligently as needed. You are the Great Physician, not merely to keep my body working well, but to keep my heart right with You. Forgive me for missing far too many appointments for a check-up, or even just a chat with You.

The greatest satisfaction

A friend asked for prayer. She is being mistreated at work and yet other jobs do not seem open to her. At the same time, she wants a better job and to be happy at her work. This happened once before. She abandoned her job for something she liked better, but again is not satisfied.

I’ve been praying about this even though I told her that the Lord usually does not tell me His will for others. This is for her to seek. She says she is, but her desire for change and to get out of the situations at her current work are strong. I’ve not had the same experience but realize how strong “I-wants” can render me somewhat deaf to the Lord’s voice and instructions.

Thoughts came to mind. One was from these verses:

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:27–36)

Of course this is impossible without being filled with the Spirit and relying on Christ. But would these commands go over her head? Perhaps. Then today’s reading made one statement and my heart said a hearty ‘amen’ to this:

Nothing can really satisfy the hunger of the soul but Christ.

How true — and it hits the heart. When I’m dissatisfied or complaining about my lot in life, what is it that I really want? Is it change? We go look at the lovely lottery homes each year and sometimes I’m so taken with one that I want to win it. But is that what I really want? I finally figured out that what appeals to me is the lack of clutter, the simplicity of decor. I need to purge the place I am in rather than move to another house that has no clutter — I would just clutter it up and want another house. Besides, being content is a vital part of faith.

My friend wants to be happy in her work, joyful with her lot in life, yet I know as the writer of today’s devotional reading knows, that the deepest joy in life is not about a job, or anything else. It is about feasting on Jesus, receiving our joy and the ability to be content from Him, regardless of our situation. He says…

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Philippians 4:11)

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

PRAY: Jesus, You are the source of joy and contentment given to us from Your Holy Spirit as we rely on You and are filled with Your Spirit. If I turn to what I think I want or need, satisfaction and contentment elude me and all Your children. My prayer for my friend is that she seeks You rather than running to whatever appeals to her. Any delight will not last until she turns again to You as the only One who can satisfy her soul.

Contentment begins with thankfulness

Life’s experiences can become life’s habits. My adult children speak of an inner desire that wants to move to another place — something they grew up doing. I’ve moved more than thirty times and this same urge hits me now and then. Usually I solve it by moving furniture or purging unused stuff so that my space seems like a new space.

However, what to do when that inner desire persists? When moving is not practical and yet the yen for it remains, almost creating a sorrow of discontent? To that question, God gives a simple answer. It started with a small story of a man who stood on a high peak in the mountains watching a storm below him. Then an eagle soared up through the clouds towards the sun. The rain’s  water glistened on its wings in the sunlight. The man realized that if the storm had not raged, that eagle would have remained in the valley and he would miss seeing the beauty of its escape into the heights. He also thought how the sorrows of life cause us to rise towards God.

After years of not moving, I must have thought that I had given up the yen to move, yet it hit this past few weeks, but been thwarted over and over. My space needs no changes except to declutter, but that is not helping remove the habit of a life of constant change. Even though the song says, “He will break every fetter,” I feel a slave to this restlessness. Yet God’s Word warns me that yielding to Jesus will break every form of slavery.

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

It also tells me again that I have died to sin and must live for Jesus, not my desires, but His:

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

The only use of the cross in Scripture is about being put to death, not to keep alive. When Jesus told His disciples that they could not be His disciples unless they took up the cross, He could not have meant that they were to find it hard to do His will. He was expressing that they must be made partakers of His death and resurrection as the old nature was crucified with Him. They must now live  in the resurrection life of the Holy Spirit.

I do not crucify self by accepting my lot in life and being miserable with it. A painful self-sacrifice is not “taking up the cross” but is instead counting the stuff of the flesh and my old nature as utterly worthless and fit only for death.

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (Romans 6:6)

Then the Bible gives me this:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Philippians 4:11)

But godliness with contentment is great gain, (1 Timothy 6:6)

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (1 Timothy 6:8)

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Being content is what God wants from me. He may offer a move, but not because of my desire. It has to be His will. If that never happens, I must be content with whatever He does.

PRAY: Lord, my time with You this morning was interrupted with a phone call. After a stressful day,  I am so thankful that my hubby was not seriously hurt when hitting some ice and taking a hard fall. Prayer time with others also was a blessing because we recognized Your presence and care for us. I slept a long time this afternoon, another thank You. All of this makes full yielding to Your will much easier. The cross is not always heavy — because You are with me and help me deny my I-wants and instead be content and thankful.

Nothing to worry about . . .

When the disciples realized that Jesus would soon leave them, He said to them,

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me . . . . I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:1; 18–20)

“Let not” tells me that it is possible to be bound up in troubling issues that should be met by faith, not by an anxious and worried heart — and I have a choice in that matter!

Peter wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6–7)

“Humble yourselves” tells me that pride can be the source of a troubled heart. Instead of letting the circumstances of life put me in fear, I’m to trust the Lord. I also have a choice in that issue!

Job is a good example. When the calamities started in his life . . .

“Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’ In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:20–22)

Grumbling is a sin. When I whine, I’m showing an attitude that I think God does not know what He is doing; that I know better than God how my world and the world in general should be managed.

Of course unbelief is at the root of worry, anxiety and fear. Jesus points to His Father who cares for me and if I believe what He says, how can I fret?

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:25–33)

That root of unbelief can produce spouts of covetous, envy, and self-pity. It isn’t easy to be content when blessings seem to be withheld, but contentment can be learned. Paul said, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:11)

I learn how to be content by several methods. One is being thankful for what I have. As someone said, if I don’t know what to be thankful for, I just need to take my pulse.

Another method remembering life is short and ‘more and bigger’ is not necessarily better — for me or anyone else. Letting God renew my mind as I read and study His word. He changes my values. God’s values are eternal and I can focus on that rather than the stuff that does not last.

Another application is self-denial that gets involved doing things for others out of my love for God. This is far more important and helpful than self-pity. Besides, freedom from a fearful and anxious heart is far better than anything I could selfishly desire and do for myself.

Jesus, You have blessed me beyond all expectations. I have all I need here and all I need in order to spend eternity with You. You have taught me how to be content and the value of self-denial. You have also given me many opportunities to deny myself and serve others with joy. Thank You!

He chooses my heritage

It isn’t only on Remembrance Day that I think what life might be like had one or both of the two world wars turned out differently. Sometimes I imagine myself in a war zone with danger all around and my house a bombed shell with missing walls. I do this to identify with those to whom this actually happens, to recognize that I am in this place by the grace of God, and to appreciate where and what we have.

Human pride tends to always want bigger, better and more. Instead of being thankful for the blessings I enjoy, gratitude is a discipline that I must work on. I’m thankful for even reminders to be thankful — and this day offers such reminders.

Yesterday, one of the family tree sites offered a free search regarding soldiers so I searched the names of two great uncles who served in WWI. I may have met them as a child yet do not remember their faces. As I read their draft registration and attestation papers, tears filled my eyes. Warriors such as these two soldiers made possible the freedoms that we enjoy.

However, God, who is sovereign over all, has the ultimate say in where I am and what happens to me. The psalmist encourages praise and worship for the One who ultimately has control over our heritage . . . 

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah (Psalm 47:1–4)

I’ve complained about my lot in life and should be ashamed. No matter what my heritage is, I should be satisfied for God has chosen it. Because He is wise and good, that means His choice is the wisest and best choice.

Spurgeon uses the example of a large ship sailing up a river into the harbor, weaving and meandering. Some might ask why the captain does not bring it into the harbor by a straight line. But the captain knows the rocks and sandbanks. He steers the safest course so the ship does not run aground.

So it is with the course of my life. My divine Captain steers me into what seems like depths of affliction with waves of trouble, yet “He knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold” (Job 23:10). His eye is not only on the harbor but on the safest route to get me there.

Spurgeon also points to a simple house plant. Some plants will die if they have too much sunshine. I might be planted where I think I do not have enough of sunshine or delightful blessings. I used to wonder what my life would have been like had I attended art school as my parents wanted, or married differently, or lived in another place, or earned a doctorate but I am put where I am by the love of God. He is in all decisions and opportunities. Because He is wise and loving, He has chosen my heritage. It is in this place where He can produce the most fruit for His glory.

I’m reminded that had any other condition or situation been better for me than the one in which I am in, divine love would have put me in that other place. Instead, God put me in the most suitable circumstances. If I’d have made the choice, no doubt I would be moaning to God to change things, to choose my inheritance for me, because I have learned that my selfish wisdom usually leads to disaster and sorrow.

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11). This is true. No matter my situation, I am learning contentment. The Lord has ordered all things for my good. All things may include a heavy cross or a lighter load, but any burdens are those best suited for me, and have already proven effective to draw me closer to God and more equipped to do His will.

Since these truths are not just for me, my mind goes to those whose lot in life included war and sorrow. I cannot even guess the mind of God and His intentions for those who have (and still are) suffered in these conflicts. Instead of trying to figure out anything that makes sense to me, faith urges me to trust God who also knows the way that everyone else takes too. His eye is on the sparrow. He knows the number of the hairs on our heads. He knows every soul that has suffered and died in wartime and in peace. He is the great king over all the earth, but also the loving shepherd who bids us to draw near and follow Him.

*******

Lord, how could I ever think that I know better than You when it comes to choosing my lot in life. Vain ambition may have put me in a different place, but it would have not been the best place. Only You know me better than myself. I have made my plans, but You have directed my steps. I am so grateful to be in Your care and to know that the choices You make for me are good choices. Thank You. Please bless those in uniform today, and help them know that You hold their lives in Your precious and loving hands.

Lessons in contentment

This afternoon the cap on my gas tank was stuck. Try as I might, it would not come off. I had a half a tank, but decided to drive over to the dealership service department and see if they could help me. A service person came out, gave it a couple of twists and of course it came off.

I noted my own response. There was a time when I would have been embarrassed that I could not do this simple thing myself. I would have felt foolish that the service person had so little difficulty when I’d tried many times with no results. However, today I was glad and noticed that I was content to be helped, period. No blushing, just joy.

Earlier, I was helping someone at a local business with a computer program. I was supposedly the expert. Two times she performed a task that I didn’t know how to do. Once we discovered a problem that I didn’t know how to solve and had to say so.

Again, I noticed my response. There was a time when I would have felt a failure for my lack of knowledge, maybe even made excuses for it or tried to cover it up. Today, I chuckled, gave her a high five for what she did. I also told her I’d go home and work on that other problem. I was content to be ignorant, in error, and without the expertise I thought I had.

My response to both this and that gas cap situation made me feel very happy. Tonight’s devotional reading describes something about these two incidents. It begins with this verse . . .  

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Philippians 4:11)

When Paul wrote this, he was an old man locked up in Nero’s dungeon at Rome. Did it take him a long time to learn to be content? I think so because contentment is not a natural characteristic. As Spurgeon says, “covetousness, discontent, and murmuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil.”

When we brought in soil for our back yard, we didn’t need to plant weeds. They came up naturally because they are part of the earth. In the same way, I didn’t have to teach my children to whimper when they were hungry. Complaining about an empty stomach, even though necessary, is the first evidence that discontentment will be felt and expressed.

Many times I have said that no one needs to teach their children how to sin. I know that my mother didn’t teach me to sin. Sin is like weeds. Complaining is like  weeds. Without education or much effort, I know how to do it.

On the other hand, roses or wheat or other desirable plants must be cultivated, just as do the virtues given by the Holy Spirit to God’s children. He lives in me and puts contentment into me, but with weeds springing up all over the place, the good stuff barely pushes through the mess. Complaining so easily takes up space where contentment should be growing.

God is teaching me to confess the discontent. Each time I am unhappy with my lot in life, or unhappy with my performance, or with another person, He shows me that He is in charge of all those things. Who am I actually unhappy with and complaining about? Of course, it is God. This sobers my heart to repentance.

Confession and repentance are all I can do. I might be able to hack away at the weeds in the garden, but only God can get rid of the ugly stuff that grows in my heart. When I confess my discontent, I am handing Him the hoe. As 1 John 1:9 says, He then forgives and cleanses my unrighteousness.

Obviously, God is the Master Gardener. He cultivates the soil, removes the weeds, and produces the blossom of contentment.  I am delighted and even surprised when it appears.