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Are You Pinned Down By "Circumstances"?

"For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Phil. 4:11-13

In college, a ministry leader greeted me with the usual, expected, and well-worn question, "How are you?"

I gave my well-worn reply, "I guess I'm OK—under the circumstances."

"Well, what are you doing under there?!" he asked.

That surprising question held opportunity for an attitude adjustment on my part. What was I doing under there, after all? There was much in my life to be thankful for.

We all have seasons of plenty and seasons of need, circumstances of contentment and conflict, prosperity and pain, health and sickness. Even if I am totally devoted to God, my life will still have difficult circumstances. The Apostle Paul was certainly well-acquainted with adversity. When he penned the words from Philippians, he was in a Roman jail cell, facing a trial that could lead to his execution. Paul had lived through wealth, poverty, and everything in between. In his passion to spread the Gospel, he had experienced great effectiveness and popularity. There were also plots to kill him. Yet even "under the circumstances," Paul chose an attitude of contentment, joy, even thankfulness.

Paul wanted his readers to know that attitudes of deep contentment, joy, and thankfulness do not come from our pleasant circumstances. Where do they come from? What is the "secret" of possessing those attitudes "in any and every situation"? The secret lies not in our own strength, but in knowing Christ personally and grabbing hold of his strength. Paul knew God is with us in all times and places, working through both good times and bad to mature and develop us.

Few of us have faced imprisonment, beatings, real hunger, or death threats. Most of us, however, face frustration, anger, disappointment, loss, and conflict on a daily basis! We will not be able to remain thankful and content in the midst of these circumstances if we rely on our own strength. But in our weakness, Christ stands ready with strength sufficient for any circumstance.

With the joys and the stress of the approaching holiday season, there will be many opportunities to draw on the strength of Christ! Consider your work and family relationships, and ask yourself these questions:

1. When tough situations arise, will I respond with frustration or anger?
2. With envy or greed?
3. With resentment or unforgiveness?

Instead, let us draw upon the inner strength of knowing Christ, allowing Him to teach us an attitude of contentment and thankfulness in all circumstances. As we pursue the high calling of our daily work, we do not need to be pinned down "under the circumstances"!

Currently Listening Get Ready By Carl Allen & Rodney Whitaker Alternative Thought see related

KINDNESS IS A BEAUTIFUL THING!

    A young lady was waiting for her flight in the boarding room of a big airport.
    As she would need to wait many hours, she decided to buy a book to spend her
time.  She bought a packet of cookies.
    She sat down in an armchair, in the VIP room of the airport, to rest and read in
peace.
    Beside the armchair where the packet of cookies lay, a man sat down in the next
seat, opened his magazine and started reading,
    When she took out the first cookie, the man took one also.  She felt irritated
but said nothing,  She just thought,"What a nerve! If I was in the mood I would
punch him for daring".
    For each cookie she took, the man took one too.  This was infuriating her but
she didn't want to cause a scene,
    When only one cookie remained, she thought "ah...What  will this abusive man do
now?".  Then the man, taking the last cookie, divided it into half, giving her
one half.
    Ah! That was too much!  She was much too angry now!  In a huff, she took her
book, her things and stormed to the boarding place.
    When she sat down in her seat, inside the plane, she looked into her purse to
take her eyeglasses, and to her surprise, her packet of cookies was there,
untouched and unopened!.
    She felt so ashamed!! She realized that she was wrong.  She had forgotton that
her cookies were kept in her purse.
    The man had divided his cookies with her, without feeling angered or
bitter......while she had been very angry, thinking that she was dividing her
cookies with him.  And now there was no change to explain herself...nor to
apologize.

There are 3 things that you cannot recover:
  a.. The stone........after the throw. 
  b.. The word.........after it is said. 
  c.. The time..............after it's gone.
Have a blessed day

Currently Watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Special Collector's Edition) By Jason Robert Alderman, Louie Anderson, Stephanie Blake, Matthew Broderick, Virginia Capers, Del Close, Scott Coffey, Richard Edson, Joey Garfield, Jennifer Grey, Larry "Flash" Jenkins, Jeffrey Jones, Robert Kim, Edie McClurg, Max Perlich, Cindy Pickett, Dee Dee Rescher, Alan Ruck, Anne Ryan, Eric Saiet see related

Checked Out

Who Said It
Greg Asimakoupoulos

Greg Asimakoupoulos has combined pastoring and writing all his adult life. Currently the senior pastor of Mercer Island Covenant Church in suburban Seattle, he has also served churches in California and Illinois. For several years he crafted the 50 Day Spiritual Adventure series for Mainstay Ministries, and remains a prolific writer. Greg and Wendy have three daughters, with the youngest in high school.

What He Said
Checked Out

Author James Herriot tells of an unforgettable wedding anniversary he and his wife celebrated early in their marriage. His boss had encouraged him to take his wife to a fancy restaurant, but Herriot balked. He was a young veterinarian and could not really afford it. "Oh, do it!" the boss insisted. "It's a special day!"

Herriot reluctantly agreed and surprised his wife with the news. En route to the restaurant, they stopped at a farm to examine a farmer's horse. Having finished the routine exam, he returned to his car and drove to the restaurant, unaware that his checkbook had fallen in the mud. After a wonderful meal, Herriot reached for his checkbook and discovered it was gone. Embarrassed, he tried to offer a way of making it up.

"Not to worry," the waiter replied. "Your dinner has been taken care of!" Herriot's employer had paid for the dinner in advance. God has done the same for us. Jesus' utterance on the cross, rendered "It is finished," was used in transactions to declare, "Paid in full."

Adapted from PreachingToday.com (3/20/06) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Thank you, Father, that You accepted the Son's sacrifice as payment in full for all our sins.

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God's Work Isn't Finished

What a washout.  He’s forty years old.  Adopted at an early age into great wealth, he rebels and rejects his adoptive family, murders a man, escapes with just his life and is on the lam for years…
 
The day before God came to him in a burning bush, you would’ve looked at Moses and considered his life all but over.  Any dreams he’d had in his younger years were long buried in the sands of Egypt.  Grandiose plans for a full and rich career had certainly died right alongside the murdered slave driver.  But then God called his name:  “Moses, Moses.”

Re-acquaint yourself with Moses’ beginnings in the first several chapters of Exodus.  God wasn’t remotely finished with this man who “can’t talk so well.”  Take a look at Hebrews 11:24-29 to get a sense of God’s evaluation of the man, when all was said and done.

How often do we forget that our God -- the God whom we call all-knowing and all-present -- is far above our concept of time?  While you and I see each other (and ourselves) only as we currently are, the Lord God sees us as we’ll be.  He knows the ending of our story and what we’ll look like in all our divine, heavenly perfection.  In the middle of today’s failure…He knows what I will be.  Still dealing with the consequences of past sin…He knows who I’m becoming.

This God who lovingly chose you before time began, who knew right where you’d be this day, has a purpose for you both today and tomorrow.  God’s work isn’t finished! His intention is single-minded, His power unending, His commitment beyond measure.  “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

GOING DEEPER:
1. What encouragement do you find in the story of Moses?  How does it apply to your life today?

2. What steps can you take in this season of your life to be ready for when God calls you to the next?

3. Is there a part of your past that you’ve decided disqualifies you from God’s completing work?  If so, will you surrender it into His hands and trust that He’s big enough to use even that for His purpose?

FURTHER READING:
Exodus 1-4

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Attitude Check

Who Said It
Dan Britton

Dan Britton is a senior vice president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, overseeing its camps and its campus, sport-specific, and coaches' ministries.

Both the Virginia high-school football and lacrosse teams he captained won conference and state honors. At the University of Delaware, he was the lacrosse team captain and a leading scorer. He then spent four years as a starter for the Baltimore Thunder.

What He Said
Attitude Check

Carson Palmer, a Heisman Trophy winner and the number one NFL draft pick in 2003, signed a $49 million, six-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. $10 million of it was his signing bonus.

However, that $10 million wasn't contingent upon his great throwing arm, his intelligence as a quarterback, or his great play-calling. It was contingent upon his not saying anything negative about his team, coaches, or management. Basically the $10 million signing bonus was a loyalty pledge in which Carson guaranteed that he wouldn't be critical. If he ripped into his team, he lost the cash.

After someone has wronged us on the field or in the locker room, it's easy to lash out. God desires not only for us to keep our mouths from cursing but also to keep them positive. The tongue is only a reflection of what is in our heart. When you're under pressure, what comes out? Criticism or encouragement? You might not get paid $10 million for having a Christlike tongue, but your Savior will be glorified!

Adapted from Heart of an Athlete (Regal, 2005) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Teach me, Lord, what it means to have a Christ-like tongue. Check my tendency to tear others down; prod me to build them up.