2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."
Philipians 4:11-13
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, 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."
When I read this verse in Philipians I usually focus on the part that speaks about being content in hardships, but more and more I'm finding the other half of the verse very interesting.
Paul says he's learned "the secret of facing plenty". Could this be a harder than facing hard times? I don't know if it is, but in 2 Cor. 12 it says "His power is perfected in our weakness". Is it possible that it is easier to follow Christ when things are difficult? Or do we face the same temptations whether we are rich or poor, just in different ways? Last week we took in a friend for a couple days who has been making some wrong choices and he's ended up on the street. One thing he told me really touched me. He said "since I've been on the street I've really seen God providing me with everything", and I have felt the same in those situations.
But in abundance we face complacency, greed, gluttony, laziness, and just an overall abuse of our abundance.
How is abundance affecting you?
I pray that we can learn the secret of facing plenty.
here's a little side tangent in the same vein, its one of my favorite stories:
This is a real cool story! I love that attitude and it is an outlook I've been presented with before and I hadn't understood it in this way. Who knows what's good and what's bad? And along the same way of thinking, who knows the good and bad in our lives in either facing hunger or plenty as the only importance that we can be at work in changing is our contentment with each situation and how well we can love in each one.
ReplyDelete"But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." 1Tim 6:6-8
Not following those ups and downs . . . I've heard that story Aaron tells in the video before, and I've always loved it. It calls us to remember that there is more to life than what we can see with our eyes and envision with our minds, and that is a powerful thing to do - when we can look beyond our own ideas of bad and good and see that God is always providing direction, lives change.
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