Freedom in Contentment

Freedom in Contentment TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria In life, sometimes it’s easy to get so focused on our dreams and goals that we tune out everything else. We can get to the point where we’re not going to be happy until we see those things happen. But I’ve found that if we have to have something in order to be happy, our lives are out of balance. When our goals and dreams start to frustrate us, and we lose our peace and don’t enjoy life, that’s a clear sign that we’re holding on too tightly. What’s the solution? You’ve got to release it. Freedom comes when you say, “God, I’m turning it all over to You. You know my desires and what’s best for me. I’m choosing to trust You and Your timing.” When we learn to be content whatever the circumstances, it takes away the power of the enemy. It takes away his ability to frustrate us. Not only that, but by our actions, we are showing our faith in God. When you choose to trust His timing, you can live in peace, you can live in joy, and you can rest in Him knowing that He has good things in store for your future. Today, find freedom in contentment and rest in His everlasting peace. A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, today I choose to trust You. I release frustration over the dreams and desires in my heart because You know what’s best for me. I choose to trust Your timing knowing that You are faithful. I will bless You in all things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

PS...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k1WhFtVp0o

Is Jesus There in Your Job?

BY RICK WARREN — JULY 2, 2014

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33 NLT)

If you want your life to turn from emptiness to overflowing, you have to give Jesus complete access to your life, including your career.

Luke 5:3 says, “Jesus got into one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, and asked him to push off a little from the land. Then Jesus sat down and continued to teach the people from the boat” (NCV).

The disciples had worked all night and caught nothing. Then Jesus stepped into their boat and told them to cast their nets again. When they did, they caught so many fish that the nets began to break! It’s the same lake, the same boat, the same nets, the same fishermen, and the same fish. The only thing that was different between nothing and fullness was Jesus is in the boat.

Here’s the starting point: You’ve got to get Jesus in your boat.

First, what’s your boat? It’s how you make a living. Simon’s business was his boat because he was a fisherman. The boat represents your career, your profession, your job, just like it represented Simon Peter’s entire livelihood.

What does it mean to have Jesus in your boat?

It means you dedicate your career to God. We’re not talking about salvation here. You may have Jesus in your life, but have you given him control of your career. You’ve trusted him for salvation and you go to church on the weekends and praise God. But when you go back to work during the week, you put Jesus on the shelf, and he’s nowhere to be found in your job.

When Simon Peter gave his job to Jesus for the Lord’s use, he was blessed with incredible results. But don’t miss the sequence. We sometimes think, “God, make me really successful in business, and then I’ll serve you with the success.” Wrong! It’s the exact opposite. First, Peter let Jesus use his job for his ministry platform. Then Jesus blessed Peter’s job with enormous success. That’s the order.

The Bible says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (NLT).

Whatever you want God to bless, put him first. You want God to bless your time? You give him the first part of every day. You want God to bless your money? You give him the first 10 percent of your income, no matter how small it is. You want God to bless your job? You give him control, no matter how successful you are.

Talk It Over

• What would it look like if you gave control of your job to Jesus?
• What are your fears or concerns about making God the center of your career?
• How do you want God to bless you in your career? What do you think he wants you to do first?