Tag: Contentment

Today’s Word Is SERENITY

Fri-Jul-17-2020
It’s Humor Day!

I hope you have heard of the “Serenity Prayer,” which is something worth posting on your mirror, bulletin board, or refrigerator.

First, I will give you a humorous remake called the “Senility Prayer” (author unknown), which applies to the aging process and how to deal with people whom you like or do not like. This is helpful for people of my age … ha-ha-ha …

THE PRAYER OF SENILITY
God grant me the senility
to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.

The original “Serenity Prayer” was written by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971), an American Reformed theologian, author of books on ethics and other topics, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Many groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, use the shortened version of his “Serenity Prayer,” (the first four lines) as a theme or tool of encouragement.  The full version goes like this …

THE PRAYER OF SERENITY

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.

Have a blessed weekend, including rest, family, and worship,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is STILL

Mon-Jun-8-2020

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

That’s a tall order … be still. Have you ever tried to fix a child’s boo-boo by cleaning a wound and applying a bandage … all the while trying to keep them still and calm? “Be still,” we say. “It’s hard to help you if you can’t be still for a minute!”

Of course, adults have their own struggles with being still. Maybe it’s not about a bandage on a wound. It would be more like something has gone wrong and I need to fix it right now. Or some problem has come up, and my mind is going through all the consequences this is going to create. Oh no, what am I going to do now?

I am sure King David, who wrote this Psalm, had plenty of tragedies and problems enough to panic or worry about the destruction or terror that could result. He must have learned that one of God’s best responses to our troubles was to say, “Be still, and know that I am God.” It helps us to put things in perspective. Our spirit can declare within us, “Yes, you are God. You love me. I can trust you. I need not worry. Your promises are great and true.”

How great is God? Well, I am usually operating on the “me-level” while God is simultaneously operating on everything from the universe – earth – nation level, all the way down to my level and yours. I don’t always think about the big picture. God thinks about every picture, every angle … big and small. He is the Exalted One … at every level … trustworthy, good, faithful … our strength and shield.

When I was twelve years old, our family went to Connecticut because my dad had to visit a seminary student. Once we were in New York City, Dad took the car on his business, while my mom, myself, and two younger sisters finished the journey to her family in Connecticut by train.

My mom took good care of us and the trip worked out fine. But not having Dad around in a strange place was a little unsettling. Mom was our caregiver, managing daily life for us, while Dad was sort of like the stabilizer. We had been on many trips and vacations and were used to Dad always knowing directions, finding places to eat and to spend the night, and getting us to our destination, while Mom kept track of what we were doing and especially took care of the needs of the smallest ones.

So here we were with Mom in Grand Central Station, New York City. It was h-u-g-e!! We walked down corridors, climbed stairs, and stood in lines, all the while hanging onto Mom. We were surrounded by noise, movement, and confusion. There were moments I wished Dad were there to lead us through this strange place. Mom loved us, but Dad was the leader.

There is plenty going on around us right now … COVID virus, racial tensions, and political controversy. Surely, we know that there are people on this journey with us who love us, but in unsettling circumstances, we need stability within our spirits and guidance through the turmoil. It is an excellent time to “be still and know that God is God!” Will we make it through this strange time? Yes, if we let the God who is “exalted among the nations and in the earth” lead us through.

Pray for peace and be at peace. “Be still and know.”

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is CIRCUMSTANCES

Thu-Jun-4-2020
Originally published
Wed-Nov-27-2019

The verse that says “I can do all things” by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13 is popular and encouraging. But it means something more than what some people think. Philippians 4:10-14 is about Good Times & Hard Times … and how to thrive spiritually, mentally, and emotionally in all of them.

To do so we need to overcome what I call “try-harder” theology. You see, Paul was not saying, “I can do all things, if I try hard enough.” But that’s how many people use it.

So, here’s “the rest of the story” …

First of all … Sometimes we need help. The Apostle Paul earned money making tents, but many times that was not enough. He still needed offerings from churches. It’s OK to ask for help. But it’s not OK to complain if someone can’t help. For awhile the church couldn’t help Paul, but Paul thanked them when they could.

Paul says (v.10) But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

Also … True contentment is apparently hard to achieve, since so few appear to have it. Learning how to adjust to a wide range of circumstances is not popular. After all, if I go through a drought, what am I going to do about the house and car payments? We want the circumstances to adjust to us. Paul learned to adjust to them. He had a mission that was more important than circumstances.

(v.11) Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Next … Without that passion for a calling or purpose in life, we often resort to bemoaning our misfortunes. When there’s plenty, we’re happy, but when we must do without … well … does our joy leave when difficulty arrives? Paul is our witness that it is possible to be as content in poverty as it is in prosperity. We will endure circumstances when we are on a mission. It could be as a schoolteacher, as a nurse, as a pastor, as a social worker, or any other job, as a parent to our children, loving our spouse, working for a non-profit or a church project. What we are passionate about will help us to disregard certain difficulties.

(v.12) I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

NOW, HERE COMES THE BLESSING …

(v.13) I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Some folks take this to mean that any bad circumstance can turn into a good one simply by believing it can happen, or that God will fix it for me, or that just trying harder is the way to overcome the barrier … and once the circumstance turns good, then I can rest, get the precious joy back, and be thankful that I succeeded.

But Paul is making a deeper point. “Doing all things” might just mean putting up with irritations or lack of amenities in order to accomplish a higher purpose.

Even if things are bad right now, and even if they’re going to stay bad for a while. No matter. I have God and he is enough. And my joy doesn’t come and go with good times and bad. They’re all alike to me in this sense: I am the same ‘me’ and God is the same God, regardless of my circumstances.

He is our strength in good times. He is our strength in hard times.

LAST THOUGHT …

We are not to wallow in our difficulties in order to get mileage or sympathy points out of our suffering. If things are difficult, we stay on course, and give thanks when caring people pitch in and lift us up.

(v.14) Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

Stay steady in all circumstances, difficult or easy,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is HIGHER

Wed-May-20-2020

Image result for isa 55 8-9

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Psalm 55:8-9)

The whole idea of electricity and how it works amazes me. The fact that water is going through turbines in a dam and causing a light bulb in my living room to glow is a wonder.

And how can an ant with a brain the size of a speck of dust, and whose home is 20 yards from my house, find a pinhead sized fragment of a candy bar located on the floor in the grandkids’ playroom inside my house made of thick walls, and then remember the way back to its mound?

The universe is amazing, and the Creator of the universe is not just amazing but is in fact the source of anything and everything that is amazing. I don’t have to know how electricity works to enjoy its benefits. And I don’t have to know how God works to enjoy him.

To an ant, I am beyond comprehension. And to me, God is beyond comprehension. The difference is that I can never communicate with an ant and explain who I am; whereas God has designed me in his likeness and chosen to reveal himself to me in a way that I can understand enough to know that he is good, loving, and trustworthy. Indeed, if I accept the invitation to relate to him, he renews my mind sufficiently to understand enough about him to receive his blessings.

If God has communicated through his Word that he knows me better than I know myself, and if he cares more for me than I care for myself, and if he has plenty enough ability and resources to supply my needs, and loves me and promises me to do so, then that is also more than I can fathom. But I choose to believe it and to receive it.

We cannot know all that God knows, but we can trust him and enjoy him. I have had plenty of ups and downs in life, but I must say that God has supplied my needs enough for me to cling to him above all else. But there is more depth of relationship beyond just “getting my needs met” in a physical sense.

Somewhere in our walk with God we should become so in love with the Lord, so bonded with him, so trusting, that getting our needs met is really secondary. The main thing is more about loving and being loved than about being comfortable. To be deeply in love with God who is deeply in love with us eventually makes comfort an irrelevant issue.

The amazing journey with God is higher than my thoughts. It happens through his ways which are higher than my ways. What an adventure! – To engage in something higher than I can understand! Hey … I’m all in for that! How about you?

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is ANXIOUS

Tue-May-19-2020

“Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

What are we doing when we “anxiously look about”? It might be that we are looking for another solution because we don’t like what we’re being told.

There is a story about a man on the side of a cliff who has his foot on a loose rock, and he is clinging for dear life. He yells upward, “Help! Is anybody up there?”

The answer comes in a deep voice, “This is God! Let go and I will catch you!”

The man is silent, wondering what to make of this voice. So, he finally yells again, “Is anyone else up there?”

Trusting God sounds easy … but many times it’s not that easy. If you are suffering from anxiety, you probably can identify with this particular definition … It has been said that “the root of anxiety is a loss of control.”

When our world or a certain situation is out of our control, we may struggle to find any way we can to regain some control. But we can trust the one who has ultimate control. If we exercise our faith, then the Scripture “I am your God” is a good enough answer in any circumstance. Let me repeat that … “I am your God” is a good enough answer in any circumstance. “Do not be anxious about anything …” (Philippians 4:6)

It doesn’t seem like it could be that simple, but it is amazing what repeating a statement of faith like Isaiah 41:10 can do. First, we put ourselves into a calmer state of mind. “I am not going to fear, because God is with me.” We tell ourselves, “I am going to stop looking anxiously about me to find my own solution. I am going to look to God, because he is my strength and my help.” Then we repeat as many times as it takes … “God will uphold me with his righteous right hand.” Then we let God speak peace into our hearts.

[Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. (Mark 4:39)

I do love it when I call upon the Lord, and he says, “Peace! Be still!” And I experience that real peace of God flowing in and filling my inner being, and I become completely calm.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is CONTENT

Wed-May-6-2020

I’ve spent a lot of time in my life wishing I had more money. Somewhere along the way I began to think about the people I had known who had a whole lot of it, very little of it, or were just somewhere in between. And honestly there seems to me to be little or no connection between happiness and money. There are wealthy folks who seem to be pretty miserable. And there are very poor folks who are quite content with life. I am not belittling the blessing of provision, as long as the level of resources does not create a constant sense of discontent.

Jesus once told a story of “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” in which the eternal result of their earthly lives was reversed from what his Jewish listeners would have expected. (Luke 16:19) How could a poor beggar like Lazarus be carried away to be with Abraham, while the rich man ended up being tormented in Hades? Wealth and abundance were signs of God’s blessing in the biblical culture; whereas, poverty was normally an indication that God did not want to favor you.

And our culture looks at it pretty much the same … the clear message is “you’ll be happier if you have more money” … whereas, “if you’re in poverty you’re going to be miserable” … but … Not so, says Jesus. Believe it or not, Jesus had more to say on the topics of money and possessions than any other subject matter.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink …“ (Matthew 6:25)

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21)

The Apostle Paul had times of abundance and times of extreme lack, through which he developed this attitude: “… for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:11-12)

One way of putting it is this … we should probably focus less on wanting what we don’t have and more on enjoying what we do have. This is contentment, the blessed state of trusting God rather than money or anything else, and being satisfied with the presence of God and the blessings of love, hope, family, and purpose, rather than riding the roller-coaster of abundance and lack.

Which “tent” do you live in? “Con-tent” or “Discon-tent”?

May the Lord help us to be content,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is … CIRCUMSTANCES

Wed-Nov-27-2019
“my joy doesn’t come and go with good times and bad”

The verse about “I can do all things” by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13 is popular and encouraging. But it means something more than what some people think. Philippians 4:10-14 is about Good Times & Hard Times … and how to thrive in all of them.

To do so we need to overcome what I call “try-harder” theology. You see, Paul was not saying, “I can do all things, if I try hard enough.” But that’s how many people use it.

So, “Here’s the rest of the story” …

First of all … Sometimes we need help. The Apostle Paul earned money making tents, but many times that was not enough. He still needed offerings from churches. It’s OK to ask for help. But it’s not OK to complain if someone can’t help.

  • Paul says (v.10) But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

Also … True contentment is apparently hard to achieve, since so few appear to have it. Learning how to adjust to a wide range of circumstances is not popular. After all, if I go through a drought, what am I going to do about the house and car payments? We want the circumstances to adjust to us. Paul learned to adjust to them. He had a mission that was more important than circumstances.

  • 11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Next … Without that passion for a calling or purpose in life, we often resort to bemoaning our misfortunes. When there’s plenty, we’re happy, but when we must do without … well … does our joy leave when difficulty arrives? Paul is our witness that it is possible to be as content in poverty as it is in prosperity. We will endure circumstances when we are on a mission. It could be as a schoolteacher, as a nurse, as a pastor, as a social worker, or any other job, as a parent to our children, loving our spouse, working for a non-profit or a church project. What we are passionate about will help us to disregard certain difficulties.

  • 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

NOW, HERE COMES THE BLESSING …

  • 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Some folks take this to mean that any bad circumstance can turn into a good one simply by believing it can happen, or that God will fix it for me, or that just trying harder is the way to overcome the barrier … and once the circumstance turns good, then I can rest, get the precious joy back, and be thankful that I succeeded.

But Paul is making a deeper point. “Doing all things” might just mean putting up with irritations or lack of amenities in order to accomplish a higher purpose.

Even if things are bad right now, and even if they’re going to stay bad for a while. No matter. I have God and he is enough. And my joy doesn’t come and go with good times and bad. They’re all alike to me in this sense: I am the same ‘me’ and God is the same God, regardless of my circumstances.

He is our strength in good times. He is our strength in hard times.

LAST THOUGHT …

We are not to wallow in our difficulties in order to get mileage or sympathy points out of our suffering. If things are difficult, we stay on course, and give thanks when caring people pitch in and lift us up.

  • 14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

Stay steady in all circumstances, difficult or easy,

Chaplain Mark