... 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. 

Philippians 4:10-12. NIV (1978)

 

There was once a man whose dream it was to someday visit Europe. His problem was that he was a man of modest means, working at a school as a custodian. He was a friendly man who worked hard at his trade, and the people at this school not only admired his work ethic but also treasured his friendship. They knew of his dream to someday visit Europe, and they decided that this would be the perfect gift for this friend and coworker that they so admired.

 

So, they pooled their money together and purchased for him a ticket aboard a luxury cruise ship that was scheduled to travel to the ports of European cities that he had always dreamed of visiting. The man was deeply moved by his friend's generous gift, but he had a problem: he would not, he was sure, be able to afford the expensive meals that would be served in the ship's 5-star restaurant. So, he came up with a plan and packed a suitcase full of crackers and tins of Vienna sausages. His plan worked out well, and the places that he was able to see on his trip were beyond his highest expectations. His only problem was that he underestimated the amount of food he would need, so he cut back drastically and was just barely making it on his reduced rations. 

 

One day, close to the end of this tour, a porter came by his room for a routine visit, and he noticed the suitcase that the man had inadvertently left open on this day. He noticed a few packages of crackers and a single tin of those sausages, and a dawning of reality began to set in. The porter had remembered that he had often seen empty tins and wrappers when he had emptied the man's trash as part of his duties, and then he remembered something else: He had not once seen the man in the ship's restaurant.

 

Curious, he asked the man about the situation and was stunned to find out that the man had half-starved himself living off of these subsistence rations. He then stunned the man with this question, "Didn't you know that the meals were included in the price of the cruise?"  

 

And, of course, this sweet man did not. He then realized that if he had just thought the matter through that he would have realized that his friends would not have sent him on a trip, no matter how wonderful, without making provisions for his food. Embarrassed, but relieved, the man gratefully ate with the rest of the passengers in the 5-star restaurant for the few remaining days of his cruise.

 

What, you may be wondering, does this story have to do with the verses we started with? For that matter, what does this story have to do with anything at all?

 

Just this: God has given you and I a very precious gift. Not only has He given us life itself, but He has given us the promise of eternal life, for those who will accept His terms. In addition to these gifts, Jesus has given us the greatest gift of all - His life for ours! 

 

I think most of us realize this and are most appreciative for these gifts. Still, we often live a life that is subpar. We worry about whether we will have enough money to get by, whether our families will have the health we desire them to have, and whether we will be able to keep our jobs. We worry about whether it will rain or not, whether our cars will hold together for a little longer, and whether or not we will find the happiness that we all seek. The fact is that this life comes complete with challenges and disappointments, but we so very often turn them into tragedies instead of mere problems that can be solved and which God can help us through. 

 

And very often we live with one other worry - whether or not we will be saved! How sad this is, for God has shown us what He desires, and He has promised to help us every step of our lives. In the same way the man whose friends gifted him with a wonderful trip of a lifetime, God has gifted us with the secret of contentment. But, like the man who did not realize the scope of his gift, we often fail to realize the magnitude of the gift God and Jesus have given to us - they have gifted us with a life filled with contentment, if we will just trust them, and then they have given us the gift of eternal life.

 

It is a wonderful gift, but all too many of us are starving spiritually because we simply have failed to understand just how complete this gift is. We have been given life and contentment, but often we live in ignorance of the contentment0 part of the gift.

 

So the question I want to leave you with is this: Are you content with this great gift of life that God has blessed you with... or are you starving to death? It's something worth considering, don't you think?

 

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. 

Matthew 11:28-30, KJV

 

Do you feel unsettled! Maybe not necessarily because everything is wrong and there is some sort of impending doom hanging over your head, but you do feel unsettled in heart and soul. Or perhaps everything is wrong and you do feel like impending doom is waiting just around the next corner. What can we do in such cases?

 

Jesus has already given us the answer, hasn't He?

 

But I realize this might not be a thorough enough answer for most of us, at least not at first, so we will need to do a little examination into the source of our problems - maybe even a lot of examination at that. But, how can we start?

 

There is a very practical method available to us, and it is as old as the hills. Some attribute the solution I am about to set forth as originating from Socrates, who lived nearly 500 years before Christ. However, whether Socrates really did discover this method is not only disputable, but it is completely unimportant, because the method that I am about to lay out today is based in Scriptural truths. In other words, these principles that we will be looking at will work because they in their very essence have their basis in the Creator Himself. So, what is this method for solving all the world's problems? It is simply this:

 

1. Define the problem

2. Analyze the problem

3. Come up with a solution

4. Act on that solution

 

These are the bare bones of the solution, but let's add an important element: Make it prayerful! Now such a plan for solving your problems will look something like this: Prayerfully define the problem. Prayerfully analyze the problem. Make a prayerful solution. Prayerfully act on that solution. 

 

This is a better refinement, but it is not enough. I think you will find the true success in handling your problems will involve a working knowledge of God's Word - the Bible. So, now, your solution will involve a basic understanding of how God wants you to approach your problem and will look something like this: Prayerfully define the problem with an understanding from the Scripture what may have led to that problem. Prayerfully analyze the problem, looking at God's Word to guide you in determining what mistakes you may have made to get you into such a mess. Next, seek God's Word for a solution, always entreating God for help along the way. You will find the Sermon on the Mount and Proverbs especially helpful for this step. Finally, guided by God's sacred Word and prayer, begin to act upon your problem. Use the popular philosophy of praying as if everything depended upon God, and then working as if everything depended on your efforts.

 

Now, we have something! Of course, not everything requires so thorough a search of Biblical truths, but each circumstance will still be helped by your familiarity with God's Word, and everything will be remarkably enhanced by prayer.

 

Here is an example:

 

1. My foot hurts - that is the problem.

2. I will now analyze the problem, and by doing so I note that my foot is caught in a bear trap.

3. I will come up with a prayerful solution, and that solution will distil down to the fact that I have to get my foot out of the bear trap and then get medical treatment.

4. I will take my foot out of the bear trap and seek medical assistance.

 

Or, how about something more relevant? 

 

1. Perhaps we are depressed. We know from Scripture that Jesus has promised help for those who are weary and heavy ladened, so we will bring our problem to God, by praying through Christ, and we already know from a simple study of the Word that whatever we need, we can go to the Father and ask for it in Jesus' name.

 

2. Prayerfully, we begin to define the problem. Perhaps we have been drinking to forget our problems. Perhaps we have been involved in some other form of sin, only to discover that God's Word is right and that sin brings many sorrows. Perhaps we have started avoiding other Christians because we are ashamed of our behavior and their association makes us uncomfortable. Perhaps we have even stopped meeting with the church on the first day of the week because of that discomfort. All through this process, we are prayerfully seeking God's guidance, help, and wisdom.

3. Now is the part for a prayerful solution. We realize that a big part of our depression is that we have abandoned God and Jesus. It is important to understand that They did not leave us - we left Them. So, now, we begin this path of solution. We have sinned, and we need to repent - so we do! And we ask for God's forgiveness, and then we seek His instruction for our guide. We know that drunkenness in any form of substance abuse is wrong, so we make plans to begin our journey out of that sin. If it is a heavy addiction, it will take time and we may have to seek the help of others - the church is a great place to start. This being the case, we make plans to re-establish our precious relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ and we make plans to begin to worship again. 

4. We act upon our solution, looking to God for help every step of the way, both through prayer and through the counsel of His divine Word.

 

Whatever our challenge, whether it is something as simple as having our foot caught in a bear trap, or as serious as our soul caught in Satan's trap, we have a basic framework that will help us out of the problem. And, it doesn't even have to be a problem, per se. Perhaps we want to reduce our debt or save for college or retirement. Perhaps we want to get in better physical shape, perhaps we desire to study God's Word more - whatever the circumstance, if it is important enough for us to deeply consider it, this basic solution will work.

 

However, we need to be realistic: It will only work with God's help! So, we are going to have to know what God wants us to do from His inspired Word, and we are going to have to ask for His help in Jesus' Name, as Jesus Himself instructed us.

 

Is there something in your life that is not quite right? Maybe this will help. It's at least worth considering, isn't it!

So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all the people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark..." 

Genesis 6:13-14, NIV (1978)

 

Have you ever thought what it takes to build an ark?

What does such an undertaking even mean? How all-encompassing must this building of the ark been for Noah and his family! Just think about some of the facts we have been given. The entire world had turned to unrighteousness, save for one man. I think it is safe to assume that his wife was also righteous, because she was willing to stand by his side through all of this, so let's begin with two righteous people. We are told that the length of man's years was to be 120, so if this was a reference to how much time there would be prior to the flood, this would mean 120 years of preparation and building time.

 

God allowed men to live much longer in those days, and we are told that after Noah reached the age of 500 that his sons were born. Since the flood began in Noah's six-hundredth year of life, that means that the only lifestyle that Noah and his wife's sons would have known would have centered around the building of this ark. It also means that the wives they would take would have necessarily had to have been convinced of the need for this ark, because they would have been fully invested in this undertaking as well.

 

And what an undertaking this would have been. We all have read of the massive size of the ark, and these eight people would have had to build it from scratch. They would have had to fell the towering trees needed for its construction and then shape and fit them with nothing more than hand tools. On top of all the construction, they were going to have to find and process a year's worth of food for themselves and the wide variety of animals that the LORD was going to send them. We must remember, as well, the reason that they were building the ark in the first place - everyone in the world was wicked and violent! We are told in II Peter that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, so if this referred to his duty before the flood that would mean that the reason for his project would not have been kept secret. Can you imagine the challenges and conflicts that this must have brought?

 

So, here we have Noah and his wife working for 120 years to prepare the most important vehicle that was ever built - the ark that would carry them and their family and all those animals through a disaster that was going to wipe out everything that couldn't swim.

 

This is what Noah and his family did! They were devoted to a physical work that would have taken all of their time and effort for 120 years!

 

So, what does it take to build an ark? First, one must be building it as a fulfilment of their duty to the Lord. Second, since it is a duty that comes complete with detailed instructions, those instructions must be followed in as exact and precise of a way as humanly possible - our lives literally depend on it. Third, we have to recognize that our lives and the lives of those we love are dependent upon our doing this work. It is physical and demanding and time consuming! And fourth, despite these physical requirements that are necessary to fulfil this duty, we still have to be first and foremost concerned with spiritual matters. Noah was saved by God's grace because he was righteous, and he clearly attempted to share is knowledge with others because he was defined as a preacher of righteousness.

 

So, what does all that have to do with us?

 

Just this: God has placed us in a physical world with all sorts of demanding and time-consuming physical duties. These physical duties are required, and we must do them to the best of our ability. However, the physical must take a secondary position in our thinking, for we are creatures with a finite, physical body that must be cared for, but these physical bodies are temporary and are meant to house our eternal souls. That being the case, we can never forget that our first and most important duty is to be righteous before God. This means that we will indeed take care of the physical requirements of life, but we will never forget what we are here for: We are here to serve God for a season, in order that we can go on to serve He and Christ for eternity in Heaven.

 

We have to keep the perspective that we can no more do these physical things without God than could Noah and his family build an ark and store it with all the needed provisions without God's help and instruction. And we are required to do both - to give thought to both the physical and the spiritual - or we will fail in both. There are a lot of well-meaning people who focus their efforts in life on doing the right thing by providing for their families and caring for others when it comes to all things physical, but who go on to fail in their most important responsibility - to live a righteous life while encouraging others to do the same.

 

The only questions that remain are these: Can we see it, and will we do it? It is still by the grace and help of God that we have the chance to accomplish these duties that God has laid out for us but accomplish them we must. Noah's family was relying on him to do his part, or they would have been lost. In a similar way, our families are counting on us to do the same, and God has given us the duty to do just that. Again, can we see that, and will we do it? Our eternities hang on the right answer to those questions. The fact is that we have an ark to build, therefore, we must get to that work. Since these are undeniable facts, let's get to the work!

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21, KJV

 

I heard this question over 40 years ago, and I imagine that you may have heard it too. It went something like this: "If it was a crime to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

 

Now, when we hear that question, our response is probably immediate. We would present as evidence our church attendance. Perhaps we would point out that we often read the Bible, and we pray. Maybe we would look to our bank records and point out the donations we have made through the years. All of these, to be sure, would be evidence, but would this evidence be enough to convict? Or, perhaps, it might be weighed by the jury to be merely circumstantial evidence.

 

A smart attorney might even argue that we had been in a garage on many occasions, but that did not make us a car. Or that maybe we had "YouTubed" a video on changing our spark plugs, but that did not mean we were a mechanic. Or maybe even that we had written a number of checks for gas and repairs, but that did not mean that we "worshipped? our cars.

 

And the truth, of course, is that the lawyer would be right - all such evidence was merely circumstantial and meant nothing, when you really thought about it.

 

This is why we need to get to the crux of the matter. If Christianity were a crime, it would not matter if there was enough evidence for a judge or a jury to convict us; no! It would only matter if there was enough evidence to convince... us!

 

And that is the point! The Apostle Paul was in prison for following Christ. There was more than enough evidence to convict him because he was a genuine follower of Jesus. In fact, he was so serious about his commitment that he stated that for him to live was Christ! In other words, he had given his life completely to Christ. No one had to look for past evidence of his commitment, for he lived that commitment every day. Even when he was under confinement in Rome, he pointed out that the entire Praetorian Guard had come to learn of Christ through him. Even after he had been arrested for following Christ, he spent every day teaching everyone around him about what Jesus had done for him and what He could do for others. 

 

If Christianity was to be a crime, then Paul would daily give enough evidence to hang himself to the very people who held him captive. 

 

And the reason for his acting in such a way was clear: He loved Christ! He believed in Him to the point that he was willing to give up his freedom in order to follow Him. He would eventually die for that so-called crime, and he was clearly more than willing to do so. Why? Because Paul was convicted!!

 

You didn't have to search for evidence to convict him because he was convinced himself. He quite literally believed that to continue to live would mean that he could perform fruitful work in Christ's service. And if that cost him his life, well then so be it! For him to live was Christ and to die was gain. These words were not merely a catchy phrase for Paul - they were the way he lived, because Jesus was his life!

 

How about you?