The Hidden Gift

This blog is designed to give people an inner look at a devotional life. Taking time each day to spend time with the Lord. The hope is if you travel on this journey with Rev. Jacob Shaw, you may be more inclined to spend time with the Lord as well. I encourage the use of a devotional, a scripture reading and prayer, then finally a song, hymn or selection of poetry to tie it all together. 

Today's devotional is taken from: Vujicic, Nick. Limitless Devotions for a Ridiculously Good Life. Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2013. pp 100-102.

Opening Thought: The scripture for today’s reading I feel is something many people if not all people should aim to memorize. Contentment is, in many ways, the most superior emotion, “superior” can be a troublesome word, but here I may adopt it, as contentment needs to be one of our bases in life, and to find contentment we need to feel secure in something beyond ourselves and world. If we are bounded to earthly things for our positive emotions, we are doomed towards misery.  

The devotional begins with: Philippians 4:11-13, NIV

I am not saying this because I am in need, 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 all this through him who gives me strength.

Second Thought: I believe humanity has an instinct; the grass is greener on the other side. The media and social platforms make this worse as they like to highlight the rich, famous and even controversial and make it seem like they have everything that one could ever want and need, and they are fabulous for it. But let us look at reality, how many times do we hear of celebrity and politicians crashing and burning due to drugs, sexual allegations, and worse. No matter how much glamour we can see, people are broken, people will look to the other side and they will mourn for something they believe will make them happier. Doesn’t mean everyone crashes and burns but everyone does have that little voice that tempts and longs for the greener pastures.  

One of the turning points in my happiness was when I realized happiness is a transitionary emotion, and contentment is the emotion which is superior, and often people get these two mixed up with each other and in priority. But I feel in resent years, contentment has been seen as boring within a world of chronic stimulus. If you don’t believe me, ask yourselves this question, how often do you see young folks (30 years and down) sitting on their porch watching the world go by, no phones, no tablets, no technology – just sitting listening to the breeze and the birds sins, content.  

Continual Work: It’s time to unplug from our shallow impulses and recline into some Godly contentment. Find time to give up those things the feed the “happy” bell, and take time to appreciate the simple things, the calm things, and look to God for peace.  

What Rev. Jacob is Working On: I get stressed at how I see the world moving. I often feel people react impulsively and without much understanding. I’m sure I am guilty of this too, but for me I feel I need to move to contentment from points of frustration, more than happiness. Happiness and frustration can both be good motivators, but I must remember I should not sacrifice my faith in God and thus my contentment to serve these impulses.  

Scripture time: 1 Timothy 6:6-7

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” (NIV)

Apart of the impulse towards feel-good happiness is entitlement, many of us believe that we are entitled to feel-good happiness and even go as far to think that it is also bad or even evil if we do not get this feel-good happiness. Sure, we do not wish for bad things to happen to others, or ourselves, but when we put a moralistic framework on pleasure then we are doomed to suffer.

Closing Words: I hope you enjoyed and were lifted by this devotional time; it is truly important to take time for God each day. By doing so, you welcome God into your life, and in turn you will be able to better see the world through the eyes of God, rather than God through the world's eyes.

Artistic Close: Something to think about,

https://thenewstack.io/new-moby-video-mocks-obsession-cellphones/