Rich With Godly Contentment

“Rich With Godly Contentment”

By Zach Wood

1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NLT)

“ Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.  After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.  So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”

We live in a world where the market saturates us with the “have more” mentality.  It seems everywhere we turn, there is some ad or gimmick to try to sell us another product that will make us happy.  If we don’t try this, we won’t be content.  If we don’t have this in our home, we don’t have enough.  I must say that these marketing ads are powerful to tempt us.  Many of us, if not most, have given in to such marketing ploys to get us to acquire more. 

Whether we’re listening to sales pitch or we’re engrossed into an infomercial, we’re often tempted to get things that we really don’t need.  We often buy into the lie that if we just had more, we’d be content.  If we just had that next thing, life would be merry and we’d be just peachy.  Unfortunately, no matter how much more we try to get, we simply will not be happy. 

Paul’s letter to Timothy is very encouraging in that if we have Godliness and contentment, we will be happy and joyful.  It’s a mindset we must battle with each day.  Do we realize that God gives us what we need each day?  Are we content with what we already have?  Or, are we always wanting more?  We came into this world without anything and we will leave everything behind when we leave. 

No matter how much we’ve been taught this principle of life, we still often long for things that don’t matter one bit.  The excitement of the next great thing is almost always short-lived.  Then, we just want the next thing.  All the while, God is trying to tell us that if we just focus on Him, then we will have all we need.  Paul’s words here specifically address the love of money, but we can replace “money” with any material possession that is taking our contentment away. 

Are we happy and content with what God has given to us or are we always wanting more?

Because Of His Great Love

“Because Of His Great Love”

By Zach Wood

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.

Take a few moments, if you will, and think about some of the greatest things someone else or other people have done for you.  Consider different milestones in life where family and friends have celebrated with you.  The more time you take to think about this, I’m sure more and more memories will flood your mind in remembrance.  It’s nothing but pleasant when we look back and remember the wonderful things others have done for us. 

We sure hold on to these memories of what others have done for us, don’t we?  These are memories that make us smile and make us thankful that people take the time to show they care and love us.  It is a wonderful feeling when people do things for us, whatever the occasion might be.  It makes us feel important and that our lives are worth celebrating. 

Out of all the wonderful things that have ever been done for you by friends and family, there is nothing more wonderful and exciting than what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross of Calvary.  Isn’t it wonderful that we have been made alive in Christ?  We didn’t do this.  Christ went to the cross for us.  He gave His life so that we could have life through Him.  We did nothing.  He did everything.  Does that put it into perspective?  It should for all of us.

Look at the first part of this passage.  Because of what God did for us because he loved us, we now have the opportunity for eternal life through Christ.  We didn’t deserve what God gave us through Christ.  However, because He loved us so much, He wanted to see us connect through a relationship in Christ.  That is real love that we’ll never fully comprehend.

What God did for us through Christ gave us the chance to be made alive even though we didn’t deserve it.  That is truly the greatest act of love and importance anyone could have ever shown us.

Genuine Sharing

“Genuine Sharing”

By Zach Wood

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NIV)

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

We try to hard these days to persuade people to buy into things.  Maybe some of us are in sales positions.  Perhaps some of us are in other positions that require being persuasive.  Now, there’s nothing at all wrong with doing these types of jobs as long as we’re not trying to persuade others for selfish gain.  That’s the key point.  If we are in a position where we try to persuade, then why are we doing it?

This is a good question we also must ask ourselves when we are trying to persuade others to follow God.  How do we share with others?  What is our plan of reaching out?  How do we mingle with people and find opportunities to share God’s Word with them? 

The Apostle Paul made it very clear that he was not interested in trying to persuade people to just “buy into” something.  He was not trying to preach and teach a message with fancy and eloquent words so that others would be impressed and follow God.  Paul had a sincere desire to see others impacted by God’s Word.  He was not trying to rely on his own abilities or his own wisdom, but only by what God empowered him to do. 

Why do we try so hard sometimes when what we really need to do is just let God use us?  Often times we try to reach others and use different tactics to get people to follow Christ.  What we need is sincerity and a genuine love that will far outweigh any effort we try to make on our own.  What people want these days is to see genuine people loving and caring for them, not people who are just trying to get them to “buy into” something.

When we share with others, we need to allow God to use us however He wants to.  We shouldn’t try to impress other people or try to persuade them by showing how much we know.  We simply need to be genuine, loving and caring, relying on God’s Spirit to direct us and lead.  We try so hard so often and what we really need is to let God lead completely, in His wisdom.

A BIG Deal

“A BIG Deal”

By Zach Wood

John 1:14

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

We often make a big deal out of things that happen in our lives.  We make a big deal out of getting married.  It’s an exciting time when we pledge our lives to love, honor and cherish another person as our partner for life.  We make a big deal when our children are born.  It’s a fantastic time of celebration as we welcome a new birth into the world.  We make a big deal when someone graduates from high school or college.  One chapter of life closes while another new one opens.

We could name countless other occasions where we make a big deal out of something that is truly worth celebrating.  We like to do this and congratulate people whatever the accomplishment.

As followers of Christ, we have something to make a very big deal about.  This passage is packed with so much meaning as John describes how wonderful and amazing it is that God came down to us in human form and dwelled with us.  It’s so much to wrap our minds around and I don’t think we truly ever will be able to fully. 

If there’s one thing that we should make the biggest deal about in our lives, it is Jesus Christ coming and giving all He had to be our Savior, our lifeline.  Out of all the occasions we make a big deal about through our lives, I hope that Jesus Christ being our Savior is what we make the biggest deal of.  So often, though, this becomes common knowledge and our excitement wanes regarding what He has done for us. 

Let us never let this big deal fade.  We often do and we need reminded daily of the amazing redemption God gave to us by sending Christ.  I hope we will all make this a very BIG DEAL!

Prove It

“Prove It”

By Zach Wood

John 14:21 (NLT)

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them”.

There are many things in life that we must prove.  If we say we’re committed to doing something, we must show that proof by following through.  If we say we love someone, we must prove that by the way we treat the person.  It doesn’t make any sense to talk all about how we are committed or how much we love someone if we aren’t willing to follow through and show that proof by the way we live.

It makes sense, doesn’t it?  We couldn’t expect someone to believe us, just from what we say, if we aren’t committed to proving that we mean it.  If we are committed, we will follow through.  If we love others, we will show that by the ways we treat them.

Let’s take this concept and apply it to our relationship with God.  This passage really hits the nail on the head in this regard.  We are really good these days talking a good game when we discuss our love for God.  However, the true test comes when we actually live that out.  Do we really commit to following His commandments?  Do we strive to obey God in all that we do?  If we say we love Him, why wouldn’t we strive to obey and follow?  That makes sense.

In writing this, I am in no way suggesting that we do not love God as we say we do.  But what I am suggesting is that we examine our lives and our hearts to check whether or not we are truly genuine in proving that love to Him by the ways we live.  Our work places wouldn’t believe that we are committed if we are habitually late or don’t show up much at all.  Our kids wouldn’t believe that we love them if we are constantly coming down on them all the time.  We must prove our love by actually showing it to them.

If we truly love God, the proof or our claim will surely come from the way we live.  We will obey His commands and strive to not only our love for Him, but also to others.  

The Crave

“The Crave”

By Zach Wood

1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT)

“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”

We crave a lot of things in life, don’t we?  Most of the time it’s some kind of food that pops in our mind and we think about it and desire it.  Sometimes all it takes is a picture that reminds us how good the food was and we desire to go eat it again.  We can laugh a lot at ourselves and others when the desires come up and we talk dramatically about we can’t wait to have the food again. 

As much as we crave things in this world, it saddens me how much we have fallen away today in craving God’s Word.  It isn’t that we don’t want to read it or that we purposely try to avoid it, but in our super-busy routines that we have each day, it is so easy for us to neglect reading and filling ourselves with the spiritual nourishment we desperately need.

As we were discussing this in our small group bible study yesterday, I shared how I am as guilty as anyone else when it comes to reading and filling up on God’s Word.  I can get so caught up in preparing for different things each week that I fail to really take time to get deep into God’s Word.  There so are many distractions that easily come, whether it’s thoughts of things I need to do or other distractions around me. 

We all need to be spending much more time with God’s Word, craving that spiritual milk.  We need that nourishment.  God’s Word is the ultimate authority in our lives.  While it can be great to consult with other Godly people for advice, wisdom and guidance, God’s Word should ultimately be our main source for growth and learning.  We must crave His Word more than we crave anything else. 

Just as a newborn baby craves to receive milk, we should also desperately crave to know Him more and be filled with His spiritual nourishment.

We Are His Masterpiece

“We Are His Masterpiece”

By Zach Wood

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Isn’t it an amazing thought to know that God created each of us individually and not all the same?  How crazy would it be if we were all alike and knew the same things and behaved all the same?  Can you imagine that?  That would definitely change the world up a bit, don’t you think?  Fortunately, God did not make us all the same, but very different and unique and we should be thankful He has done so.

One thing that I’m always amazed by is how God describes creating us.  We are His workmanship, His masterpiece.  The NIV describes us as His workmanship, while the NLT says masterpiece.  While both descriptions are wonderful, I tend to lean more toward masterpiece as being my favored description.  How wonderful and beautiful that we are God’s created masterpiece.  I immediately think of sculptures and different artists taking time to make something very detailed and elaborate.

The enemy sure has his ways of getting each of us to feel like we are worthless and no good to God at all.  While we know what God says to us in His Word about being unique, the enemy is very sly at getting us to believe many times that we are not worth anything to God.  He gets us to believe the lie that we have messed up too many times and that God will not love us anymore.  That is so far from the truth it is crazy!

You and I are an absolutely beautiful masterpiece created by the very hands of Almighty God.  What is even more beautiful is when we come to Christ and we are made new through Him in a new birth.  We are His masterpiece, each of us.  Now, how does that make you feel??  If you are reading this and you’ve been taunted so many years by the lie that God does not love you anymore and that you are worthless, you are completely wrong.  He loves you and nothing will ever change that. 

You and I are His beautiful masterpiece!