As the rain and snow

“My son, keep your father’s commandment,
    and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you;
    when you lie down, they will watch over you;
    when you awake, they will talk with you.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.” Proverbs 6:20-23

“These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Deuteronomy 6:6-8

“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
    bind them around your neck;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
    in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4

“My son, keep my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you;
keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 7:1-3

The words of God are powerful for many things, and to procure and use their full benefit, they must be tightly attached. The admonitions to bind them to heart, hands, neck, and fingers emphasize their effectiveness for every aspect of living, from thought to desire to the most detailed doing. Binding must be deliberate, blessings then abound.

It takes an act of will (many repeated acts) to handle and manipulate God’s word to keep it close to mind, body, and soul. Bound to our hearts, biblical teaching soaks in to emotions and desires. Tied around the neck His truth stands out, and is felt with every breath. Its tether turns and leads and restrains, training with discipline to steer every decision aright. Fastened on the forehead or at center of our eyes’ focus, God’s words identify us and constantly remind us we are His and all He has is ours.

How seriously, and practically, do we take these repeated admonitions to bind them on? We can whiz through a rote reading, or a recorded message of someone else’s take on a snippet of Scripture, but do we then let them drop as empty words irrelevant for our day or situation? Do we aim to take hold of some nugget, some inspiration, but loosen our hold as soon as a distraction flits by? Do we pretend to know the Word, and adorn our speech with Christianese, yet confuse what is really true or try to disguise any semblance of true devotion?

How can we listen with greater focus, and actually fasten God’s word onto our perspective and order of living? What priorities need readjustment, what habits refinement, that a gripping of scriptural wisdom can effectuate? Who can come alongside, and whom can we help, to hold accountable to remaining in the light and keeping, in fact and prayer and practice, God’s Word? Binding God’s commands close guards against forgetting and forsaking, and secures faithfulness.

Lord, may I stay bound to Your Word so it distinguishes all I think, say, and do.

“A certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.  Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again… Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died,  and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.'” John 11:1-7,11-15

Things were urgent, fears rife. Their brother was declining by the minute and Jesus had to come, now. He’d healed others, surely He could save His beloved Lazarus! The frenzy in Mary and Martha’s message was met with a peaceful calm by their divine Friend. He who held time and goodness in His hands always had the big picture in mind and His Father’s glory at the fore. He stayed where He was, ignoring tensions all around, perfectly in synch with God’s purpose and timetable. All would be well, all was for their sake and greater belief, all was for God’s glory. (John 11:21-27,38-44)

Fear of death and other urgencies pummel our days and hours. Everything can be drastic, now, if we allow ourselves to slip out from under God’s benevolent rule. Enemies stalk, problems pester, pressures mount, and we get exasperated and desperate in the screaming hectic NOW. Where is Jesus?!? Why doesn’t He come and rescue, relieve, solve, heal?

In contrast to our finite thinking and frenetic doing is the perfect, judicious, serene control of the Almighty. His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways, His time not our own. He is ever aware and vigilant about His Father’s time and purpose, always behind the scenes orchestrating a greater glory than is on our radar. His invisibility compels us to look beyond, trust more fully, believe more deeply, yearn more broadly. (Isaiah 55:8-9; John 7:6)

What present challenges are sucking perspective and torquing me into a frenzy? Where have I allowed a person or situation to take me captive to angst and unreasonable demands? What unknowns can I bring to Christ’s omniscience, what fears to His control, what tensions to His calm?

How has the Lord shown glory through earlier circumstances, and what might He be working in mine today? Looking to Him and His majestic, infinite splendor will expand expectation. Trusting Him in all things will settle our souls.

Father, help me look for, trust, and proclaim Your greater glory in the ordinary of things. 

“God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. David said to God, ‘I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly…’

“So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell.  God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and relented from the calamity. He said to the angel who was working destruction, ‘It is enough; stay your hand.’ And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite… 

“As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. David said, ‘Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the Lord—give it to me at its full price—that the plague may be averted from the people.’ Ornan said to David, ‘Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.’ But King David said to Ornan, ‘No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’ So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold for the site. And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven… Then the Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

“At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.” 1 Chronicles 21:7-8,14-15,21-28

David had ordered Joab to number Israel, dishonoring God through his desire for a census. Once convicted of his sin’s gravity, he pled for forgiveness. The Lord forgave, yet meted out punishment to teach him once again that there is no cheap grace. David understood there was a cost to be paid to restore a right relationship with God. Prophetic were these lessons to the bearer of Christ’s seed, that man’s offerings are but a foreshadow of the ultimate sacrifice to come in the Messiah. (2 Samuel 12:7-15; 1 Chronicles 21:1-4)

All sin bears a penalty that must be paid. On man’s part, we willingly give something of value for something more valuable, yet cannot atone for our sins. Only Jesus’s once-for-all sacrifice, the indescribable gift of Himself, was the perfect atonement for sin. (Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 9:15; Hebrews 10:1-3,11-14)

Have we humbly realized the infinite cost Christ paid on our behalf? What do we sacrifice in response? What praise when our circumstances aren’t praiseworthy? What gratitude when we’d rather complain? What means when we’d prefer to spend on ourselves? What service when we want to be served? True offerings are costly.

Lord, may I deeply cherish the costly sacrifice of Jesus, and daily offer my glad, generous all for Your honor and glory.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9

“Fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever.” “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man… [T]hey will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain… And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light.'” Revelation 20:9-10; 21:3-4; 22:5

He knows the creatures that lurk at night,
only in darkness, out of sight,
but pesky all, those creeping things
who riddle the spirit and undo kings

Those nudges that scatter me out of the way
of God’s true light, the pure of day,
they poke and push into shadows dark
where I can stew, and temptations park

They’re minions of the enemy,
relentlessly prowling to get at me,
the taste of bitterness falsely sweet,
the pebble irritation that grates my feet

The pests of bitterness, anger, and shame
that keep me tangled, frozen, and lame;
the tasty lure of prurient thought,
the lusty want of what others bought

The cloying claw of anxiety,
the senseless fret at what might be,
the striving for things that do not matter,
the waste of time climbing pride’s ladder

The self-centered focus of living for me,
ignoring the hurts and cares and needs
of others in God’s image made
whose lives are lost, with troubles weighed

So I must attune my ears to hear
their scratching advances that creep so near,
I must stay vigilant to see
the demons who come after me

I must learn their wily cries
and recognize their whispered lies,
stay keen and alert to their sneaky advance
and never give their allure a chance

And look them boldly in the eye,
and shout, ‘be gone! I will deny
your power to have a hold on me,
for I’m redeemed, I’ve been set free!

‘Your nightly prowl may slink and linger
but to you, vile pest, I raise my finger
and point you gone, out from my life!
I’m saved and sealed and done with strife!’

I choose to come into the sun
and raise my hands to the Holy One,
to follow Him, clothed in His power,
to flee the devil every hour

So I in freedom can serve and love,
with clear eyes for my God above,
spreading light where e’er I go,
His gospel hope and grace to show

That those entrenched in darkness drear
can know the peace of God is near,
can be loosened from the night
and to salvation wing faith’s flight

Night creatures there will always be
but they need not unsettle me;
their doom is sure, endless light I’ll see,
when the grace-saved rise to eternity. (PEB)

Lord, grant daily resolve to resist the devil and hope in Your triumph.

“Does not wisdom call?
    Does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights beside the way,
    at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
    at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
‘To you I call,
    my cry is to the children of man.
O simple ones, learn prudence;
    O fools, learn sense.
Hear, for I will speak noble things,
    and from my lips will come what is right,
for my mouth will utter truth…
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
    there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
They are all straight to him who understands,
    and right to those who find knowledge.
Take my instruction instead of silver,
    and knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is better than jewels,
    and all that you may desire cannot compare with her…

“‘I have counsel and sound wisdom;
    I have insight; I have strength.
By me kings reign,
    and rulers decree what is just;
by me princes rule,
    and nobles, all who govern justly.
I love those who love me,
    and those who seek me diligently find me.
Riches and honor are with me,
    enduring wealth and righteousness.
My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
    and my yield than choice silver.'” Proverbs 8:1-11,14-19

She calls! She is everywhere available! Wisdom offers to all her noble, right, righteous, straight instruction. To own her is precious treasure and bestows invaluable honor. Her counsel, insight, and strength adorn justice and authority for those who diligently seek her. (Proverbs 1:20-21)

The voices of the world are loud, its trinkets enticing. The devil’s intent is to disguise unrighteousness and betrayal in glitz and glamour, offering a daily menu full of godless entertainment, advice, and expertise. Folly entices by promising freedom and requiring no restraint, while it actually ensnares and leads to destruction. We cannot neglect wisdom. Befriend her! The eternal wellspring found in fear of the Lord is ours for the taking. (Proverbs 2:6; 4:5-9; 8:33-35; 9:10)

We constantly expend time and emotion, and choose what occupies attention and heart. To develop discernment, we must keep wisdom our constant companion. She sets our mind clear and path straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

How will we better befriend her? Where do we entertain folly, spending inordinate time in self-indulgence, impermanence, worldly pursuits and their attending worldview? Do we listen more to popular opinions and mantras, or the word of God? Where have we made casualness, disorder, or frivolity our friend to the neglect of discipline and understanding, and how will we reorder our priorities? (Proverbs 10:23)

Behavior, mindset, and language reveal who our friends are. When we walk with the wise we grow wise, but friending fools is to our detriment. There is great blessing, pleasure, and peace in companionship with wisdom, but emptiness, anxiety, and waste with folly. Might wisdom be my best friend, and if so, what will I give today to nurture that friendship? (Proverbs 10:22-24; 13:20)

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that thou art.
Thou my best thought by day and by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.” ~Dallán Forgaill (6th C)

Amen!

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you…

“This is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.” 1 Peter 5:6-12

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

The command comes with full knowledge and sober warning: this enemy is vicious and unrelenting, bent on destruction. Peter knew well the insidious nature of the one who sought to sift him as wheat, and the lavish mercy and restoration the Lord extended when he fell. He bolsters the command with clear affirmation of available arsenal and the Victor who stands ready to aid and assure. (Luke 22:31-32; John 10:10; 21:15-17)

We’re never alone in temptation. Our Advocate exemplifies withstanding every facet of temptation without sin, and His indwelling Spirit enables us to resist also. Are we alert and courageous enough? The world tries to convince us there’s no real enemy, no need to fight, but conscience proves this is not true. (Romans 8:31-34; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrews 4:15-16)

How aware are we of the viciousness of the devil? How convinced of the greater power of God? How vigilantly do we resist Satan’s lies with truth, his tricks with holy resolve? Regular resistance training keeps us alert and fortifies faith. (1 John 4:4)

“A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!” ~Martin Luther (1529)

Lord, may I boldly resist the enemy, to Your honor.

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39

“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

On the last day feast of booths, which commemorated God’s faithful provision during Israel’s wilderness journeying, Jesus drew attention to their desert lifeline, water. In remembrance of God’s magnificent supply for their physical thirst, He announces that those who spiritually thirst can come to Him and receive living water. His was one that slaked soul thirst forever and flowed forth with Christ’s love and life. (John 4:10-14)

In order to guard our hearts, we need honest assessment of what we allow in and what issues forth. We might think we’re careful about what we let in, yet see that what comes out indicates anything but Christ. It is impossible to be filled with filth and soul pollution and be able to issue love and grace, just as it is impossible, when filled with His Spirit, to flow with anything but.

What does our heart outflow portray? What do we sound like? Is our default response to people and problems around us to nay-say, grouse, let fly irritations or criticisms or harsh correction? What do these reveal about pride and pompous self-righteousness in our hearts? Is it more important for us to be right or have the last say or ‘win,’ or for us to promote love and Christ-likeness? How about our embrace of others unlike us, who make us uncomfortable? Do we ignore or snub, or set aside our preferences to serve them? What will it take to gracefully agree with someone, to concede, to return mistreatment or mistakes with blessing? (Romans 12:10,14,17-21)

How can we more faithfully keep watch on our hearts? In what areas is the Lord calling us to come clean so we can be renewed, and satisfied? How might we then better flow with grace, patience, genuine love, and compassion toward others?

“O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free,
a heart that always feels Thy blood
so freely shed for me.

A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
my great Redeemer’s throne,
where only Christ is heard to speak,
where Jesus reigns alone.

A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean,
which neither life nor death can part
from Christ who dwells within.

A heart in ev’ry thought renewed
and full of love divine,
perfect and right and pure and good,
a copy, Lord, of Thine.

Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
come quickly from above;
write Thy new name upon my heart,
Thy new best name of Love.” ~Charles Wesley (1742)

Lord, fill me to overflow with You, to Your glory.

“I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,  envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 5:16-25; 6:7-10

Paul knew human nature well, and had struggled with the flesh enough that he wrote convincingly, with candor, humility, and conviction. Walking by the Spirit or by the flesh were two disparate choices, fueled by distinct motivations, their paths leading in opposite directions. He warned against deception to ongoing sin and the outflow of immorality and godlessness, and made clear that sowing to the Spirit was the way to fruitful, eternal life. His encouragement was always God-ward! (Romans 7:14-25)

Every hour of every day we sow something, making choices or spending time or speaking words that spread roots and sprout to varied effects. What we say and do yields for the Spirit or for the flesh. The enemy would fool us into thinking our choices have no lasting bearing, that we are only to live for the present, that relishing pleasures of the flesh will satisfy. The Spirit not only leads otherwise, but inspires and strengthens us to make those right decisions.

Do we consider the way we walk? Who or what fuels our desires, and who or what are we seeking to gratify? Often choices are made spontaneously, by emotion, with no discernment of personal motive or thought for consequence. In those cases, usually the flesh wins out, and nothing good results. Deliberate decisions made in the Spirit and for the Spirit will grow in His nurture and direction and bear good fruit.

What works of the flesh nag and deplete? What fruit of the Spirit would be like to cultivate? In what situations have we grown weary of doing good? How can adjusting our steps to the Spirit’s and sowing our efforts unto Him change our sense of direction and fulfillment? When will we, by His grace, get started?

Lord, set me sowing to Your Spirit and living fruitfully for Your glory.

“Though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

“Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…

“’Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed…

“‘You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him… He is a liar and the father of lies.'” John 8:31-32,34-36,44

Paul entreated the Corinthians to consider their spiritual standing. If they were truly saved, they would recognize the unseen battle for their minds. If steeped in truth and confident in their salvation, they would be able to counter argument and opposition captive only to His wisdom and power. Jesus had made clear the freedom in which Christians live.

Before knowing Christ, all are captive to worthless but persuasive gods of the world. Jesus came to set captives free, and by His grace we can know the lovely fulfillment of serving as His bondslave alone. True freedom from slavery to sin causes such a love for Christ to well up in us that we gratefully yield mind, heart, and soul to our Savior’s captivity. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Where have we become too comfortable with sin habits? Where do we dismiss negative attitudes, hatred of certain people groups, laziness in spiritual disciplines as not really bad, or as simply who we are, or tendencies impossible to change? What company do we keep that fosters godless thinking, language, and behavior? What choices of entertainment unsettle or deplete rather than nourish our souls? What lures us into a godless worldview?

If there is any situation where we are quenching the Holy Spirit, we must pay attention and deal with it by God’s power. He calls us to stand firm and refuse the allure and entanglements of worldly principles. He is sufficient for help and victory, His armor is effective. By His redeeming grace we are bound to His benevolent Lordship, free to serve and love with abandon and joy. (Matthew 19:26; Galatians 4:8-9; 5:1,13; Ephesians 6:11-18; Hebrews 4:15–16)

“He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race;
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!” ~ Charles Wesley (1738)

Lord, take captive my heart and mind to bring You the glory You deserve.

“Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one..— with far greater labors, more imprisonments, with countless beatings, often near death.  Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;  on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, from robbers, from my own people, from Gentiles, in the city, in the wilderness, at sea, from false brothers;  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And,.. there is the daily pressure of my anxiety for all the churches… 

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me…  Three times I pleaded with the Lord… that it should leave me.  But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-28; 12:7-10

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice… Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus…

“I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:4,6-7,11b-13

Though constantly opposed, attacked, and criticized, Paul had a singly-focused passion: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The death of Christ had become life to him when his life was inverted: crucified with Him, he lived for His gospel. No circumstances, however harrowing or painful, could shake his contentment in the One who’d given His all for him. Remaining connected to Him by faith, in grateful, confident prayer, was his joyful lifeline. (Galatians 2:20)

For man, we get connected to people and things, successes and happenings, and attempt to fix an elusive happiness there. Consequently, we’re easily jostled in spirit when anything goes awry in a relationship, a job we enjoy, with a treasured possession or easy circumstances. It’s a constant discipline to let go of things of this earth, release anxieties, set our hearts and minds on things above, and continually pray with expectancy and thanksgiving. The discontent fixate on all that is wrong and troubling, while the content think on whatever is true, noble, and right. (Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:1-3)

Do I suffer with discontent? Am I more apt to complain than compliment, to react with angst than rejoice with gladness? How familiar with and connected to the Lord and His good promises am I? The more saturated in His word, the more content I’ll be in ongoing communion and all circumstances. How will I connect anew with my Lord today?

Lord, keep me connected to and content in You, to Your praise.