Lessons from evil people

Believe it or not we could learn a lot from evil people. Look at how zealously they serve there god, Satan and look at in comparison how apathetic we serve the true God. Consider the words from Living Zealously by Joel Beeke and James A. La Belle

We should be motivated by people who are violent ways of sin, lest they serve Satan better than we serve God. People of this world are industrious, vigorous, and resolute in the ways of sin, while we are negligent, cold, and inconstant in the service of righteousness. They disregard all reproofs and counsel, they grieve friends and relatives who stand in their way they readily venture into great dangers, they waste their wealth, macerate their bodies, and in the end die martyrs to lust and sin. They are zealous in following the way to hell, while many of us are sluggish on the path to heaven. They break bone and body for hell, while we are afraid to break flesh and skin for glory.

You have to give evil people credit they love what they do and they do it well. What about the Christian?

Are you ready?

Do you recognize any of these symptoms in people today?

Love only themselves and their money
Boastful and proud
Disobedient
Ungrateful
Consider nothing sacred.
 Unloving and unforgiving
Slandering others
No self-control
Cruel and hate what is good
 Betrayal of friends
Reckless
Puffed up with pride
Love pleasure rather than God
 Act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly

If you’re honest your answer is yes and you shouldn’t be surprised. Is this list one I just came up with in my dealings with people yesterday? No, but it could have been. This list came straight out of 2 Timothy 3 with the heading of Dangers of the Last Days. I’m not running around saying the end of the world is near, but it could be. To be true to scripture no one knows when that day will come. However the signs are there, there are indications, signs or whatever you want to call it, that the end of the world is approaching. And I can’t wait. How about you? Are you ready for the end of the world? You don’t get ready by stocking up on food, water, and guns. You get ready for the end of the world by trusting in Jesus.

Not made to wait

I was very convicted at church yesterday as it worked out the Sunday school lesson and the sermon were both pointing fingers right at me. Sunday school had to do with being a lukewarm Christian and the sermon was about sharing your faith. I was reminded of what I have done more times than I’d care to admit. I go into a situation all prepared to share my faith, talk about Jesus, to tell someone how much He means to me, then I walk away saying the opportunity never came up and I’m good with that. I should not be good with that attitude. Because Satan would be greatly pleased with that attitude and Jesus would not. Sitting around waiting for the right moment is not what we are commanded to do. In the great commission Jesus said GO not wait. There are those who would not agree but the Christian was made to play offense not defense. The opportunity never came up is one of the worst things a Christian can say because it actually shows that they hate people, by not letting them know that trusting in Jesus is how they avoid Hell. It also show how little they think of Jesus by not wanting to be identified with Him. We were not made to wait.

When on your knees is not enough

The following is a section from the book Glorious Ruin by Tullian Tchividjian. The book is about how suffering can actually set you free. This section on Job was eye opening and worth the entire price of the book.

Imagine for a moment that God had given Job the explanation he desired. Let’s say God had come to Job and said; this is what you are going to experience; this is how it will happen to you; but just hold on tight. It won’t last forever, and in the end you will be sanctified; I will be glorified, and the Devil will be defeated. Just know that for thousands of years, My people will be talking about you, Job, so a little bit of pain is worth generations of pleasure. What would Job have ultimately been putting his faith and trust in? What would have been helping him endure? Certainly not God alone. If Job would have been given that explanation, he could have said to himself, Well, if that’s the good that’s going to happen to me, if I’m going to get a double portion of everything I list, then I’ll endure, not for God’s sake, but for mine.

This is the key to God’s silence. God wanted Job to trust Him, come what might. He knew that it was the only way Job would survive his hours of darkness. Explanations, as we said earlier, are a substitute for trust, a red herring at best. God is interested in something much more powerful than any information could ever produce. He is interested in faith. It should come as no surprise then, that when God finally broke His silence; it was not to explain Himself. Quite the opposite in fact.

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:

² “Who is this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorant words?
³ Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
⁵ Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?

(Job 38:1-5)

If you detect a whiff of divine sarcasm, you’re not mistaken. God asked Job a series of questions that, at first glance, almost seem mean. But they were designed to show Job just how small and powerless he really was. God was not doing this for His own benefit. Job may have been on his knees, but his forehead wasn’t to the ground yet. The Lord mercifully put to death Job’s final idol – the idol of explanation. God liberated Job from himself. It was glorious ruin.
Only when we come to the end of ourselves do we come to the beginning of God. This is a common theme in the Bible---- desperation precedes deliverance. Grief precedes glory. The cross precedes the crown. Powerlessness is the beginning of freedom. This is not to say that every cloud had a silver lining, or some such nonsense. That would be minimization.

 

Be Prepared

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Luke 14:25-27  

²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Section from the book
And when Jesus really does come first, life becomes filled with risks. You risk the loss of family, reputation, prosperity, and more—for the world is hostile to this kind of allegiance and worship and hates the renunciation of those things the world loves to worship.

Simple thoughts

This is one of those cases when the section from the book really speaks for itself. However the key words are the first 7, and when Jesus really does come first.

If you have never lost anything for the sake of Jesus, I’m not sure you really have him first.  When you put Jesus first be prepared because the Bible is clear the world will come against you. The question is do you trust Jesus enough to take on the world?

You're UGLY

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage  John 17: 1-3
17 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. ² For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. ³ And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

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Good theology uncovers the truth about ourselves—that we are men and women made in God’s image, who exist for his glory, but have turned inward and ugly through our own sin. Without the hope of the gospel we are objects of wrath and await destruction
Simple thoughts

Theology is an interesting word, it brings up images of really smart people. I had a pastor one time tell me that I had a theological mind, I thought to myself this guy is not to smart. However as I have come to realize that theology is not all about being really smart. I like what was said in the section above, good theology uncovers the truth about ourselves. Good theology is when you come to the realization that you are not who you were created to be and that indeed you are a sinner (you’re ugly) and the only way to fix it is to trust in God. Otherwise you are headed for wrath and destruction aka. Hell. For some theology leads to pride and for others it leads to Jesus. Make sure you practice good theology.

Trust me you need this

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 1 John 5:21

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

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The call to keep one’s self from idols is given to the church. This sounds strange, as you see yourself as a worshiper of God and not of strange deities. But there it is at the end of John’s epistle. His last words in that letter to the church are, “Keep yourselves from idols.” The warning isn’t given to them because it wasn’t a real danger or because there was an off chance someone might fall into idolatry. It was given because this is our root problem on any given day. It is what we, especially as followers of Jesus, must fight against.

Even when you know the dangers of idolatry and the command to keep yourself from idols, do you know what idols you need to keep yourself from? It is not enough to say that you will worship Christ alone and reject false gods. You must be able to recognize the form idolatry takes in your life.

Simple thoughts

I’m sure you do not have a golden calf enshrined somewhere in your house that you worship everyday. But I am sure somewhere ,you have an idol that you worship more than you even know. The funny thing about idols is that they don’t look like you’d think. They are not statues; they may not even be a physical thing. The simple definition of an idol is anything you place in front of God. To indentify your idols just look where you spend the most of your time and money, that could very well be your idol. What is it that you are the most afraid of losing? That could be your idol. Where does your mind drift off to when given the chance? That too could be your idol.  I will go out on a limb and say that the root of all your personal problems is in fact idolatry. The way to kill roots in a septic system is copper sulfate. The way to kill the roots of idolatry in your life is a fresh and renewed sense of the gospel.

A complaint is nothing but a lack of trust

Scripture passage Philippians 2:14

Do all things without grumbling or questioning.

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Let’s get something straight. You complain, and you know it. The problem with your complaining is that you do not see it as a problem. You view it as harmless venting. You believe you are just stating facts, that a certain circumstance is frustrating. Your justification of complaining is truly unfortunate, because it certainly bothers God. The reason you complain is the reason it is wrong.

You complain because you misunderstand (or just miss altogether) the grace you have received and the purposes of God in your life. You misunderstand the grace you have received by not recognizing it and receiving it with gratitude. Life, breath, and all of God’s provisions for your life are acts of his kindness and are truly wonderful, and yet they all seem to disappear when the small inconveniences of life appear.

And no, you do not get a pass because you can handle the big problems in life but not the small ones. Perhaps when sickness, death, and affliction come into your life, you run to God and his promises and find comfort that gives peace and patience. Maybe it is just the small stuff that you sweat. So what is the big deal? Everything! In fact, your complaining about the small stuff is more dangerous than complaining about the big, because life is made up of the small stuff. Tragedies punctuate periods of your life, but it is the smaller inconveniences that make up the bulk of your existence, and this is what most people will see you handle. Those situations are the most obvious testing ground of your faith. If God’s grace is big enough for you to handle the big problems, why isn’t it enough for you to walk meekly though the smaller issues?

 Simple thoughts

It is hard for me to say and it may be hard for you to hear but anytime you complain you may think you are only stating facts but the truth is you are really ungrateful for what you do have and questioning God for the circumstances He gave you for your own good. Ouch! I’ve done it and you have too, the key is recognizing it and fixing it. Because complaining is draining and complaining is not a conversation, although there are some who would be mute if they couldn’t complain. The next time you are about to complain or hear someone complaining think about it as a lack of trust in God and address it accordingly. Because God causes ALL things to work together for good for those who love him, even what your complaining about.

Who's on your pedastal?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 1 Peter 5:5

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

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You are proud, and what makes this so dangerous is that you don’t realize just how proud you are. There are two reasons you see pride as a sin that isn’t a real problem for you. One is that you are quick to compare yourself to the worst examples of proud men and women, and this gives you a sense of self-righteousness that comforts you. Comparatively, you believe you aren’t “that bad.” This makes little of a very serious sin problem.

The second reason you think pride isn’t a serious issue for you is that you think so little of your talents and abilities. But poor self-esteem is not an indication of humility or meekness. In fact, it may be a disregarding of the gifts God has given you and a mocking of the work he is doing in your life. How does this connect to pride? Haven’t you used this excuse of no ability and no talent to clear yourself of responsibility? Isn’t it possible that you have used poor self-esteem as an excuse for doing nothing or as a means of saving face? Who could fault you when you don’t claim to be good at anything? Make no mistake about it—you are proud!

  Simple thoughts

Pride is all about elevation. Pride occurs when a person elevates themselves. Immediately when you compare yourself to someone worse than you, you just elevated yourself. That’s pride. The other side of the coin is very sneaky and one many have never thought about and that is when you try and lower yourself you are trying to manipulate others into elevating you. Either way you are putting yourself on a pedestal when Christ is the only one who deserves the top spot.

Confidence is looking in the mirror and seeing someone else

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Isaiah 44:22

I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
Oh, return to me,
for I have paid the price to set you free.”

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You can, and must, return to God daily. His promise is that he will receive you as you come—in faith, not in moral purity. This is what gospel confidence looks like. It is not an insincere approach to God that dismisses our corruption while presuming on his grace, but a heartfelt dependency on the grace of Christ to make us acceptable at all times. Gospel confidence is not found in our best religious performance, be it guilt-penance or law keeping, but in the merit and mercy of Jesus on our behalf.
  Simple thoughts

Gospel confidence is something we should strive for. But it is something that we can never achieve on our own. In fact the more we try to achieve it, the more distant it becomes. It is in a sense just like today’s picture, when you look into the mirror you need to see someone else, Jesus. When you can do this that is when you will have gospel confidence.

Kill it

Scripture passage Romans 8:13

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

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You seem to think that your sins will somehow die of old age. It’s as if you believe you can wait them out, and they will eventually grow weak and fail. But the truth is your sin ages more like an oak tree. If you aren’t chopping it down, its roots are growing deeper, and its branches are growing stronger.

In other words, your sin will not just go away. You are called to aggressively seek sin’s destruction—to kill it. But even when you understand this, it is more complicated than plotting its murder, for the act of killing sin is a slow, continuous process that runs the span of your life. And if you are not putting sin to death, then you will find that it is seeking your destruction. As John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

Killing sin isn’t merely the cutting of branches but a striking at the root. This means you need to do more than recognize your sin of impatience; you must seek to know how this branch of sin is connected to the root of pride. From there you can get to work. But the work of killing sin is not moral improvement or personal reformation. It is the Holy Spirit empowered spiritual war against all forms of corruption that would lead you away from the gospel. Sin and temptation lead you away from the gospel by telling you that you can find greater fulfillment and satisfaction in something other than Jesus. Your sinful actions always reflect the battle within you over your allegiance.

What this means is that the true nature of spiritual warfare is a fight against indwelling sin, and that the only success you can have in that fight is through the power of God’s Spirit. And how is it that you and the Spirit can work together? How is it that the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in you? The answer is found in the gospel. God justifies the sinner, gives him the Spirit, and sanctifies him in the truth by the Spirit. Your hope in this war against sin is outside of yourself in God. In the end, you are called to kill sin because it seeks to lead you away from the hope of the gospel, and you are able to kill sin because of the hope of the gospel.

 Simple thoughts

No reason to say anything more.  

What's behind your good works?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 1 Peter 2: 24-25
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
²⁵ Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
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Your progress in the faith, your sanctification, is not a result of will power or education but the consequence of Christ’s atoning work
 Simple thoughts
Did you do a good deed yesterday? Did you memorize a Bible verse? Did you have some quality time with God? If you did and your motives were pure it was only possible by the death of Jesus. Prior to that you were a slave to sin and everything you did had a selfish motive. Even today some of the good things you do still have a selfish motive, but Christ’s death has made it possible for good and pure motives. Kind of like helping an old lady across the street did you do it out of a love for her or just for street cred. Be honest with yourself and think of how many times you have done “good” things for selfish reasons. Good things don’t happen because of what you do, they happen because of what Jesus has already done.

Repentance Reaction

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 2 Corinthians 7:10

¹⁰ For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

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You will never be done with repentance—at least, not until death or Christ’s return. While it is something you should be doing frequently, it is not something you just “get used to.” Repentance requires a daily intentionality. And let’s be honest; you will have more to repent of by the end of the day than you can possibly remember. So, where should you start? The big picture is that repentance is both an attitude and an action. It is more than being sorry for sin, and it is more than cutting out a bad habit.
 Simple thoughts

I like what the book says here that repentance is more than an action. Many of us have heard the definition of repentance as turning and walking away from your sin. It needs to be much more than that. Repentance is also an attitude, true repentance is a hate for the sin you’ve committed against God and when you truly see if for what it is your response shouldn’t be much different than Kevin’s in the movie classic Home Alone.  When you understand the sin you’ve committed against God you should be repulsed, shocked, or even mortified. If you’re not you may be just sorry or just sorry they got caught. You must understand that repentance is much more than being sorry or stopping a bad habit.

Is it real?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Proverbs 4:23

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

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The call to keep your heart is a call to work on your life internally, not merely externally. The latter is easy; the former is much harder and more complicated. The religious or moral person will focus on the external and maintain good appearances, but it may have little to nothing to do with the heart. God is first and foremost concerned with your heart, for when you are keeping your heart, the rest of life follows.

To keep your heart means that your focus and work is on maintaining communion with God and pursuing the transformation that only God can accomplish in you. It is not performance-based religion, nor the moral improvement of your life, but the ongoing work of cultivating love for God and hatred for sin. It is the unending effort of guarding ourselves against idols while resting in the promises of the gospel.

Simple thoughts

God knows the heart, the question you need to ask yourself is how much time do you spend actually working on your heart and I’m not talking cardio here. You must ask yourself do you spend more time working on your actual heart or is your time spent making your outside look good when there is nothing on the inside? It’s much like today’s picture of an inflatable tank. Ever since there have been tanks militaries from all over the world have utilized fake, inflatable tanks to trick the enemy. To make them think there is more than there really is. Do you do that with your heart? Do you make it appear to be something that it’s not? Even though inflatable tanks may have tricked some over the years, God knows the heart. There is no tricking him the only one you are deceiving is you. Don’t spend your time working on your religion or even moral improvements. Spend it on your heart and considering the gospel is a good place to start.  

Don't just sit there, Go!

 

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

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If you want to be useful to God, you will need to be the person who moves first. You have to take the initiative to move toward the people God has put into your life and the people God has sent you to. Most will not come to your church’s worship gathering, most will not seek out your advice, and most will not strike up a conversation with you. You will have to go to them.

The opportunities are always there, but they are difficult to see if you are too focused on yourself. You must take the time to be truly present where God has put you

 Simple thoughts

Imagine yourself being the second car at a stop light, the light turns green and the car in front of you does not move. How long is it before you do something? Before throwing your arms up in disgust, or honking your horn? Probably not very long, you say to yourself why do they not just go! It’s not that hard! More than likely God says the same thing about you. In Matthew 28 Jesus says go, ask yourself are you just sitting there, not moving? In sharing your Christian faith you can’t stay put and wait for people to come to you, you have to go. Your reasons for not going could be many but the root of the problem is you’re too focused on yourself just like the person sitting at the green light in front of you is focused on something other than going.  So please take your foot off the brake, hit the gas and just go.

Tipping for poor service

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Matthew 7:1-2

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged

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Are you merciful, compassionate, and forgiving, or do you gravitate toward giving people what you believe they deserve? How do you receive people who are hostile to the gospel? How do you speak to or of people who are your social/political opposite? Here’s a good test for yourself—how do you tip servers at a restaurant? Not just the good servers but even the bad ones. Have you considered that tipping generously, even if the service is bad, is a demonstration of grace that is not likely to be lost on the server? Stop judging. Let the gospel compel you to live by grace and demonstrate it to those around you.

 Simple thoughts

This one hurt, I’ll be honest I never thought about tipping poor service as grace, but that is exactly what it is. I think of the poor service I gave Christ before becoming a Christian, and yet after; yet he chose and chooses to love me anyway, it humbles me. I still to this day struggle with wanting to give people what they deserve especially when it’s not good, like less of a tip for poor service. I even become self-righteous when people do something wrong or do not live up to my standards. Sometimes it makes me feel good or even superior to them. But yet again when I look at the example of Jesus and how he was perfect and sinless and how I am a sinner and don’t even come close to His standards and He still loves me anyway. That is what grace is and how I should think about it. Does a poor waitress deserver a bad tip, you bet! Do I deserve Hell, I do! Thankfully God is a great tipper. I’ll never look at tipping the same again.  

What do you want?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 1 Peter 1:13
⁵Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

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What is your greatest hope? Your deepest longing? Is it for Christ to return? Be honest. That’s not always at the top of your list. The reason you are not eagerly waiting for Jesus is because you either misunderstand his second coming and/or love the world more than your King and his kingdom.

 Simple thoughts

Truthfully, there is nothing I can say about the section of the book today, truly sobering if you stop and think about it. Something to ponder today.

 

Who found who?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Psalm 73: 1-3, 17

⁵ In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”

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The more robust, the more detailed your theology, the more humble you should become. Why? Because you did not figure God out; he revealed himself to you.

The proud theologian has somehow convinced himself, or at least acts as if, he discovered God. But you understand that you did not uncover the truth of God like some kind of rock star archeologist. He sought you, caught you, and gave you sight, knowledge, and life.

 Simple thoughts

What is the one thing that is everywhere and that no one has ever found? The answer God. I get a kick out of it when someone says they have found God. My gut reaction is to say I didn’t know he was lost.  The truth is the person who really has God in their life will be the first to acknowledge the fact that they had absolutely nothing to do with it. The person who has God knows they were not looking for Him but in fact they were running from Him. They know that it was God who sought and caught them. For those who tend to think they had something to do with it or even those who think by their own intellect have figured God out they are the ones who run the risk of becoming prideful and arrogant.  I have actually seen some who really, really knew the Bible and theology crash and burn because of their pride and it wasn’t pretty. The more a person knows God the more humble they should be because they realize His glory and their sinfulness. When it come to God just remember who found who.

Stop your complaining

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Psalm 73: 1-3, 17

Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.² But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
³ For I envied the proud Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.

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You know that God is sovereign and good, and that should be enough to comfort and direct you. It should calm and quiet you. It should stop your complaining and start your worship even in the midst of the most painful experiences of life.
  Simple thoughts

If you realize that God is truly sovereign and good why in the world would you ever complain? Perhaps you don’t realize how sovereign and good He really is. The sooner you do the quicker you will get out of the complaint line and into the gratitude line. Just remember everything works for the good of those who love Jesus. You may not like it but whatever it is you are going through God as a purpose for it. Thank Him for it.

Not satisfied?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Philippians 4:11-13

¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ,^[c] who gives me strength. ¹⁴ Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

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Are you satisfied? It is pretty obvious that the answer is often no. I am not saying it is wrong to want things in this life, but why do you find yourself so frustrated with the absence of those things? The problem is not that you want evil things. The things you want are generally good, or at least harmless in themselves. But more than wanting, you become frustrated by not having. You become jealous, envious, and discontented with your life. It is true; you need what you lack, but what you lack is satisfaction in Jesus.

 Simple thoughts

I could not help but use this now infamous picture of Mckayla Maroney that has went viral. I will be the first to admit I am not sure the reason behind this now famous face. I can only assume that she was not satisfied with the silver medal. The fact that she worked her whole life (like 17 years) for Olympic gold and came up short left her disappointed and frustrated. Who could blame her? Before you answer, remember what you just read in today’s scripture and the excerpt from the book. It’s really okay to want things but the problem comes when you become dissatisfied without them. When this happens you slowly become jealous, envious, and discontent. When this happens the good things you want become bad things. The reason, because you have elevated them above Jesus. My kids used to get frustrated with me when I’d to explain the differences between the wants and needs in their life. We need air, food, water, and shelter but after that most things are wants. To me the most noticeable change in my life since becoming a Christian is that my wants have dramatically decreased. As Philippians 4:11 say I have learned to be content with what I have. Now I would be lying if I said at now I never wanted anything, but hopefully when my wants start leading me to not being satisfied or discontent I will remember what I am truly lacking in is my satisfaction in Jesus. When you have Jesus silver is more than enough and gold still does not compare to the value of knowing Christ.