How to be Content

What is contentment anyway?  It’s an inner sense of rest or peace that comes from being right with God and knowing that He is in control.  It means focusing on the kingdom of God and serving Him.  It’s not focusing on money and things. 

Philippians 4:11-13 – Learned Contentment

We must submit to our Sovereign Lord.  He is the Savior who you must serve.  He alone is sufficient.  If you know Him as Paul did, you will know contentment.  While sitting in prison because of corrupt officials, Paul finds contentment.  Paul says in Philippians 4:11 that he learned to be content in all conditions.  So contentment is a process.  We learn contentment.  It’s our attitudes in trials and our submission to Him where we learn contentment.

Paul learned the secret of contentment.  “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”- Philippians 4:13.  If you pursue contentment through a bigger bank account, you won’t find it.  If you pursue contentment by buying material things like a new car every year or that bigger house, you won’t find it.  If you pursue contentment through parties, drugs, alcohol and things you think will make you feel good and happy, you won’t find it.  All these things will come and go.  That doesn’t mean we have to settle for mediocrity.  It’s being satisfied with wherever you are and with whatever you have.  The secret of contentment is only through the cross of Jesus.  We are strong because Jesus makes us strong.  This verse is often quoted when we win at something, but should also be quoted when we lose.  The reality is that Jesus is more than enough or He is nothing at all.  To know He is enough is to trust and rely on Him. 

What is the “everything” Paul is talking about?  It’s when you can’t hold on to a job that you hate.  It’s when your marriage doesn’t make you happy.  It’s when there is illness or poverty in your life.  It’s even in wealth.  It’s not doing all things in your own strength, but it’s doing it by constant dependence on the power of Christ who indwells in you.  As you serve Him day by day God continually infuses strength within you.

Principle:  Jesus is more than enough or He is nothing at all.

Do you pursue contentment by your own power?  Prayer is the answer.  Prayer is an expression of dependence of His power.  Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and you minds in Christ Jesus.”

God wants us to be real with Him when we pray.  He doesn’t want us to pretend.  Be honest with God.  He already knows your situation anyway.  Don’t allow your circumstances to dictate your joy and contentment.  Confess to God when you look for contentment in things that are not of Him and ask Him to reveal that to you.  Tell Him what you need and what hurts you. 

Are you easily distracted and fall for worldly pleasures and ideas?  Are you trying to keep up with the Jones?  Do you constantly desire that new and bigger things, the latest I Phone, that big screen TV or other technical devices?  Ask yourself – Do I really need that stuff?  Ask God to give you contentment and joy through all He gives you and help you to be satisfied.  We can’t pay Him back, but we can thank Him and worship Him for all He’s done and is doing in our lives.

Principle:  The secret to contentment is to focus on our Sufficient Lord.

Be content with what you have and where you are in life, while trusting in God.  He wants the best for you.  Submit to Christ as your Sovereign Lord and the Savior you serve.  He is sufficient in every situation.  Don’t let the enemy tell you otherwise.

Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site.  Hope to see you here again.  --  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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10 Reasons to Keep Looking Up

Do you ever get discouraged?  Do you ever get depressed?  We all feel that way at times, because we are human and there are so many pressures in this life.  You have to remember you are not the center of the universe.  It’s not all about you.  Today is a priceless gift so make the best of it.  Stop complaining and worrying and turn to God.  Focus on your successes and accomplishing your goals.  Pray for peace, guidance and strength.  God is always with you and will never leave.  “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am our God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10. 

Maybe you need to take a little Spiritual inventory.  If you have truly been born again through faith in Jesus Christ, you have a lot of things to look forward to.  Here are just a few.

1. You will receive a new body – “In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trump will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” – 1 Cor. 15:52 
2. You will be like Christ, so you will be unable to sin.  “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” – 1 John 3:2 
3. You will get to know Bible saints, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matt. 8:11 
4. You will get a custom dwelling place. Every house on Earth requires fixing, but the home He prepares for you will be perfect.  “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” – John 14:2-3 
5. You will live in a perfect world. What lies ahead is so much better that what exists today.  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God …..  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away…..”  – Rev. 21 
6. You will never again suffer heartache, pain, death, broken relationships, or the like.  “Never again will they hunger, never again will they thirst.  The sun will not eat upon them nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” – Rev 7:16-17 
7. You will see and speak to loved ones who died in the faith.  “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” – 1 Thess. 4:13-17 
8. We all fall in sin daily, but you will fall for the final time.  Rather than falling short, you will fall on your knees in praise.  “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that of the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in the heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” –  Phil 2:9-11
9. You will participate in awesome worship.  “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.  They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’…….” – Rev. 5:11-12.  “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lame.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’.… They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying: ‘Amen!  Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’” – Rev.7 :9-12 
10. You will see God.  “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. – Job 19:26 “… we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” – 1 John 3:2

So as you persevere, look up to the Lord and remember who holds your hand and that He has promised - “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him…” - 1 Cor. 2:9

Note: This post was inspired by Tony Abram

I hope you will join me next time.  Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site.  Hope to see you here again.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus. 

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To Be or Not To Be Baptized

Why should I be baptized?

First of all we should understand what baptism is.  Baptism means to dip or immerse.  It is an outward sign of a person’s fellowship with Christ in His death and resurrection.  We go under the water as if to be buried, then we are raised up from the water as Christ was in newness of life.  So if you are a believer in Christ, you should be baptized as a confession of their faith and in obedience.

What baptism is not:  It is not simply done to become a member of a church, although that some churches require it for membership; it is not the washing away of sins; it does not save you; it is not a condition for salvation; it is not sprinkling which is totally different.

Baptism is very controversial.  Some denominations believe that baptism is what saves you.  They argue with Acts 2:38 – “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of yours.”  Baptism does not save you.  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Eph. 2:8-9.  Yes, baptism does follow faith and Scripture is clear on this.  Scripture never says be baptism and then believe.

To be saved the heart must be cleansed.  Being immersed in water cannot cleanse the heart.  Only the blood of Christ through faith can cleanse the heart.  Acts 15:9 tell us hearts are purified by faith.  When we are baptized we publicly identify with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4).  We become members of His body and His church.

Baptism means “immersion”.  Sprinkling is not a form of baptism.  Sprinkling or pouring was a standard in the Old Testament and was associated with cleansing and anointing.  The New Testament speaks only of baptism.  Jesus authorized and commanded baptism, not sprinkling.  Only immersion meets the criteria for a burial and a resurrection.

What about when infants are baptized? 

There are churches who baptize infants, but this is not the true baptism.  They are sprinkled.  This signified that the parents are dedicating their child to be raise in the church and the church members agree to help raise and point them in the ways of Jesus.  When these infants become older, they must decide for themselves if they believe in Christ or not.  No one else can do that for them.  It must be a personal faith in the crucified and risen Savior.

What about sprinkling? 

Baptism is commanded.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Matt. 28:19-20.  If you are truly a believer, you will be obedient to His command and be baptized.

What is I have been baptized, but had a lapse of faith? 

As far as I know Scripture does not teach re-baptism.  There is no reason to be re-baptized unless you never had a personal faith in Jesus.  All you need to do is confess and repent of sins and you will be restored.  However if you are not sure, getting re-baptized may be the answer.

Conclusion

Remember, first you must publicly confess your faith then be baptized.  Eternal life is a free gift and you can only receive it by faith in Christ, not through baptism.  Baptism is only an outward sign that you believe and are now part of God’s family.

Join me next time for more studies.  Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site.  Hope to see you here again.  --  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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Can I lose my salvation?

“Once saved, always saved” is a divided opinion by many Christians.  You can argue about this and quote Scripture all day to try to prove your point.  I have studied and researched this and this is what I’ve come up with, but you have to decide for yourself.

There are many Scriptures that tell us we cannot lose our salvation.  In my Bible study today these verses got my attention.  “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall way, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” – Heb. 6:4-6.

These verses make it sound like Christians can fall away and lose their salvation.  The writer here is talking to those in the Hebrew church who appear to be saved, but their true colors come through.  He is telling them they had heard the good news of Jesus and knew of the work of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God, but now they are denying it.  They turned away from Jesus and cut themselves off from Him.  Their actions put Jesus to public shame as if they were killing Him all over again.  He is saying repentance becomes impossible when a person has been fully exposed to the blessings of God, but then falls away through deliberate unbelief and denial.

Many think this part of the Bible shows a believer can turn from or fall away from Jesus and lose their salvation.  I think these verses are not talking about a true believer.  To truly understand the Bible we need to look at all it teaches. 

A true believer is a changed person and has a new identity in Christ.  It is impossible for a Christian to go back to what he was before.  The Bible says we are sealed with the Holy Spirit at the moment we are saved and nothing can separate us from God.  “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Rom. 8:39.  Christ’s Spirit comes to live in us and will never depart from us.  Our salvation doesn’t depend on how good we are because we will never be perfect by God’s standards.

To fall away to me means you need to really look at the possibility your faith in Jesus is false.  Ask yourself if you truly repented and accepted Jesus as your Savior.  God uses warnings and threats along with promises to secure us in our salvation.  We are to be alert, stand firm, and not be deceived.  Yes, we do can doubt and sometimes be enticed by idols of this world, but we are not to be swayed.  We are to hold on to and believe God’s promises.  

Here are a few verses on Salvation:

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. “ – John 10:28 ESV

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” – Rom. 11:29 ESV

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” – John 6:37 ESV

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present not things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Rom. 8:38-39 ESV

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” – Heb. 13:5, Deut. 31:6 NIV

“I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” – John 11:25-26 NIV

“That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with our heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” – John 10:9-10 NIV

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” – John 3:36a NIV

Have you received God’s gift of eternal life?

Do you trust God will never leave you and will do what He says?

At the very moment you believe in Jesus you are saved.  You are born again.  You can’t unborn yourself.  God will not unborn your spirit and send you to hell after you’ve accepted Jesus as your personal Savior.  Satan wants us to believe otherwise.  I think if you believe you can lose your salvation, you are being deceived.  No one can take your salvation away!  It is a gift from God and God doesn’t take gifts away.  The Bible never teaches you can lose your salvation.  You must believe once you are saved you are always saved!

We are to live holy lives not sinful lives.  You will still sin, but sin won’t control you.  If you choose to walk away and start living after the flesh then you can lose your salvation – that is if you ever had it at all.  That’s of your own choosing, but God will never walk away from you.  If you backslide, you can be restored.  Example of that is the prodigal son.

If you are responsible for securing your own salvation, then you can be lost, but God is the one who secures you.  He’s the one who saved you!

Principle:  God’s gift of salvation is irrevocable.

Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site.  Hope to see you here again.  --  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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