great gain

Clinical psychologist Patricia Dalton wrote in an article for the Washington Post,

Far from making Americans happier…the need to acquire material goods has placed more stress on families. Today, parents work longer hours, leaving less time for home life. As a result, both marriages and parent-children relationships suffer. children have reacted by either becoming more status conscious or by rejecting status altogether. By confusing wants with needs, American families have forgotten that material gain, ultimately, cannot make one happy.

It is so easy to forget that life does not consist of things. Our culture is a materialistic one, but that does not mean we have to play the status game. In a world where peace is elusive and happiness tied to circumstances, it is vitally important to know where true contentment occurs. Paul tells Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain, so obviously this business of figuring out where true contentment is found is one worthy of a diligent search. Thankfully, we know exactly how we can achieve true contentment, and the startling truth is that it's actually already been won for us.

One of my favorite verses is found in Hebrews 13.

…Be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

What is the answer to being content with what we have? It's the Lord. I can be content with whatever I have in this life, because I know what's in the next. Think about it, I have the Lord and if I have Him, then I have everything worthwhile. The Speaker tells us that wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom! Paul writes that in the Lord are hid ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. If I have Him, I have everything. How can I not view myself as rich? However, I don't just have Him for a moment, I have the promise of the One who cannot lie that He will never leave me. I have the God of the universe holding my hand as I face life, and He will never let go.

How can I not be content?

exertion

How wonderful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterwards!

faithfulness

Solomon asked, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”

I love the Lord's faithfulness. All of the promises of God hinge on Him being faithful in accomplishing them. God's Man and mankind's God is the One who is faithful and true.

Truly, "Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." After my father died I was comforted by this verse in Psalms, "Shall Thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or Thy faithfulness in destruction?" His faithfulness is even seen in the decay and destruction of our bodies. We need not fear death because He has conquered it and we have victory in Him. I can go to my death without fear because of the God who is faithful.

Two of my favorite verses on faithfulness are the following, found in Timothy and Isaiah.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. ...Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands...

It's not hard to join Isaiah in saying, "O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."

a.w.e.

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

-Albert Einstein

trust

George MacDonald once wrote, "To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved."

Lately I've been thinking a lot about trust. Have you ever had someone ask, "Don't you trust me?" That's a very good question. Who do you trust? Why do you trust them? Should you trust them? What determines if someone is trustworthy?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines trust as assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.

Ultimately, there is One we can trust without questions or qualms. His character is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As the Creator of all, His ability is rivaled by none. No one has ever been as strong as He is. Lord Acton's famous words, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," are not true of God's Son. His strength is seen in creating the worlds, veiling His glory while on earth, taking the lowest possible place, being despised and loving in return, and in conquoring death through dying. He's now alive, and so strong that He has promised He can even make me stand (Romans 14)! The last definition of trust was assured reliance on the truth of someone or something. How can we not trust the One who is called the Truth (John 14:6)?

It takes little thought to realize that I can have assured reliance on His character, ability, strength and truth. I can trust Him because He is completely worthy of my trust.

What Does It Mean to Judge?

It's a sad indictment on our nation when the most commonly quoted verse is Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." I've heard variants on that verse so many times that it seems as if Christendom has a great fear of the word. If you're discussing truths, the conversation will be over when a person pointedly asks, "Be careful not to judge." As those of you who know me well could attest, I hate conflict. I truly hate it. Thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. The last thing in the world I want to do is "judge" anyone or anything. That said, I've read verses like 1 Corinthians 5:12 that say, "For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?" I was thoroughly confused, so I did what any logical person would. I set about finding answers asking the questions, "Are we ever supposed to judge?" and "What does it mean to judge?" A much better word for "judging" is "discerning," as when most people hear the word "judging" they think "condemning" and the actual Greek word implies the ability to discern.

After doing some research and reading a very good book by R.P. Amos, it turns out that there are four times we are not to judge and four areas where we are. Let me know what you all think!

Do NOT Judge

1. Do NOT Judge People's Motives (1 Corinthians 4:3, 5). This should be fairly obvious to anyone who is honest with themselves. How many times have we felt misunderstood? Someone once said, "We expect others to judge us by our heart motives yet judge them by their actions." No one but the Lord knows the heart of another person, and that's why He's the ONLY One who can judge their motivations.

2. Do NOT Judge Outward Appearance (John 7:24; 1 Samuel 16:7). It's so easy to get caught up on someone's appearance, yet we are told very clearly that we're not to judge that. It is between that person and their Lord, who can understand their motives and sees who they really are.

3. Do NOT Judge Someone's Liberty (Romans 14:2, 13). This one is really good for me to remember. If the Bible doesn't have clear directions on truths, then that area is determined by the individual's liberty. The issue of meat offered to idols is probably the most commonly cited example. Regardless of our personal convictions on these issues, we have to respect the liberty of others. My liberty is bound by the conscience of the weakest believer.

4. Do NOT Judge Someone When You're Doing the Same Thing (Matthew 7:1, 3)! It's astounding to me how easy it is to be a hypocrite. Being the visual person that I am, I love the illustration of the beam in my eye and the sliver in the eye of my fellow believer. How comforting it is that as I walk after the Lord with my whole heart and occupy my mind with the Altogether Lovely One, then He'll change me to be like Him, and in Him there is no hypocrisy at all.

You SHOULD Judge

1. We SHOULD Judge Ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:31). This one is so clear I can't think of anything to add to it. Obviously, we don't accomplish our own sanctification, but we have been bought with a price and belong to Someone else. As Paul said in Romans 6, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

2. We SHOULD Judge Actions (Philippians 1:9-10). This is completely different from judging someones heart motives. We are to discern between what is right and wrong. If I tell you stealing is wrong, you might think I'm judging you. But in reality, I'm simply agreeing with the Judge of the whole earth.

3. We SHOULD Judge Doctrine (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). Only the Lord never made a mistake, and we are to diligently discern what doctrines are truly from the Bible, and what are the lies of Satan. I need to be careful to hold up my beliefs to the light of Scripture and discard what doesn't agree with God. Unity is incredibly important, but we must be unified about the Truth.

4. We SHOULD Judge Sin in the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). This goes without saying. If it's the Lord's Church, and if He's the Head, then He has a right to say what should and should not happen. At the same time we judge sin in the Church, Paul makes it very, very, very clear that you still treat the person as a brother or sister and only talk to them in love.

Please let me know what you all think! I found it so encouraging to realize that the Judge of All will do what is right.