What am I pondering lately? There are plenty of input sources; of which my own ideals, goals and desires are among the most vocal in my mind and my heart.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
~ Philippians 4:8 & 9 (NKJV)
For days I have been stressed and distracted by things that are not noble, or pure and most certainly aren’t true. There is no way to enjoy the joy of the Lord, or his peace in such a place; for this place lacks real selfless thanks.
Inviting Jesus right into the middle of my mess caused the pain of having to be honest with myself, but resulted in the blessing of his peace returning.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
~ Philippians 4:6 & 7 (NKJV)
Avoiding stress and worries, which aid my self focused attitude rearing up, can not be accomplished with any amount of will power or strength of self. That being said, I don’t plan to start fearing the worrying and stresses mounting up again, instead I will work on remembering to trust Christ and his peace and joy that goes beyond the understanding of man. This peace and joy goes beyond our understanding because it reaches beyond our selfish nature. It protects our mind and hearts. Despite our circumstances WE CAN be content. As we learn to see the world through the lens of Christ, to interpret all our thoughts, all our beliefs, even the scripture itself through the lens of Jesus Christ the person and his teachings, we will be content whether happy or not, whether getting all our desires or not… We will learn to rejoice in Christ and not the desires of our flesh.
I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
~Philippians 4:12 &13 (NKJV)
Today I am content… content in continuing to grow. Today I am thankful… thankful for contentment in Christ.
Always Lady Mac an Rothaich
TTFN
Good words Becky!
It’s been my experience that peace is most often disturbed by wanting what we either can’t have or have no business wanting. I have fooled myself into believing that Gods grace gives me the right to “have my cake and eat it too.” There really are paths in life that we have to sacrifice, “count the cost on,” and leave behind. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell ourselves the truth or learn to ignore unwholesome voices (internal/external).
But when Christ becomes vital, things change!