Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions (49 page)

I knew how to be satisfied if I was getting my own way—if everything was working exactly as I had planned—but how often does that happen? Very rarely, in my experience.

I knew absolutely nothing about how to handle even the ordinary trials that come along in most every person’s life. I didn’t know how to adapt to other people and things. I found out that a person who can only be satisfied when there are no disturbances in life will spend a great deal of time being discontented.

I finally desired stability enough that I was willing to learn whatever it took to have it. I wanted to be
satisfied
no matter what was going on around me.

The Amplified Bible defines the word
content
as “satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted in whatever state I am in.” I appreciate this definition, because it does not say that I must
be satisfied to the point where I don’t ever want change, but I can be satisfied to the point that I am not anxious or disturbed. I desperately wanted, and now enjoy, that kind of peace. How about you?

Trusting God and refusing to complain during hard times greatly honors Him. It is of no value to talk of how much we trust God only when all is well. But when difficulty comes, then we should say and sincerely mean,
“I trust You, Lord.”
He delights in a contented child. I have come to believe being content is one of the greatest ways we can glorify Him. Be content where you are while you are waiting for what you want or need.

W
e have a command (or perhaps it is a promise) in Matthew 5:48: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (
NIV
). Because God is perfect and is working in us, we can also look forward to sharing in His perfection.

The apostle Paul said although he had not already been made perfect, he pressed on toward the goal. He then said those of us who are imperfect should be thus minded, to let go of what was behind us (mistakes) and press on. In essence, he was saying that in God’s eyes, by
faith in Jesus Christ, he was
perfect
, yet he was not totally
perfected
(see Phil. 3:12–15).

We must learn to see ourselves in Christ, not in ourselves. Corrie ten Boom taught that if you look at the world, you will be oppressed; if you look at yourself, you will be depressed; but if you look at Jesus, you will be at rest. How true it is that if we look at ourselves—at what we are in our own abilities—we cannot be anything except depressed and totally discouraged. But when we look to Christ, the Author and Finisher (perfecter) of our faith, we can enter His rest and believe He is continually working in us (Heb. 12:2
NIV
).

We always say,
“Nobody is perfect.”
What we mean is that nobody manifests perfect behavior, and that is a correct statement. Our behavior, however, is quite different from our identities.

The Bible says that faith in Jesus makes us righteous, but in our actions, we don’t always do the right thing. I have said for years,
“Our who is different than our do.”
We don’t do everything right, but God always loves us. He always sees us “in Christ,” through our faith in Him, and He views us as perfect in Christ while we are still being changed by His power.

W
e all have different gifts, but we shouldn’t compare or be jealous of the gifts of others.

I remember hearing one preacher talk of how often he saw Jesus. I had never seen Jesus, so I wondered what was wrong with me. Another person I knew prayed four hours every morning. I could not find enough to pray about to keep praying for four hours and always ended up bored and sleepy, so I wondered what was wrong with me. I had no gift to remember large portions of Scripture like someone I knew, who memorized all the Psalms and Proverbs as well as other entire books of the Bible, so I wondered what was wrong with me.

I finally realized that nothing was wrong with me.

Whatever we cannot do, there are many other things we can. Whatever someone else can do, there are also things they cannot. Don’t let the devil deceive you any longer. Don’t compare yourself with anyone in any way, especially not spiritually. We can see other people’s good examples and be encouraged by them, but they must never become our standard. Even if we learn how to do something from them, we still will not do it exactly the same way.

At some time or another, I think we all fall into the trap of wondering why we are not like others we know or why we don’t have the same experiences they do, but it is a trap—and a dangerous one. We are caught in a snare set by Satan when we enter into spiritual competition and comparison, and we become dissatisfied with what God is giving to us.

We should trust that God will do the best thing for each of us and let Him choose what that is. If we trust God in this way, we can lay aside our fears and insecurities about ourselves. I am sure we would all like to see into the spiritual realm and have an abundance of supernatural experiences, but getting frustrated if we don’t only steals our peace, and certainly does not produce visions of Jesus.

G
od wants us to pray
every day
for whatever provision we need for that day. God will give you all the grace you need for today, and He will also give you grace for tomorrow; but tomorrow’s grace won’t show up until tomorrow. We are to learn to live our lives one day at a time.

I used to be frustrated as soon as I got up in the mornings. I was always in such a hurry. No matter what I was doing, I had my mind on the next thing I needed to do. I’d rush to make my bed, but because I never kept my mind on what I was doing, I was already anxious about the next thing I needed to do.

As I started making the bed, I’d think,
I better lay out some meat to thaw for dinner.
So, I’d leave the bed half-made and rush downstairs to get meat out of the freezer, but on the way there I’d see a pile of dirty clothes and think,
I better put those clothes in the washer and get the laundry started.

Just as I put soap in the washer, the phone would ring, so I would run back upstairs to the kitchen to answer the phone. While I talked on the phone, I’d realize I needed to load the dishwasher, so I’d put a few dishes in the dishwasher as I talked. But then whoever was on the phone would say,
“Would you like to go to town with me?”
and I’d think,
Well, I do need to get some stamps to mail some letters,
so I’d hurry to get dressed to go to town.

I’d carry on like that all day, never finishing anything I started
because my mind kept moving to other tasks I needed to do. That is not the way to enjoy your life. It is a challenge to thoroughly enjoy every moment that God gives us, but when we learn to do this, we will enjoy our days. If we don’t enjoy every part of our day, we will miss the life God intended for us to enjoy.

B
eing courteous is a way to show kindness and respect for others. One way to be courteous is to always say
“please”
and
“thank you.”
These are two forms of common courtesy that I encourage you to practice.

I want to especially encourage you to be courteous at home with your family. I am trying to remember to always say
“please”
when I ask Dave to do something for me, and
“thank you”
when he has done it. It is very important that we don’t take our loved ones for granted. Having good manners in public should be an overflow of what we normally do at home behind closed doors.

Love is not rude, according to 1 Corinthians 13:5. Rudeness usually results from selfishness, and one way to fight it is to use good manners at all times. Our society is filled with rudeness, harshness, and
crudeness, but this does not display the character of God. Jesus said He is “not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing” (Matt. 11:30), and we need to follow His example.

We certainly need to make a point of being thankful and expressing our gratitude. In several places, the Bible makes the point that we are to be thankful and say so. We may think we are thankful, grateful people, but what is in the heart does come out of our mouths (see Matt. 12:34). If we are indeed appreciative, expressing thanks should come naturally for us.

A
re you excessively tired all the time, and even after sleeping, do you wake up feeling tired all over again? You may be experiencing some of the symptoms of exhaustion, or what is commonly called “burnout.” Long periods of overexertion and stress can cause constant fatigue, headaches, sleeplessness, gastrointestinal problems, tenseness, a feeling of being tied in knots, and an inability to relax. Some other signals of “burnout” are crying, being easily angered, negativity, irritability, depression, cynicism (scornful, mocking of the virtues of others), and bitterness toward others’ blessings and even their good health.

“Burnout” can cause us to not exercise self-control, and when this
happens, we will no longer produce good fruit in our daily lives. “Burnout” steals our joy, making peace impossible to find. When our bodies are not at peace, everything seems to be in turmoil.

God established the law of resting on the Sabbath to prevent “burnout” in our lives. The law of the Sabbath simply says we can work six days, and rest one day. We need to rest and worship and play. Even God rested after six days of work. He, of course, never gets tired, but gave us this example so we would follow the pattern. In Exodus 23:10–12, we find that even the land had to rest after six years, and the Israelites were not to plant in it the seventh year. During this rest, everything recovered and prepared for future production.

Today in America, almost every business is open seven days a week. Some of them are even open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. When we make ourselves available at all times, we are in danger of “burnout.” People today are quick to argue that they cannot afford to take a day off, but I say they cannot afford not to.

T
he best way I have found to determine if God is first in my life is to slow down and ask myself some simple questions:

• What do I think about the most?
  
• What is the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night?
  
• What do I talk about the most? What do I do with my time?
  

If we spend only a few minutes a week praying and five or ten hours a week shopping, then shopping is a higher priority than God. If we spend thirty minutes reading the Bible every week, but spend fifteen hours a week watching sports shows, reality shows, and talk shows, then television is a higher priority than God. The truth is that we make time for what we really want to do. Make your time with God a priority and you will enjoy the rest of what you do much more.

What about your money? Is it easy for you to spend money on a new outfit, complete with new jewelry and shoes, or something for your house or car, but difficult to obey God at offering time? Do you find it easier to spend money on eating out than on Christian teachings and music that feed your spirit?

Money in itself is not evil—it’s “the love of money [that] is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10
KJV
). If you love God more than money, you can do with your money what God tells you to and be at peace. However, if you love your money more than God, you are probably going to get upset or act like you didn’t hear Him when He asks you to do something with it that you don’t want to do.