V is for Vanity by Susan Barclay

 

God gives each of us gifts to use for His glory. How often, though, these gifts can become a snare as we take pride in our abilities, forgetting the Giver and His intent. We can even turn our gifts into idols, as objects of worship and worth. Forgive us, LORD!

Seeking wealth through our art is vanity. The writer of Ecclesiastes 5 writes, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income” (v. 10), and the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4, “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” (v. 12b). Oh, that we would all cease striving for millionaire status and learn to be content with what we have! The secret Paul refers to is the experience of relationship with Holy Spirit, Christ’s indwelling. Really, who could ask for anything more?

Seeking fame is also vanity. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 20 that God’s definition of greatness differs from ours. “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (vv. 26b-28). Our gifts aren’t meant to make us great; they’re meant to be used in His service. As writers, people who know how to use words well, the questions in the back of our minds should always be, “What message does God want me to communicate to others? How can I use my writing to touch others’ lives with the love of Christ? How can I use my words to bless others and build them up?” We all know that words matter, that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), or in our case the pen, computer or typewriter. Let our greatness be in service to our God and the people He has made.

We can be thankful for our gifts without becoming hungry for money or fame, which are ultimately dissatisfying. With humility, God can use our writing to glorify Himself and to expand His kingdom. Our best treasures are sent on ahead, found in Heaven, the dwelling place of our hearts (Matthew 6:21), and since this is Thanksgiving month in Canada, let us be especially grateful and content with all the blessings we enjoy in His mercy and love, including our ability to write well.

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For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com. 

Contentment is My Word of the Year by Steph Beth Nickel

A version of this post first appeared on Janet Sketchley's blog, Tenacity, in December 2019.

Why do you do what you do? Complacency, contentment, or conviction?

An onlooker might not be able to tell the difference. Sometimes even we can’t tell the difference.

It’s what I’ve always done. That’s complacency.

I believe this is right, and it has been confirmed over and over again. That’s conviction.

But what about contentment?

It may look like complacency, but then again, it just may be conviction.

Contentment is my word for 2020.

As you may know, I am eclectically interested and eclectically involved. Too often I’m distracted by the Oo, Shiny! Books, online courses, careers …

Do you think it’s time to stop buying books (or at least slow down) when you have over 1,000 physical and ebooks you haven’t yet read?

Most of mine are accessible on my phone. <sigh>

And what about courses and lifetime access to online conference sessions, some of which were inexpensive, others … not so much?

I’ll buy this healthy living annual subscription and access to this library of workouts, and I’ll be healthier by the end of the year … if I access them and put what I learn into practice that is. (We won’t mention the fact that I was a personal trainer and know what I need to do to get healthier.)

Of course I’ll maintain my doula certification while writing, editing, working as our church admin, and helping my hubby clean the church each week. Sleep? Who needs it? (That would be me.)

To be honest, my whole life might be a case of FOMO, fear of missing out.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

In 2020, I will seek, with God's help, to live by my conviction that I have been called to contentment.

As it says in 1 Timothy 6:6, "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

I will read 24-36 of the books I already have.

I will complete at least 12 of those online courses I’ve purchased and put into practice those things I learn from my paid subscriptions.

I will devote myself to writing—and publishing—the books I’ve begun.

I will maintain my doula certification because this is something I’m passionate about, but I will pace myself and not leave the requirements of my recertification to the last month or so.

I will stop becoming distracted by the Oo, Shiny! and look for the sparkle in the opportunities and possessions I already have. I will look for the fun. As an Enneagram 7, fun is important to me. (I don't define fun as frivolity but as those things that get my mojo flowing.)

Plus, I will regularly give thanks for my life as it is in the Here and Now.

How can you grow more content in the year ahead? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Do you have a word of the year? If so, what is it and why did you choose it?

All the very best in 2020!

Contentment...What A Gift! By Melanie Fischer

I remember the days when I put myself to sleep by dreaming about winning the lottery.

 

In those days, I was always wanting more rather than stopping to be grateful for what I had. Thanks to Jesus's grace and patience, I am beginning to learn one of the most precious lessons of all...

…contentment.

Paul speaks beautifully about learning how to be content.

“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.” Philippians 4:11-13

In my journey to contentment, it certainly isn't that I never find myself in a lineup that I wished was shorter, or a room that I wished was quieter, or a bank account that I wished was fuller. Life presents us with many opportunities to find thankfulness in moments where it would be easier to find thanklessness. It actually isn't until we find ourselves in such situations that we can learn lessons of contentment.

It is the hard stuff in life that makes us softer. The rough spots give us traction. The tough stuff gives us something to stand on so we can reach new heights. It isn’t until an egg is cracked open that it can be used. It isn’t until muscle is torn that it becomes stronger, and it isn’t until an engine is broken in that it can run to its potential.

Yes, we are sometimes dealt hands that we would rather put back in the deck, but never should we be ungrateful for what we have been given, because the alternative could be that we are given nothing at all.

Lord, please enable us to allow the tough moments in our lives to mould and shape us into great instruments to be used for your glory.

“We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8

THANKFULNESS FIRST by Bryan Norford

 

Why is it that we tend to blame God for the difficult times of life, but credit ourselves when things go right? Clearly that cussed nature inherited from our earliest forebears still dogs us all, even when we know different.

The exhortations in Scripture and frequent calls from the pulpit to be thankful—even the theme for this month’s blog—only emphasize this tendency. Do we really need a special day in October to be sure we’re thankful?

The Bible even goes so far as to suggest lack of thankfulness is the leading edge of futile thinking, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened,” Romans 1:21, my emphasis.

An inspired thought: clarity of mind comes from thankfulness. Without it our view of life is distorted and unreliable. Absence of thankfulness only feeds into a pervading view that God is somehow responsible for our ills. We concentrate on the darkness around us, with increasing resignation, bitterness, or anger.

None of us reach the older years of life without having faced distressing circumstances. I have been impressed this month with InScribe blogs where members have described the most difficult conditions of life, yet allied with evidence that thankfulness was the bridge holding each one up over those troubled waters.

This thankfulness would not initially be for the experience, but thankfulness during it. As we are exhorted, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus,” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. But of greater value is the almost universal idea that adversity brought new understanding of our faith and a more intimate walk with God.

The hardships we experience are not to be desired or sought, but adverse times teach us much we cannot gain in less oppressive episodes. In all circumstances, our joy, peace, and sense of well-being, all depend on being thankful.

I believe that was Paul’s secret to contentment.  “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,” Philippians 4:12.  

May it always be ours.