Contentment

I’m taking a Sabbath rest today, as I’m recovering from being surrounded by people who have been deeply hurt and wounded by discontented people.  People can suck the life right out of you if you let them.  They can rob you of your joy.

As we come closer to Christmas, how many of you would say that you have everything that you need? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your level of contentment?  Do you operate with a deep sense of peace and joy because God loves you, empowers you, and meets your core needs?  Or are you looking for something else or someone else to make you feel okay, loved, or comfortable?

Until we discover our true identity, we will be engaged in a hopeless, frustrating quest to find or have what we don’t have.  This quest can take many forms, and people are getting rich selling you what you don’t have and what you don’t need.  But when you get what you want, but it doesn’t bring you peace and satisfaction, what do you do?  You keep searching, or you give up.

It took me 41 years of seeking and searching for everything under the sun until I finally surrendered to God’s love.  Surrendering to God’s endless love was quite a battle.  I had to give up trying to find life, love, and contentment in all other forms.  But then I discovered that the only way to find true inner peace and contentment is by surrendering the parts of my broken life to the God who made me, knows everything about me, and fully loves me.  God loved me so much that He sent Jesus to die for all my sins.  He was crushed and abused in every way for my salvation, healing, and restoration.

When you get tired of anxious and endless striving for what you don’t have, I pray that you will invite Jesus to come and make His home in your heart.  He will bring you wholeness, peace, love, and contentment that satisfies the deepest longing in your soul.  God will remind you that He created and designed you for His purpose and that you belong to Him.  He’s all you need. 

God will also surprise you with people along the way who remind you that you’re loved by God.  He’ll also surround you with hurting people who have not yet surrendered to the love of God found in His Son, Jesus Christ. 

During this Christmas season, you may feel the tension and stress of trying to compete in a world filled with false gods and idols.  You will be tempted to give into the pressure to buy people you love what won’t satisfy them.  You may feel pressured to work more than you should.  You may feel tempted to spend what you don’t have.  You may feel tempted to give into a recurrent addiction because of your pain, sorrow, or insecurity.  You may even give into the felt pressure to set a busy pace that doesn’t match God’s purpose.  Or you may feel stuck in a relationship, job, lifestyle, addiction, or emotional state that you don’t know how to get out of.

God knows everything about you, and He loves you.  He invites you to come to Him and find much-needed rest and contentment.  His perfect love will cast out all your fear and anxiety.  God will release the pressure you feel.  But you won’t feel His peace until you’ve surrendered your life to Him.