The Secret of Contentment

Content (World English Dictionary definition)
— adj
1.	mentally or emotionally satisfied with things as they are
2.	assenting to or willing to accept circumstances, a proposed course of action...
— vb
3.	to make (oneself or another person) content or satisfied
— n
4.	peace of mind; mental or emotional satisfaction

We all know the declaration of Paul in Philippians 4:11-13, but tonight I am refreshing my memory and asking God to help bring within me an increase in this radical posture of heart...

...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I've been contemplating this "secret" of contentment more intentionally over the past week as I prepare to teach briefly on the "gift and calling of singleness" to the missionaries in training at Bethany College of Missions.  I've taken time to reflect on contentment in general as I realize more and more what a testimony it declares of the goodness of God -- that whatever our circumstances, whether married or single, rich or poor, experiencing great success or obscurity... contentment is not only possible, but ought to be a genuine characteristic of those who have encountered the love of Jesus and are being anchored in it.  I'm not convinced I fully pass the "contentment test" in all areas of my life, but I have my heart set to consistently pray for the Holy Spirit to give me grace to grow in it (and that, my friends, is the real secret!).

I want my life to speak of the reality David proclaimed of God in Psalm 16:11...

You make known to me the path of life;
 in your presence there is fullness of joy;
 at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

But, if I am to be honest, the hardest reflection of the night has been this little excerpt below that I came across online (hard because it exposes to me how much room for improvement I have in cultivating deep gratitude in both my heart and speech)...

Steps to Contentment

1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather.
2. Never picture thyself under any circumstances in which thou art not.
3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another.
4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou dost thyself.
5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will provide."

—Published in G. F. Maine's "A Book of Daily Readings"

Holy Spirit, give us grace to testify of the goodness of God as You enable us to fully trust You, live out true contentment, and overflow with thanksgiving.

The Return of the King

When the King returns, He'll split the Mount of Olives in two - Zechariah 14:3-5

"Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal..."

Wondering and trembling at the thought...
As Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives to teach His disciples about the end of the age and His return (Mark 13) did He simultaneously feel the gravity of the awesome events foretold in Zechariah that would one day ensue upon this ridge that King David had also walked a thousand years before Jesus had (2 Samuel 15:30)?  Isn't it just like God to weave together dramatic events of desperation, destruction, redemption, and glory... all to unfold in a single location over the span of several millennia?

For thousands of years, devout Jews have hoped for a glorious king, a Messiah, to lead them victoriously to the fulfillment of the promises of God to turn their shame into praise and renown throughout the earth (Zephaniah 3:18-20 & Jeremiah 33).  Over the years, some 70,000 Jews have been buried on this ridge, believing that upon the return of the King foretold in Zechariah 14, those buried here would be among the first to be resurrected.

The next time you find yourself feeling the desire to be fascinated, instead of popping in a movie or picking up a written work of fiction, grab your Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to anoint your mind and heart to "experience" the scenes that have unfolded on the Mount of Olives, and those that are still yet to come.  Let the Holy Spirit grip your heart with awe as you see how God has woven together so many significant moments in this one place... a nearly two mile long, olive tree dotted ridge which runs north to south just a half mile walk to the east of Jerusalem.

"Venture" to the Mount of Olives for an hour or two and take in the sights, sounds, and emotions of these events that have and will take place there:

• Luke 19:28-40 ~ Jesus' "Triumphal Entry" into Jerusalem before the crucifixion
• Luke 19:41-44 ~ Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (with elevation 100 feet higher than the city, the Mount of Olives offers a great view of the city and Temple)
• Luke 21:37-38 ~ Jesus lodges here before the Passover
• Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:26-42, & Luke 22:39-46 ~ Jesus prays at Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives before His arrest
• Matthew 26:47-56 ~ Jesus' arrest
• Acts 1:6-12 ~ Jesus' ascension into heaven
• Zechariah 14 ~ The coming Day of the Lord

I'd love to actually travel to Israel someday and walk the dusty path leading up the Mount of Olives... to ponder these scenes and tell Jesus that I long for the day when He will return to that very place at the culmination of His amazing age-old story... when He'll come as a zealous warrior and split the mount in two to provide a way of escape for His beloved people in their time of greatest need.  Lord, we're awaiting the return of our victorious King who rescues and saves and will establish everlasting justice!

Comfort for God's People (Isaiah 40:1-5)
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Jesus: The Great Intercessor

Sometimes my prayers feel weak, and I'm tempted to think they go unheard or could be left unanswered.  In times like this my heart gains confidence and hope in knowing that Jesus is before the Father in the heavens... PRAYING FOR ME and for you.  Think of it.  Before the throne of God you have an advocate, a mediator, an intercessor who, as you present your requests to Him, presents them to the Father.  He takes up our cause... and the Father will not deny the prayers of His Son.  Take courage, Jesus is praying for YOU!

Romans 8:34 Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Hebrews 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Luke 22:31,32 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

John 17:20-26 "I [Jesus] do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one... so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory... that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."