Am I willing? - - - To be content

1Ti 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

6 Words that pack so much of a punch especially when the mirror is placed in front of our lives. So many times we can complicate the simple yet radically profound message of scripture and need to get back to some of the basics. Jesus was asked the question "which is the most important commandment?" and in the radical simplicity of Jesus He sums up the matter as this...

Mar 12:30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' Mar 12:31 "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

In other parts of scripture we have have specific instructions that tell us to make disciples or be His witness (Mark 16:15), help the needy and sick (Mar 9:41, Luk 10:30-36), and to give generously to the work of the gospel (2Cor 9:7).

Now as we hold the mirror of the Word of God up to our own lives and step back to see if our lives paint the picture that Jesus spoke of, what do we see? Many times when we go to prayer our mind is so consumed by the things of the world it crowds the voice of God out and we cannot get past the tethers of this world. Jesus warned about this in the parable of the sower in Mark 4 when He said:


Mar 4:18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
Mar 4:19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

God desires each of us to bear fruit and the greatest question as we look at our lives is this:

Am I bearing fruit for God?

Oh, that we would stop entertaining ourselves with all the stuff that will turn to dust or that moth and rust will destroy and start bearing fruit for the God that loves us so much that He continuously makes intercession on our behalf (Heb 7:25). I am guilty of being so fascinated and caught up in the things of this world that the fruit that God would have me to bear, I do not. The things that anger me are not righteous things but earthly. The things that peck away at my time are of my making and not the Lords...

Forgive me oh God and create in me a pure and clean heart, unfettered to the things of the world. Lord, I know I want to love you but am I willing? Holy Spirit show me where I am not and cut away any of the garbage that I have heaped up in my life, no matter the cost.

I leave you with lyrics to another modern day song that is so good by Derek Webb.

‘cause the truth is i need you
just like the air i breathe
just like a freight train needs the tracks beneath
so i’d rather suffer my whole life and be this rich man’s wife
if loving you means suffering