“—I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”-Philippians 4:11   A great Italian who was renowned for his cheerful endurance of trial, when asked how he had learned such patience replied: “First, I look within me, then without me, afterwards beneath me, and last of all, above me.” He looked within and saw such guilt and unworthiness that whatever blessings balanced his afflictions, they were more than he deserved. He looked without and saw those who had far many more problems than himself, and this made every complaint a piece of sore ingratitude to him. He looked beneath and saw the earth, into which his body would soon be lowered, and when all of life’s trials would be over once and for all. He looked above and saw by faith his home in Heaven, and this made the light affliction but for a moment, not worthy to be compared with the glory waiting to be revealed. The fourfold look silenced all murmuring, and produced calm submission to God’s will.

“And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”–Luke 7:37-38   As we search for a remedy for our cold hearts and dry eyes we would do well to listen to the words of Thomas Brooks who said: “The more a man apprehends of the love of God, and of the love of Christ – the more that person will grieve and mourn that he has offended, provoked, and grieved such a Father, and such a Son.  The more clear and certain evidences a man has of the love and favor of God to his soul, the more that  man will grieve and mourn for sinning against such a God.  There is nothing which thaws and melts the heart, which softens and breaks the heart – like the warm beams of divine love — The more a man sees of the love of Christ, and the more a man tastes and enjoys of the love of Christ – the more that man will grieve and mourn for all the dishonors that he has done to Christ.”   Looking unto Jesus, considering the marvel of His great love for such worthless sinners, is the remedy for the cold morbid state in which we often find ourselves. Get in His word, focus on Him and you will be transformed. The more the better.

The Bible teaches us that we are to live to please others rather than ourselves (Romans 15:1-3). Sadly, most people do just the opposite. Here’s an example:

Near Lincoln, Kansas, stands a group of gravestones that boggles the imagination. A farmer named David, a self-made and determined man, managed to amass a considerable fortune, but had few friends and no relatives for whom he cared.

When his wife died, David erected an elaborate statue showing both her and himself sitting at the opposite ends of a loveseat. So pleased was he with this monument that he commissioned the sculptor to create another, this time showing him kneeling at her grave with a wreath in his hand. And that made such a fine impression upon him that he set out to erect still another tombstone depicting his wife kneeling at his future graveside with a wreath. He even put wings on her back as she now resided in another world. So, as time passed and one idea led to another, he eventually spent over a quarter of a million dollars on monuments to his wife and himself.

David had no interest in aiding his fellowmen or benefiting his nearby town. Nor did he become a blessing to the church, for he used all of his resources on shrines to self. He died at the age of 92, a resident of the poorhouse, and his cherished stones are slowly but surely sinking into the Kansas soil, victimized by vandalism and neglect, weathered by time.

Believe it or not, you are not the most important person in the world—stop living as you were!

“When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was” (John 11:6).

In the forefront of this marvelous chapter stands the affirmation, “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus,” as if to teach us that at the very heart and foundation of all God’s dealings with us, however dark and mysterious they may be, we must dare to believe in and assert the infinite, unmerited, and unchanging love of God. Love permits pain. The sisters never doubted that He would speed at all hazards and stay their brother from death, but, “When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.”

What a startling “therefore”! He abstained from going, not because He did not love them, but because He did love them. His love alone kept Him back from hasting at once to the dear and stricken home. Anything less than infinite love must have rushed instantly to the relief of those loved and troubled hearts, to stay their grief and to have the luxury of wiping and stanching their tears and causing sorrow and sighing to flee away. Divine love could alone hold back the impetuosity of the Savior’s tender-heartedness until the Angel of Pain had done her work.

Who can estimate how much we owe to suffering and pain? But for them we should have little scope for many of the chief virtues of the Christian life. Where were faith, without trial to test it; or patience, with nothing to bear; or experience, without tribulation to develop it?  (From Streams in the Desert)

For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee–Deuteronomy 15:6 (also read Romans 4:19-22)

Some days are harder than others, and perhaps this is one of them for you. Life is full of frustrations, and we can grow mighty weary with financial pressures, family problems, church misunderstandings, and workplace conflicts. It sometimes seems like we’re losing our minds.

But God is not losing His! Remember that nothing revokes His faithfulness. His promises to us are irreversible, unalterable, firm, and fixed. There are conditions to be met, of course; but outer circumstances must bend, in His time, to the purposes and promises of God for our lives.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises… leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.” The Lord your God will bless you just as He has promised in His Word.

His promises are sure, His blessings are great, His grace is sufficient, His presence is near, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. Cheer up!

Let God’s promises shine on your problems.
Corrie ten Boom                                                        (From Turning Point)