Contentment

We often complain about the everyday annoyances of life. “It is too hot or too crowded to be out.” “I have a stupid meaningless job or I am not paid enough for the work I do.”

These are comments I have heard many times and quite honestly probably said a few times myself!

How can we be content in this world today? We see the people around us continue to want and get more and more that it is easy for us to get caught up in the worldly excitement of it ourselves.

Big screen TV’s with 150 channels. Cars that go from 0-60 in 4 seconds. Clothing that is so stylish you just gotta have it. We always seem to want more and it seems that we learn this at a very young age today.

But, the Bible tells us that believers should demonstrate contentment in their lives. We find this in Old Testament passages like Psalm 37:16 “A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.” and New Testament passages like 1 Timothy 6:8 “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content”.

Do you realize that there are indeed many people around the world that would be content to simply have food and clothing? Most of us can probably go to our closet and find clothing that we don’t even wear or to the pantry and find plenty of food.

We are also to be content with our wages and with the things that we have. Paul learned this lesson. He wrote to the church in Philippi that he learned to be content with whatever the situation he was in. (When Paul wrote the letter he was probably in a Roman prison.)

We know people who love money and will not be satisfied with more money. Money is not the secret. In fact, there really isn’t a secret to contentment.

Being content is simply trusting in the fact that God is watching over you and taking care of you.

In whatever our situation, we need to constantly remember that Christ will never leave us nor forsake us.

God may not always get us out of trouble, but He will always see us through it. (Think of Daniel and his friends.)

As we go back to our Fall/Winter routines, we need to remember that God is in control of this world. He allows things to happen for reasons that we cannot understand.

We need to simply trust and obey. Be content with whatever situation you are in and realize God has His hands in it and is playing a part in your life.

Need some inspiration and evidence of God at work in people’s lives?

Read the story of Joseph in Genesis. As I am sure you are aware, Joseph goes from slave to prime minister.

“Bad” things can and do happen to us, but God is always there. Remember that and you should have no problems being content in your situation.

I’ll Do It Tomorrow!

Procrastination can be described as putting off or postponing something you can and should do today until tomorrow. There are many causes of procrastination, such as, misplaced priorities, self-interest, and mistaken assumptions, like there will be a tomorrow for you.

We all realize the need to trust and obey God each and everyday. You need to spend enough time in conversation with God to get a sense of the direction your life should be moving in.

One great habit to start this year is to be consciously aware of God’s presence and your dependence on Him. James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

Another is to get into the habit of immediate obedience to what you know to be God’s will for you. Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

If you want to get more involved in your church, do it today. If you feel drawn to a particular ministry (homeless, prison, shut-in, or whatever) get involved today.

If you want to live a more faithful Christian life, read through the Epistle of James this month. In it you will find many wise and direct statements about Christian living with a practical emphasis. Do it today!

Confused by the real meaning and events of Christmas?

Renew your mind with the meaningful events of Christmas this year. Read the following verses in the order listed below to get a chronological review of the birth of Christ.

Mark 1:1
Luke 1:1-4
John 1:1-18
Matthew 1:1-17 & Luke 3:23-38
Luke 1:5-25
Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:39-45
Luke 1:46-56
Luke 1:57-66
Luke 1:67-80
Matthew 1:18-25 & Luke 2:1-7
Luke 2:8-20
Luke 2:21-24
Luke 2:25-35
Luke 2:36-40
Matthew 2:1-12
Matthew 2:13-18
Matthew 2:19-23

A chronological Bible can really help “put it all together.” It enables you to easily read the Bible as a single story and see God’s plan unfold throughout history. Tyndale, publishers of the “One Year” series of Bibles, sells a One Year Chronological Bible that would make a great gift for anyone!

Advent Bible Study

This is a bible study I wrote for a 3 or 4 week Advent study. You may use this and make any modifications needed. I do ask that you leave a message here letting me know you used it and if it was helpful for you and your group.

You can download the word file by clicking here.

You can download the PDF file by clicking here.

The Spirit-Filled Life

When you were saved, the moment you accepted Christ into your life, the Holy Spirit came to live with you. You were filled with the Holy Spirit. All Christians have the Spirit of God dwelling in them (compare Romans 8:9 and 1 Corinthians 6:19). The goal is to let that spirit, the power of God, to work in your life.

I know I have the Holy Spirit living in me, but how do I do use this power in my everyday life?

Everyday we make decisions in our life. The Spirit-filled life yields those decisions to the control of the Spirit dwelling in them. The only way to activate the power of the Holy Spirit is to ask. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing.” This simply means to pray about everything that is happening in your life as well as the life of others. As you ask God for guidance and direction, He activates the Holy Spirit inside of you and empowers you. The Spirit-filled life is like living every moment as if Christ were standing next to you. Because He is!

How do I get started living the Spirit-Filled life?

Prayer
As mentioned it is God that activates His power within you. Seek His will and guidance through prayer. As it has been said many times by many people, “Pray your way through the day.”

Reading/Studying the Bible
Through prayer, we talk to God. God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. Read the Bible. Study the Bible. There are many resources available to help you study and understand the Bible.

Apply the Word of God
As you read and study the Bible, put what you learn into practice. The Bible isn’t a story book or a history book, it is a “how-to” manual for life!

Get started today!
To learn more about a Spirit-filled life: read Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians.

These are very small books. If you read one chapter a day this month you will be finished in less than two weeks. As you read, take some notes about Spirit-filled living. For the last two weeks of the month, get another translation of the Bible and read the chapters again to get a better understanding of the Spirit-Filled life. Put it into practice and you will see a difference in your life.

Welcome

Welcome to the Doe Valley Ministry Blog site.

You will find links to download or stream MP3 audio, various articles that I have written, and anything else that I come across that may be of interest to you.

I hope you enjoy the site and leave a comment as you feel compelled.