Examine yourself - Contentment 005

Examine yourself -  Contentment 005

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Philippians 4:11 ESV)

LEARNED

The Word and the Spirit - our two key blessings for learning - our two essential and necessary blessings.

But - we don't have to be passive.  Actually we shouldn't be.

Remember that old song, I Fall Asleep Counting My Blessings?  Well it's better to count them before you fall asleep.

Now for most of us, keeping a journal or diary is just not something we consider.  But it is a valuable investment of time and effort.  Just as God has recorded His will and work in the Bible, we can record His will and work in our lives in a diary or a journal.

I think this works best if we keep it simple - and I've tried just about every method possible from a voice recorder to a "cloud" journal.  After a lot of stops and starts, I ended up back at paper and pen.  

Here's what I use.  I have a Moleskine Monthly Notebook - the pocket size.  I have two pages for the current month and two blank lined pages after the two monthly pages.  I keep my calendar and then on the two blank-lined pages I keep track of what God is doing in my life.  

I don't go into great detail - I write just enough to inform myself later.

Why?

If we don't keep some kind of record, we will forget and miss opportunities for prayer, repentance - opportunities for growth.

Ever been in a meeting and spoken ill?  Well you can "jot" that down in the notebook without making a big deal of it.  

Ever had someone ask for prayer and then much later you remember?  Jot it down in the notebook.  Heard a great insight in a sermon?  Jot it down.  Ever been blindsided by your sin?  Jot is down.  Even gotten an unexpected blessing?  Jot it down.

It is said that those who fail to learn from the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them.  Well, if there is no history kept, we're just going to keep making the same mistakes and sinning the same sins.

OK - so someone out there is going to ask where I keep my business notes if my personal notes are in the notebook.  Simple, I use 3x5 cards for meeting notes.  They fit in the notebook cover I got from, Levengers for my Moleskine - no problem.  The cards get filed in a small 3x5 index file box and there ya go.

The main point is that in order to effectively examine ourselves we really do need to keep some kind of record.  Ever gone to worship feeling like it was the last place you wanted to go and then left worship walking inches off the ground?  That needs to be recorded and examined.  Ever had a sermon or lesson "hit you the wrong way”? (yeah - as if we get hit a right way) -- Anyway, this is something worth noting and examining later --- "Why?"

Look, you're going to find sin when you do this - and that's good.  It should be no great shock anyway - godly dismay yes - shock no.  This isn't about beating yourself up.  It's about getting to know, understand and appreciate you and your walk in the Way.

Another great use for recording this is that it really does "preserve" the evidence that you are His and growing in Him.  With my counseling clients, I always keep a sheet in their file that lists all the wonderful and powerful things they share - ya know why?  Because they don't - so they forget the very evidence the experience.  It's really wonderful to testify to someone about the Lord working in and through them from evidence they themselves gave me weeks or months before.

Think about this - sin is sin is sin - right?  Growth is growth is growth - right?  But you are utterly unique - totally unique by God's design.  So your sin and your growth are totally unique - there are no cookie-cutters on the Way.  We get made of the same stuff but every mold is broken after one use.

If you are the object of God's grace and mercy, you certainly can pay a little attention to yourself - right?

Write it down - examine it - rejoice and/or repent - but, examine yourself.

Peter’s Pen 1st Peter 3:12-22

1Pe 3:12-22  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 

God sees you and hears you.  But if you, even as His, do evil, He has to oppose that and discipline you.

(13)  Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 

Uhhhhh – well, people will think I am weird, a fanatic, off the deep end……?  But if the truth is indeed true – then what consequence can there be but zealousness?  And if there is not a zealousness, what does that tell us about our view of the truth?  Uhhhh….

(14)  But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 

OK – but . . . . .   I don’t want to suffer for doing good – I want goodies, kudos for doing good – isn’t the way it works?  Oh, no – that’s “karma,” not Christ – oops, my bad.

Wait – suffer and be blessed?  That takes some thought.  Can I ask that I be blessed by the absence of the suffering?  Oh wait – I forgot, 1 Peter 2:19-25 ---- Oops!!

Fear?  There’s fear attached to doing good?  Maybe that’s why the idea of karma is popular under many guises. 

(15)  but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,  (16)  having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 

Ok – when someone asks you why you have that stupid grin on your face when you are reviled and persecuted – you need to be ready to tell them, respectfully and gently. 

Ahhh – there’s that “good conscience,” thing – again with the heart health.  I need to know in my heart that I am truly suffering for doing good – looking to honor Christ as my Lord.

I shouldn’t be suffering because I am an obnoxious pain – or an arrogant irritant – but for doing good – for honoring Christ.

Oh – really – “when” I am slandered for my “good” behavior.  Oh that’s gonna be fun – but Oh, yeah, they did that to Him, too – even on the cross they did that to Him - 1 Peter 2:19-25 ---- Oops!!

(17)  For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 

Oh??  God’s will might be that I suffer for doing good?  Gee, that’s a happy thought!  But, wait – if I suffer for doing evil and I claim Christ as Lord, don’t I have a much bigger problem??  Oh.

(18)  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,  

Not fair!  Here I am worrying about suffering for doing good and that being God’s will and bam – here’s the cross thing.  But that’s the whole point isn’t it?  1 Peter 2:19-25 ---- 

Oops!!

(19)  in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,  (20)  because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 

Uhhh – if God is so gracious – how can I be less so?

(21)  Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 

How can I not want to do good to ALL when I am the beneficiary of such a great gift?  How can I suffer myself to be and do less than my Redeemer? 

(22)  who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Here is the power to live for and as Him.  All things are subject to Him – especially me.  I have nothing to lose and I have gained much.  He is in control and if I trust Him as good and righteous and holy and gracious, then I will indeed desire to grow in my doing good to ALL – especially those who are blind and without hope in the world.

Me 081312 - What a blessed day!

Me – 081312  what a blessed day!

Today has been unusual.  God is – well – really really neat ;-}.

I had the privilege today of having two incredible conversations with two believers I had never met.  They were complete strangers and for one reason or another (long story) they came over and asked if they could talk to me. 

One was a young lady with a heart for missions who was interviewing at Bou.  The other was a gentleman who had just seen me in Caribou several times.

The conversations began simply but quite soon focused on the faith and serving God and how people were hungry for that today.  Actually, hungry for it to be simple – vanilla – not complicated – with no agenda other than Him.  The richness of what they shared was a very great blessing to me.  We are a little distant from one another in some ways but regardless we all have a hunger for the church to just be the church and for believes (that would be ourselves first) to grow in Him.

Now I ask – why did God make this happen?  Certainly it was a diversion from my worries and anxiety but it became so much more.  It was like we had not “just” met but rather like we had “known” one another prior to.  There was a commonality between us that seemed to be the “heart” part of the faith.

Not the mushy, gooey, loosy-goosy kind of heart stuff but real “heart for God” stuff.  I was just amazed by them both and blessed.  Their desire to serve Him was very clear and it was also clear he was working in their lives, leading them closer and closer to finding the how of it.

The question remains, “Why was I so blessed.”  The answer I like is, “Cause He wanted to bless you – you needed it.”  Obvious huh? 

But God never does anything that He does doesn’t have a lesson attached to.  I have learned that I have brothers and sisters out there who are yearning to grow in Him.  I learned that some of my desires and hopes are shared by complete strangers.  I’ve learned that there is a need in the really big body for encouragement and open dialogue.  For sharing a little more intimately than we would with someone we know. 

These weren’t what I would call theological or doctrinal discussion but just a conversation between believing people who want and have a need to serve Him and know Him better.  It was all about Him and our hearts and the hopes and dreams He puts in them. 

In both conversations there was sharing of God dealing with us and us dealing with others “right where they are” instead of where we think or even know they should be.  We talked of the mission field in the world and the mission field in the church. 

It was a blessing to talk with like hearted folks – and I am grateful to Him and them (and to David J. – long story).