Contentment

 Philippians 4:11(NLT), “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.”
This is a most important lesson for the follower of Jesus Christ.  Whether it is a new believer or an old one, it makes no difference.  Contentment is a truth one should hold very dear.  It seems to be a wellspring of thanksgiving flowing out of the redeemed into the heart of the beloved Savior.  A heart so fixed to God by faith that they accept anything out of life and praise God for it.
With this contentment I believe one would better be equipped to receive from God, His precious blessings.  I notice when studying the Scriptures that nothing moved Paul away from the life of Christ in him.  As a matter of fact he says it in Acts 20:24(NLT), “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus--the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”  I do believe this is flowing directly from a heart that was sure of all God had for him; who understood that it can only be from God by which one must live.  And what this says to my soul is that Paul had such contentment that it enabled him to believe from God the greater works that Jesus promised those who believe.  John 14:12(NLT), "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”  This is truly a wondrous lesson for the child of God.  Let us find a place in our relationship to Christ where we do not settle for less, but hunger and thirst for this sweet revelation.  That God Himself would quicken our hearts by His Spirit this beautiful song of worship.  Romans 11:36(NLT), “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

Christopher Weber

Obedience and Disobedience

  In the following Scriptures we see a great illustration of just what disobedience can bring us, or rather what it won’t bring us.  That is the rain, the rain of God’s Holy Presence, because God has no fellowship with sin, neither should we.  1 Kings 17:1(NKJV), “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years except at my word.”  We have a curse pronounced on wicked King Ahab by the prophet Elijah.  This would be defined as a curse from disobedience.  We have laid for us all through Deuteronomy 28, blessings on obedience, and curses on disobedience.  Here is one of the blessings in Deuteronomy 28:12, “The LORD will open his rich treasury, the heavens, to release rain upon your land in season and bless everything you undertake so that you’ll lend to many nations but won’t borrow.”  Even though these Scriptures are from the Old Covenant they still apply to us through the grace given to us by Jesus Christ.  We need to see the spiritual truths within this testimony here, and to do that look in James 5:17-18(ISV), “Elijah was a person just like us, and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and rain never came to the land for three years and six months.  Then he prayed again, and the skies poured out rain, and the ground produced its crops.”  Here Elijah in a spiritual sense has been literally given the ability to bind and to loose, as found in Matthew 18:18(ESV), “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  But here we are speaking of church discipline and forgiveness of sins.  We all as believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have been given authority to do this.  But as we look into this perfect law of liberty we need to be found free of sin ourselves otherwise we too would be out of fellowship with the Lord.  Now, right before those Scriptures in James 5 we find in the same chapter of James verse 16 (NKJV), “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  There we have it all tied in one nice little package.  We speak of the blessings of Christ even coming to us by obedience.  Obedience by our faith, if we truly believe we will obey.  John 14:21(NKJV), “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”  We shall call that manifestation God’s Presence abiding within, and with that the manifestations of God working in and through your life.  Now, to those having been found  disobedient there is hope for restoration in the brethren.  Sin and disobedience will take the power of God out of a life and stop up the heavens from pouring forth fresh rain upon it.  This is where confession is made unto the brethren, and by which prayer is also made for the healing.  Healing in this context is healing of the spiritual depravity that sin and disobedience caused, bringing restoration of the blessings of salvation in Christ Jesus.  This does include physical healing in many cases.  God so desires that the body be healthy as He abides in it.  But sin is a big deal and should be dealt with immediately.  Repent and Confess brethren that the Lord may hear and restore.  After all we want to be fruitful, those who bear some 30, some 60, and some 100 fold.  May the Lord bless you and keep you in Jesus name. Amen.

Well Pleasing

   

The Christian's life should be evident by the fruits and gifts of the Spirit.  These are not necessarily obtained but rather surrendered to.  This surrender is the mark of an obedient child of the Most High God.  It is a surrender a lot of times born of adversity.  This adversity I speak of is that from within, not just that from outer circumstances, but rather ones response to them.  "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you," is what is said in James 4:8.  This is the surrender so many have a hard time relinquishing to.  As it is a surrender of everything we think, say, and do.  Everything we thought life to be must die at the cross of Jesus Christ and be raised with new questions in mind as to the way to go.  Romans 12:1-2(ISV), "I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect."  Which is only by following Jesus Christ, the Living Word.  It is a daily and sometimes moment by moment  walk that though tough bears the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  It is not your own doing, it is surly the Lord's doing.  However we must surrender to it.  If it is not in the Holy Word of God, then it is surely not worth thinking or doing.  So we meditate and pray in the Holy Spirit that the revelations of truth be revealed to the heart manifesting the greatness and glory of God's power as we go as disciples of the beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Witnessing to the world the Saviors love for mankind.  To whom be all the glory both now and into eternity. Amen