Contentment

First, it has been a while since my last blog entry, and for that I am sorry. December and January are a crazy time of the year. It's always busy during the holidays, especially when you are still in school. Speaking of which, it is my last semester as an undergrad student! I'll be graduating this May along with the love of my life, Brettnay! It is both exciting and scary to move on from something and launch out into something new. This is the time in people's lives where they often take a wrong turn. That decision usually comes because they aren't content.

I am definitely not a pro at being content. In fact, I may be the least content person I know. Yet it is extremely important to be content! People tend to make New Year's resolutions at this time of year to do things that they haven't been doing already. These things are usually good things that will improve their lives. This isn't being discontent; it is trying to improve the things that you can control. Contentment doesn't mean that you should be perfectly satisfied with everything in your life. It does mean that you should be satisfied with the things that are out of your control. You may not like everything in your life. God doesn't ask that you like everything, but He does ask that you be content.

We all know people who just wring their hands over every single circumstance in life. When it rains they are worried about flooding, they are worried about their hair, they are worried about their car, etc. Everyone knows someone who is an ultimate worrier. The ultimate worriers are those people that simply never have something positive to say. They are the ones that add "so long as..." to every sentence. There is always an "as long as everything goes my way I'll be just fine" attitude to their speech. Then there are the people who don't worry about anything at all because they simply don't care about anything. That's not good either. How do you find a middle ground? Is there a way to be perfectly content?

Well, we are commanded of God to be content so there has to be a way to do so. God will never give a command that He will not empower us to follow. We are to find our contentment in Christ not in circumstances. The circumstances in life are going to change. The world rocks like a boat in a storm. The stock market rises and people go crazy. The stock market crashes and they go crazy in the opposite direction. Nothing is stable; nothing is safe; there is nowhere to hide from the change.

Christ is our rock and our hiding place. We can remain calm in the bumps. We can stay composed when everything in life is crashing down because we can be content in Christ. He is all, and in all, and through all. He is in control. So next time you are tempted to panic with anxiety, just remember that godliness with contentment is great gain. Peace and contentment are linked and inseparable in the Scripture.

So go ahead and go on that diet. Lose that weight or go gain so muscle. Quit drinking those sodas. That's all good and has little to do with contentment. But here's a resolution for you...don't panic, and let go of the reins. Let God take control. It's much easier.

Keep thinking friends,
Simeon Brazzell
I Tim 1:12

Verse for 2014

Around eight years ago, I heard a preacher speak of choosing a "life verse." This is a Bible verse that stands out to you. Maybe something that encourages you or something you want to strive for. I chose Philippians 1:20-21 to be my life verse. It says, "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Since that time, I have claimed other verses based on different situations or circumstances that I found myself in. For example, the summer of 2012 I traveled in a singing group with Crown College and I claimed Psalm 100 as my verse for the summer. The entire summer, I dwelt upon the truths in that passage such as how God says not to simply serve Him, but to serve Him with gladness or that when I sing, I am coming before the very presence of the Lord.

2013 held many changes for my family. I will not get into all of them right now, but within two months time, my younger brother Clay had joined the army and was preparing to leave for a 2 year assignment to Germany and my Dad got a new job which required my family to move to Delaware. For eight years, we had all lived together in Tennessee. We knew that things would be changing in the next few years as Clay and I would start our own lives, but we had no idea that in such a short time, everything we knew, everything we had come to love would be drastically changed. It was in these circumstances that I decided to claim a "verse for the year." The verse God led me to was Isaiah 26: 3-4, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:" God greatly used this verse to comfort me as I was reminded that in Him, I can find peace and strength no matter what the circumstances were around me. 

I have been praying that God would lead me to a verse to claim for 2014. This year holds many changes for me as well, but they are changes that I am so excited about such as the birth of my first niece, college graduation, a wedding. . .and so much more. As I enter this new year, there are also many things that I am praying for God to break through in, whether it be unsaved family members or family and friends who are dealing with serious health concerns. With that in mind, I have been searching and praying that God would help me land on a verse to claim.

Last night during the church service, my Pastor, Clarence Sexton, had us turn to Ephesians 3:20. It says, "Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," As Pastor read this verse, I knew this is the verse I wanted to claim for 2014. This year, I want to remember that it is God who blesses us and works in our lives. I want my trust in the Lord to be greater than it has ever been as I claim this promise!! 

I want to challenge each of you to seek out a verse that you can claim for 2014 and let God use that verse to work in your heart. Maybe you'll choose the same verse I have, maybe not. Whatever verse you choose, make it yours! This year, I'm claiming this verse just as if God had written it for only my eyes and heart. I'm trusting Him to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ever not only ask, but THINK!! And I know that God always keeps His promises!!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Varner