As we begin week 2 of our study on the "Secret of Contentment" by Juanita Purcell, I want to encourage each one to:
- Memorize the verse of the week
- Meditate on God's Word to find wisdom
- Apply the teaching of God's Word
- Pray the Word will help you to grow in the truth
The memory verse this week will cause you to ponder whether you "please God" with your life. God is faithful to us everyday in every way. But so often we don't live our life by faith, trusting in His sovereignty. I Thessalonians 5:19 teaches us that we are not to quench the spirit. Literally by living an unfaithful life we drowned out God's blessings in our lives. If we believe he is, we will diligently seek him, live by faith and be rewarded (blessed). Have you had a "faith" check-up lately?
"But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6
Content or Discontent...which are you? Full of joy, peace, and satisfaction ---or--- complaining, murmuring, and unhappy because you don't think you can trust God? Know you cannot please God without faith!
Okay the first question this week asks How do you define faith? Write down your answer and then let's look at what God says faith is. Look up Hebrews 11:1 then check to see if your definition is the same as God's. Read Romans 10:17 to find how we get faith? Read Romans 12:3 to find where faith comes from.
When you accepted Christ as you personal Savior, you read or heard what the Word of God said. You then by faith believed it to be true and trusted the Word by faith. According to First Corinthians 16:13 "in faith" we are to "watch, stand fast, and be strong". In 2 Corinthians 5:7 we are to "walk by faith, not by sight". Our human nature wants to "see" to believe. God want us to trust Him by walking in faith without sight.
Walking by faith becomes more natural as we grow in the knowledge of truth by seeking Him. We must stand fast and feed on the Word of God and we will mature in our walk of faith. In Psalm 25:15 David says "Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord." As we learn to live a life of faith, keeping focused on our Savior, He will carry us though the difficult times as well in the good times. This walk is spelled c-o-n-t-e-n-t-m-e-n-t. Will you take a minute and comment on people you've studied in the scriptures who have learned to fix their eyes on the Savior in times of difficulty and continued to walk by faith and live content...
Personally, my faith continues to grow as I experience life with God. My life verses, Proverbs 3:5-7, became key to me in a very difficult time in my life. I questioned God and could not reason, no matter how hard I tried, what in the world God was doing. I decided that if I really had faith in God I must trust Him, even if I didn't understand why. A few months later, it was very clear to me why God directed in my life the way He did. I'm so grateful He did change my path, it saved my life. God's does not always reveal His "reasons" and sometimes He does. Nevertheless the truth is we must trust Him.
As I remember my mother, a godly faithful wife and mother, a verse on contentment she often quoted was Philippians 4:11"Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." She would joke and say that no matter what state she found herself living (ie Washington, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio) she would be content. But seriously, she was a godly woman who walked a faithful content life. She was not only a wonderful mother, but also a friend and mentor as I became a wife, mother, and pastor's wife.
What is your level of faith? Have you learned to seek God, stand fast, walk by faith not sight? Has God tested your faith lately? How did you respond? The "faith chapter", Hebrews 11 you can study those God choose to show to us as examples of faithfulness. Verse 2 says they fixed their eyes upon the unseen Lord, the author and finisher of their faith. Where are your eyes fixed? On circumstances or on God?
What area of your life do you have most difficulty trusting God? Remember Proverbs 3:5-7.
Faith to trust God, no matter the events, comes through the Word of God alone. If you are in the Word of God, seeking Him, you can by faith find contentment. Psalm 119:105 tells us that the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. When we walk by faith we can take God's hand and let Him lead us through every step of the way.
Streams in the Desert is a wonderful devotional book first copyrighted in 1925. This week, July 6th the devotional was on this walk of faith. 2 Chronicles 20:12 "Neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee." Stated in the book "If we wholly trust an interest to God, we must keep our hands off it; and He will guard it for us better than we can help Him. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Things my seem to be going all wrong, but He knows as well as we; and He will arise in the right moment if we are really trusting Him so fully as to let Him work in His own way and time. There is nothing so masterly as inactivity in some things, and there is nothing so hurtful as restless working, for God has undertaken to work His soverign will." - A.G. Simpson
FAITH: The First Factor in Finding Contentment--Is God asking you to walk by faith in some particular area? Has He asked you to trust Him in that area? Are you trusting only in what you can see, or are you trusting in God's Word?
Prayer: Lord, we thank you for loving me even when my faith is so weak. Help me Lord to walk by faith, trusting you alone. Thank you for the life of contentment I can have simply by trusting my life to you.
As you visit this study site, please publish comments on ways God encouraged you this week as you studied the lesson and God's Word. If you haven't gotten a study book yet, order it today.
4 comments:
Rachel and I started this week what I hope will be a fun and productive activity in promoting contentment. Each day we are each identifying two blessings from the Lord, one promise, and something the Lord has revealed to us that day. We share with each other during our devotional time at night. It is interesting how aware you become of how the Lord is working when you focus on it. I hope that this will be positive for both of us and that both of us will see the Lord desires His best for us. I hope that we both learn to be content. I think it will be interesting to see how many promises we can identify over the next several weeks.
Susan
I really enjoyed this weeks lesson. I was really challenged by the passage in Habakkak 3. As I read through that it made me stop to read the whole book. I can't say that I have ever read through the book of Habakkak while trying to really get something out of it. I was so encouraged to think about how he could have been at the depths of despair yet he could say that he could praise God and be content.
It seems like right now God is really trying to teach us something. It seems like the last several months has just had one thing come up after another and God continues to provide and take care of every need we have. I am learning to not trust in myself but to lean completely on Christ. I can't fix the things that are going on in life right now but I keep thinking that God is so powerful and He owns that cattle on a thousand hills. He owns everything and I can trust Him to take care of everything. God truly is the One we can put all our hope and faith in.
I love the challenge to STAND FAST! I have been very challenged to keep my eyes on the Lord. This lesson was such an encouragement to me. Thank you for all the work you put into summarizing it. I believe the Lord will really use it.
I love Susan's idea. I think I am going to try that.
Laura, I think it is awesome how God is working in your life. You are growing though all the trials and that is EXACTLY as God has planned. It is so amazing that He takes the time to work in our lives to produce growth that will ultimately draw us to Himself.
I feel like I am challenged almost all day long right now to TRUST GOD ALONE. I definelty feel like I need my faith to grow. (And I think it is!)
Loved the impute from Streams in the Desert. I have borrowed a copy from Mary Ruth, so Mom, I am still reading it. Now I am thinking of you reading it each day as I read it.
I love you.
I want to thank you for posting this study. I am not actively participating this study. I found it during a search on google. I have been going through a difficult 7 months of unemployment and today was a bad day. A prophetic word was spoken on my life of abundant employment and has been confirmed through out the year. I have had to really seek God face and feed myself the word along with going to 3 services a week to help me endure the time, the bills and my worries and anxieties. But God has been so wonderful to me, many blessings have I received this year. I received a large sum of money from a settlement, I got engaged, I am a live and health. But yet days like today can really push me into a corner and I have to control my natural instincts. I needed to find this website today, I need to change the cycle. I can not beat myself up for circumstances I can not control. I needed this study to strength me with the beautiful and majestic Word of God. Thank you for helping me get through one more day.
May God richly bless you-you faithly and obediant servant.
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