Contentment

Our woman's ministry is doing a new bible study on the book "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. It is amazing so far and I just had to jot down some things the Lord is teaching me through it!

"When we have God's perspective, we view our lives and evaluate what's important from His viewpoint."

A woman that served as missionary to Africa for 52 years in horrible conditions wrote out these tips for contentment:
1) Never allow yourself to complain about anything, even the weather.
2) Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else.
3)Never compare your lot with another's.
4)Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
5)Never dwell on tomorrow, for tomorrow is God's.
(Matthew 6:34, Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.)

(The lady mentioned above) Her eyes were fixed on eternity.

"True contentment is separate from our circumstances. Contentment is a state of the heart, not a state of affairs."

"How many women do you know who wear this crown called "content"? You can probably count them on one hand. But if I asked how many women you knw who have an anxious spirit or a spirit of discontentment, you would probably run out of fingers and toes counting. Contentment is rare but it is possible."

"I am not saying this because I am in need because I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

I love so many things about these verses but one thing that we talked about in bible study that particularly stuck out to me was that Paul said that being content was a learned quality. He didn't just have it. The Spirit had to teach Him to have it and continuously give Him that Spirit as he depended on the Lord. Another thing that stood out to me in this passage is the last verse about how we can do all things through Christ. He is specifically talking about being content. I love that in context this verse makes so much more sense!! So, substituting the word "content" in those verses. I can be content through Christ who gives me strength. I love it.

"Paul recognized that the source and strength of all Christian contentment is God Himself. At ALL times, in ALL circumstances, Christ is able and willing to provide the strength we need to be content. Contentment occurs when Christ's strength is infused into my weak body, soul, and spirit."

"When we take over and try to control what happens, we take our focus off the One who is in control and put our eyes on our circumstances."

"God is the blessed controller of all things, the king over kings and the master of all masters! 1 Timothy 6:15."

"Lord you have assigned my portion and my cup and you have made my lot secure. Psalm 16:5" The message says of this verse, "My choice is you, God, first and only." I just love that!

Elisabeth Elliot says of Psalm 16:5: "I know of no greater simplifier of all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things that happen to us that do not belong to our lovingly assigned "portion" ("This belongs and that doesn't.")? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty? Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are canceled. Decisions become easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter. A quite heart is content with what God gives."

"We all have a cup....God fills our cup with our portion, what He determines is best. Our portion is our physical and emotional being, our abilities, circumstances, roles, and relationships.....We can choose to grasp it by the handle and lift it to Him, saying, "I accept my portion; I accept this cup," or we can choose to smash our cup to pieces saying, "God, I refuse my portion. This cup is not the right size for me and I don't like what You've put in it. I'll control my life myself."

"Contentment is accepting God's sovereign control over all of life's circumstances."

"You fail to make God my trust by default. Your life is out of control, so you just quit. It's impossible to make sense of life, beyond impossible to be content, so you give up and give in. Most of us either try too hard or we quit trying. In both cases, we miss God. We miss the infusion of strength that leads to contentment."

"Two women looked through prison bars
One saw mud and one saw stars"- unknown
"Each of us has a choice about how we look at life: We can focus on the mud or lift our eyes and see the stars. Every woman has circumstances that appear to be prison bars. God wants you and me to learn to be content in our circumstances, not when they improve."

"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your your requests to God and the peace that transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7

Guard in this context means to place a "garrison" around something. I LOVE the picture of this. So if we aren't anxious and pray over and over again and thank God for what's going on He promises to place a small army around our mind and heart to guard it from attack!! How awesome is that!!

More to come on this subject. I am only in chapter 2 of the book! So far, I HIGHLY recommend it, if you haven't already guessed that! :)