Contentment

Yesterday at The Austin Stone, Darrin Patrick from The Journey Church guest preached for us. Let me just say, "WOW"!! He preached out of Philipians 4:10-13. We all know verse 13, but I have never looked or studied the verses prior to it. He talked about true contentment with our lives.

He referenced these verses:

'But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.' I Timothy 6:8 (ESV, emphasis mine)

'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(ESV, emphasis mine)

To me, before I started reading Radical by David Platt, this was what my American dream consisted of....a NICE house in a nice neighborhood.

Darrin said that contentment is "Being ok with who you are & what you have, NO MATTER what's going on around you!" That is the most profound statement that I've heard in a LONG TIME.

Contentment is a strength issue, but not MY strength issue, DIVINE strength issue....letting God in when things are going well (like now) and when things are going bad. Contentment is a foretaste to heaven...and I can't wait to get there.

Am I a bit nervous? Absolutely. Am I bit scared? Absolutely. But I also know that the 'secret' to contentment is to NOT stop at the 'pointer' but GO ALL THE WAY. For example, not to just continue to run, but to run for others. Not just bake cakes and be creative, but make cakes and be creative for others. To not just buy a house, but wait to buy the one that God has in store for us.

So for now, I am content with being in a 2 bedroom apt, having 1 car, having Perryn in a Charter School instead of homeschooling, and whatever else God hands me right now. Are you content with God has given you?