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PATTERNS FOR LIFE:
God With Us
by Dr. Deborah Hendrickson,
Kenya
Read: Matthew 1:18-25
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Keep your lives free from the love
of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never
will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
Our idea of what we require to make
us better and happy is many times fixed in the material world. We are convinced
that if we just had "this or that" we would then be happy and satisfied.
But when we actually get what we want, we already have our eyes on the
next "this or that" that we think we need to be happy. There can and will
be no end to such longings.
What God has placed openly before
us to make us better and happy is Himself, Emmanuel, God With Us. He did
that in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. And upon Jesus' ascension
into heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in us. To know the Father
who sent the Son and to know His love and grace for us is to know contentment.
This goes beyond being happy. Contentment is being assured in your spirit
that God is with you in all your circumstances of life. There is an inner
peace that comes to us when we know the Father pours out His love and grace
to us at all times.
Our level of contentment is often
times tested. How content are we when life's circumstances take a wry turn;
when our health is not good or our work seems to have no effect or our
resources, including money, are never what we'd like them to be? If we
lack contentment, we should ask God for this gift. And God is able to make
all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all
that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8).
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The above meditation comes from
Patterns for Life, a one-year daily devotional for health professionals.
Copyright, MAP International, Africa (used with permission).
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