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Faith and Contentment in Christ (By Dan Porch, Missionary to Peru)

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When Jesus taught, he often took the simple, in plain view realities and used them to explain some aspect of life that is hidden due to our dullness. For example, he pointed to the flowers of the field for several of his illustrations. Taking the easy things for us to see and understand, he explained deeper truths to those who had ears to hear.

Well, several mornings back, I awoke early and walked into our little sitting area to pray. I looked outside, and in the darkness, I could tell that something was different with the tree just beyond our window. I looked more closely, but the darkness hid the reality from my eyes. It wasn’t too long before the sun began to chase the darkness into the disappearing night. And as I glanced out the window again...the tree, that had been all green the day before, was now covered...I mean covered in little white flowers...it was beautiful! And oh the fragrance that began to waft into our home. Two days later, the tree was green again...the fragrance gone. 

I was reminded of God’s purposes for our lives. He calls us to live faithfully where he places us...like the green tree behind my house. Most often, by his grace, we are a beautiful, healthy green. We grow; we work; we love those around us; we provide shade; basically we accomplish the purposes for which God has placed us here. And in his timing, for the sake of his design, there might come times when he causes our lives to blossom in unique ways that display his glory in such a manner that others can only stand back and be amazed. 

And for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, there is praise and worship given to the One who has brought about such beauty through ordinary instruments. The tree soon goes back to the way it was...a simple, faith-filled life...being green again and never glorying in the beauty of itself but simply enjoying the delight of being used to display the wonder and glory of God. 

Am I willing to live in that contentment of God being the giver of both the green, ordinary life and the moments of white, fragrant beauty? Or do I chafe, seeking the glory of the more fragrant, unwilling to wait in faith, trusting the Lord to bring about his purposes through my life? 

Contentment always springs from faith. It will continually involve a fight to live and think from the perspective of trust in One we cannot see, One we believe in based on his promises and by the power of his Spirit working in us.

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