Daily Devotional For Saturday, March 2, 2024

Well, the weekend is finally here. It’s Saturday. Yeah! Look at Proverbs 15:17, “Better to eat vegetables with people you love than to eat the finest meat where there is hate” (GNT). Have you noticed how we never seem to be content? We live in a culture that encourages us to compare and contrast what we have with what others have? We live in the most blessed nation in the world, but you wouldn’t know it by how we gripe, complain and whine. Yet, in the church we will sing, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and then you’ll be surprised what the Lord has done.” 

Chuck Swindoll writes this:

“Far too many folks suffer from that most contagious of all diseases. I call it the “If Only” Syndrome. The germs of discontent can infect a single host and then overtake an entire community, affecting every aspect of life—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The following is a list of some statements said by those caught in the “If Only” Syndrome: If only I had more money . . . If only I could make better grades . . . If only we owned a nicer home . . . If only we hadn’t made that bad investment . . . If only I hadn’t come from such a bad background . . . If only she had stayed married to me . . . If only our pastor were a stronger preacher . . . If only my child were able to walk . . . If only we could have children . . If only we didn’t have children . . . If only the business had succeeded . . . If only my husband hadn’t died so young . . . If only I’d said no to drugs . . . If only they had given me a break . . . If only I hadn’t had that accident . . . If only we could get back on our feet financially . . . If only he would ask me out . . . If only people would accept me as I am . . . If only my folks hadn’t divorced . . . If only I had more friends . .” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Proverbs: Insight For The Daily Grind, pp. 105-106, Kindle Edition).

The negative downside of such an “If only” attitude is that it is very self-centered. It can border on narcissism. I found this quote online: "The person with the discontented heart has the attitude that everything he does for God is too much, and everything God does for him is too little” (Source: Don Kistler, Tabletalk (9-18-01), p.15). 

The Bible affirms that everything good in our life is from God: our talents, skills, abilities, income, health, life home, car, and etc. Everything. To be discontented with what we have is to be discontented with God. Read James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (ESV). What does “everything good” include? Everything good. 

To me there are two primary "If onlys." First, is the "if only" about regrets. We are having to live with the consequeneces of sin, or mistakes, or errors or bad judgment. If that is you, confess it to God and seek His forgiveness. Second, is the "if only" about greed. We think, "if only I had more money, or their home, or their spouse or their degree" and etc. One problem with this "if only" is you only see part of the picture. You don't know their mortgage or car payment. You don't know their spouse intimately. You don't know their stress level living beyond their means.

A second problem is it is totally selfish and all about yourself.  This makes this "if only"  a form of idolatry.  In this case, confess your greed to God as well and let Him be your contentment.  Discontent implies we haven’t found what we are looking for in life or that specific situation. So, why isn’t God and His blessings to us good enough? That was the trick of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He convinced Adam and Eve that God had withheld something from them — the ability to be a god. Had they only been content with what God had given them, then things would have been totally different. 

I would encourage all of us to follow author and blogger Chris Winfield’s way to deal with discontent. He writes this:

Author and blogger Chris Winfield shares his thoughts on gratitude: “Why did this have to happen to me?” It didn’t matter if it was something big (my dog gets cancer, good friend dies) or something little (flight is delayed, spilled something on my shirt). I was in a constant state of “poor me.” This all started to change once I began writing a gratitude list every single day for the past 34+ months and it has changed my life profoundly. Here are the 4 most important things I’ve learned on my gratitude journey:

1. 1. It’s Hard at First: My mentor told me to text him three things that I am grateful for every day. Sounds pretty easy right? Well, it wasn’t. When you’ve lived most of your life not focusing on gratitude, it’s not so simple to change that.
   2. There Is Always Something to Be Grateful For: No matter what was going on in my life (business problems, I was sick, someone cut me off in traffic) there was always something that I could find to be grateful for (my health, my daughter’s smile, etc.).
   3. Gratitude Grows the More You Use It: My gratitude lists started off very basic and I struggled to find things to be grateful for (especially on the really tough days). But once I consistently took action, it became easier and easier.
   4. It Can Help Stop Negative Thought Patterns: According to the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, the average person has about 70,000 thoughts each day! There’s one big problem with this — the vast majority of these thoughts are negative. Gratitude can work to stop these negative thought patterns by replacing it with something positive” (Source: Chris Winfield, “13 Things I’ve Learned Writing 1,024 Gratitude Lists,” Chris Winfield Blog (1-24-15).

Why not start today? Start a daily list of things you are grateful to God for in your life. 

Questions To Consider

1. How much during the day do you thank God for His blessings to you? Do you name them individually or do you just used the generic “blessings” when you pray?
2. Would you take up the challenge that each day you will text someone 3 things you are grateful for from God? Why or why not?
3. Why do you think it seems to be easier to whine, complain, gripe and compare?
4. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (ESV). Notice the verse does not tell us to give thanks for all circumstances. We are to give God thanks no matter our circumstances. What is the difference to you and why?

Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 34:1,”I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of His glories and grace” (TLB).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I don’t want people when they see me coming think, `Oh, here comes that whiner, that complainer.” No, I want them to think, “Here comes that person that no matter what is happening in their lives — whether good or bad — they still find a way to give praise to God and be thankful to Him. God, give me that kind of heart. I love you Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside — Pastor Kelly