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| Just as God gives me heart shaped clouds to remind me of HIS love, He also brings contentment to my soul! |
This past Sunday I went into the house of the LORD ... ahhhh.... it was so good
Now, I realize that when I say "the house of the LORD" I am not saying that our church is THE house of the LORD, but instead it is the local gathering of believers of which I am a part of. Sometimes, between working full-time in ministry, and being away at the cabin ~ it means that I often miss weeks where I am not sitting in the pew. I miss that. I miss the people around me that I get a hug from. I miss getting the sermon first hand. I miss worship in music ... and just standing there with my eyes closed worshipping and hearing the body around me singing. SO when I went to worship with Eastview Church last Sunday - it was so good.
That morning God had taken me to a place where I had a big "aha" moment. I will be honest, I have had some hard hard days since January 1st. Hard, but good.
Hard, but I've grown in them. Hard but I see God's work and experience His presence in my life. But, there have been hard times.
So on Sunday, as I read/journalled/spent time with the LORD ..
And then I went to church and listened/prayed/worshipped I noticed something .
I noticed that I had a strong STRONG sense of CONTENTMENT.
It was strong.
It was noticeable (even compared to the week prior)
I knew it was of God.
It was very very tangible.
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Contentment [N] [T]
a state of mind in which one's desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be ( 1 Timothy 6:6 ; 2 co 9:8 ). It is opposed to envy ( James 3:16 ), avarice ( Hebrews 13:5 ), ambition ( Proverbs 13:10 ), anxiety ( Matthew 6:25 Matthew 6:34 ), and repining ( 1 Corinthians 10:10 ). It arises from the inward disposition, and is the offspring of humility, and of an intelligent consideration of the rectitude and benignity of divine providence ( Psalms 96:1 Psalms 96:2 ; 145 ), the greatness of the divine promises ( 2 Peter 1:4 ), and our own unworthiness ( Genesis 32:10 ); as well as from the view the gospel opens up to us of rest and peace hereafter ( Romans 5:2 ). https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/contentment/
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I love how within the definition I found through google, it says (contentment) is opposed to so many things!! It says contentment arises from the INWARD disposition!! I love seeing that contentment is the offspring of many things! I do not believe Contentment happens "by chance" but is a gift from God to us!
When I think of contentment and Scripture, these verses come to mind. This Scripture is among my favourites! I am going to put it first in NIV and then, I have come to love THE PASSION TRANSLATION (new) and so here it is below. I believe with all my heart - that our contentment comes out of what the verses say we should do. Here is the portion in NIV first, and then The Passion:
Psalm 37:4-9 New International Version (NIV)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
and wait patiently for him;
Psalm 37:4-6 The Passion Translation (TPT)
4 Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life,[a]
and he will provide for you what you desire the most.
5 Give God the right to direct your life,[b]
and as you trust him along the way
you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly!
6 He will appear as your righteousness,[c]
as sure as the dawning of a new day.
He will manifest as your justice,
as sure and strong as the noonday sun.
and he will provide for you what you desire the most.
5 Give God the right to direct your life,[b]
and as you trust him along the way
you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly!
6 He will appear as your righteousness,[c]
as sure as the dawning of a new day.
He will manifest as your justice,
as sure and strong as the noonday sun.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 37:4 The word delight means “to be soft or tender.”
- Psalm 37:5 The Hebrew uses the word commit, which means “to roll over your burdens on the Lord.”
- Psalm 37:6 The Hebrew verb found here is also used for giving birth. Perhaps this is a reference to the birth of Christ, our righteousness.
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I am thankful to our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ for this tangible sense of contentment.
When it comes from Jesus - there is no other word to describe it. Contentment. It floods my heart my soul, my spirit and my mind. And I am so thankful.
As we were leaving church on Sunday, Alvin and I were chatting about the service. Excellent sermon from our Pastor Delbert and the worship in song brought tears rolling down my cheeks. I know God was up to something that morning, and continues on today and I am thankful. Anyhow, I asked Alvin how he was feeling. And to my surprise, but not really, he said, "I am feeling content" ... Thank you Jesus.
It is well with our soul!
living fully,
j
When it comes from Jesus - there is no other word to describe it. Contentment. It floods my heart my soul, my spirit and my mind. And I am so thankful.
As we were leaving church on Sunday, Alvin and I were chatting about the service. Excellent sermon from our Pastor Delbert and the worship in song brought tears rolling down my cheeks. I know God was up to something that morning, and continues on today and I am thankful. Anyhow, I asked Alvin how he was feeling. And to my surprise, but not really, he said, "I am feeling content" ... Thank you Jesus.
It is well with our soul!
living fully,
j
