THE POWER AND PROVISION PRINCIPLE (Part 4): Contentment with godliness is great gain.

 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. 

Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Pslam 16:6

Allthough the financial markets call them "securities", in recent days our "securities" have not been very secure. This has been a global phenomena dawning since the last financial awakening (crash) in 2007/8. 

However much and hard we invest in anything, it is only ever worth as much as it is able to give back. This is true not only in finance. Elon Musk (who we have discussed before), is a man who is not unfamiliar with spending and big investments, yet I can't help wondering if twitter really is the best financial model to spend $44 Billion on at this time.

 

He insists that what drove him to buy twitter was the prize of securing liberty of speech. He sees himself as being the Robin Hood of the communication world, and saving us all from being slaves under the oppressor and silencer. I can't help thinking though, that my $8 projected investment may not buy me the utopia he so promises me each month.

However lofty and noble Elon says his ambitions are I'm not yet personally convinced that he has any greater priority than himself or the bottom line. I believe he has bought twitter because after acquiring ridiculous wealth he is searching for a virtue, which he has not found in money itself or any of the goals he has set himself until now. If valuing people and generosity to uplift humanity really is his true passion (not just his speech), I can't help thinking that he maybe wouldn't have sacked an entire board and left a fair few families looking for another job this Christmas. Also I'm not sure that asking everyone on the planet to pay him for freedom will ever really work for anyone other than himself. At least I am yet to hear a clear view of how he will deliver ? Hopefully I'm completely misjudged (as usual) and this will be a fantastic thing for everyone. Surely though it is an anathema to say that freedom can be bought by tying ourselves into something which none of us are the masters of, and even Elon can't control. All of us losing money is one thing in this, but what else will be destroyed or lost as we are all allowed to say what we want (within Elon's personal parameters) ? 

One of the greatest mysteries of our freedom in Christ is that it cost him everything. Whilst we would say that our broken lives were worth nothing to God, he paid everything to bring us close to himself and seat us as kings. The film "margin call", recalls the collapse of Lehman Brothers. In its self serving greed and search for survival L.B. offloaded worthless sub prime loans which had become financial junk and were unlikely to ever deliver a profit, which cost the world a fortune and our globe its relative financial stability. Our God does the opposite, buying what is worthless to treasure us in a way that brings us incomprehensible profit, security, stability, and certainty for all eternity. He calculated the cost of this which was his most precious Son, and yet he still paid fullest price. 

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

Worth is constituted in our world by what someone is willing to pay. Christ paid everything for me. My self esteem is not defined by a book written for self help, or by a professional who encourages me to look at the good in myself. In fact the greater I understand how there is so little good in me, and how worthless and unworthy I am to be in God's missional purposes, the greater my sense of worth to God soars. I lack no thing if I know I am loved by Christ. He knows the worst about me and loves me anyway. 

The King of love my Shepherd is,

  Whose goodness fails never;

I nothing lack if I am His,

  And He is mine forever.

Whilst Elon may now promote twitter as the answer to humanity, the reality is that  it was only 4 months ago today that he himself walked away from it, deciding it was worthless. In contrast, despite my increasing worthlessness without Christ, he came for me, and did not turn back, even though the cost was sacrificial beyond all understanding, and selfless beyond our comprehension. He came to pay for you and me. 

It is possible to have very little of this worlds resources and yet feel very fully blessed. This is my experience of some friends in Ukraine at the moment. Although some live in a place where death surrounds them, and practical challenges abound, they are truly alive and spiritually full to overflowing. In Christ, we see his increasing worth as everything else is stripped away in our lives. 

The great mercy of God is that he commits to us in a way that we never deserve, and gives us himself totally to us in a way that we could never comprehend or be deserving of. 

Hebrews 13:5 "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you."

We will be truly content with all that we posses and have, when Christ is all that we truly have and want to possess. Our lives will want for no more when Christ defines our lives.

It is absolutely of no help or assistance to hide behind a large house, a good golf handicap and a fast charging car when eternity comes knocking. The constant advancement of these things brings a constant discontent. Conversely. those believers who live today with a basic provision know in a simple existence, know more of the reality of their God who keeps them going. In fact I would say that a Christian living obediently in Dombas is immeasurably richer and wealthier than Elon. They know with certainty that God is for them in Christ, and one with God is a majority. They know with certainty by faith in Christ that if life ends today, they will be with Christ which is far better (Phil 1:23). They know with certainty today that all God's promises will never fail in Christ. What an investment they are making. It is in the moments when death is only a fraction away, that we really see with clarity the real worth of what we have lived for. Lord help us live with the reality of our mortality in full view, and in total dependance on you. 

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.Yet it was kind of you to share[ my trouble."

Philippians 4: 11-14

Observations:

1) if we really are content in Christ and our identity in him, we will not need to find our contentment in anything else. Whether ego, self promotion, self driven dreams, ambitions for family, pilling up resources for ourselves or extra comfort to help us through the day. 

2) If Paul (or any believer) can only say this with authenticity because he knows from experience what it is to have little, would you and I be prepared for our contentment to be tested and increased by giving away more of what we have ?

3) The blessing of giving to others overflows when we are content. The contentment of God in his Sabbath rest is directly coupled to his generosity in Christ. He wants us to enjoy the beauty of the triune God as he does, and is so passionate about it that he goes beyond our understanding to achieve it for us. 

4) If we wait to have more before having the attitude of gratitude, we will never have it. If we discipline ourselves to have the attitude of gratitude because of everything we already have in Christ, that contentment will never be taken away from us, because Christ will never be taken away from us. 

One of the most beautiful things I've witnessed in recent months is those who have had decreasingly little, becoming increasingly generous. When your daily rations are diminishing, the only way you can give more away is if you are filled with overflowing love,  and compassion in increasing measure. Contentment in Christ with obedient grace filled  living is a powerful nuclear mix. It blasts away our worlds preconceptions and is dynamic in mission. God loves to demonstrate his resources when we are counting totally on him. 

Acts 20:35 ESV 

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Luke 6:38 ESV

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Hebrews 13:16 ESV

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Malachi 3:10 ESV 

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV 

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Proverbs 12:28 ESV

In the path of righteousness there is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.