//God is Always Near//Christ in the Single Life//

      Sunrise to sunset to sunrise again, God's faithfulness is evident in every moment of our lives. We may not feel his presence, but scripture is clear that He is always near. We are given glimpses of His nearness during the Children of Israel's dessert wanderings when he lead them by pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.

"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people." Exodus 13:21-22

We see Him walking in the garden with Adam and Eve. Again when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers at Pentecost in Acts 2 we see Christ's nearness to His children. The most physical time we ever see God's nearness to us is when He sent His pure unblemished son, Jesus, into our sinful impure world. He walked, taught, ate, slept and lived amongst His created beings and bridged the separation between God and man....forever. Oh how thankful I am for His desire to see those whom He's chosen come into His presence and be eternally near under His protective arm. 

    As I was driving to the gym today, thinking over the past few weeks of my life, I realized that without God as my savior, none of the crazy messes I make as a human would ever make sense. Relationships with people would be pointless (other than for self gratification, which would soon become unfulfilling), I would be unable to find contentment in my job, and the ability to look beyond what is happening in our government would no longer be present. His presence in my life is the most satisfying thing and I am happy to be able to run to Him 24/7 365.

   The last month as been one of the most unique times in my life when I've come face to face with my singleness. God placed me in some unique situations where I would be tested on how strong I would stand for His truth and what scripture says concerning guy-girl relationships. During this month, I would be asked what my opinion was on dating a non-believer. When asked by a non-believer if I'd dated much, I would be given a blank stare when I replied unashamedly "No, I haven't." (Many non-believers don't get why you'd save yourself for marriage thus it's okay to date around and play around). I was approached by an older gentleman from my church who without even knowing what my month had looked like, encouraged me to wait patiently on the Lord for God to bring the right man (if your a single girl in a church, I'm sure you've had this happen to you before, if not...it will come :P ). I  made//mistakes// and lived through them. I showed brashness in certain situations when patience and time would have been better. It was a month of learning. A time to grow in my ability to relate to others in my God given situation in life. Overall, it was a unique month full of growth in learning about my single life and how strong my most important relationship that I do have (with Christ) is. 

   Of course, hind sight is always 20/20, but I know God had/has a plan in it all. I have felt God's presence more in my life during the past couple months than I have ever before. I have become more grateful for Christ's work on the cross that wipes out all our mistakes, covers our blemishes, and leads us through relationship qualms. Christ is the father to the fatherless, the ultimate comforter, and the shoulder to lean on. I am truly grateful for my Main Man, Jesus. <3  May you find comfort in His tenderness as well, seek His face, daily commune with Him....blessings will abound.

   Because I have felt God's closeness more so the past few months, I can also say that I have grown by leaps and bounds in contentment. Though I look forward to the day when God calls me to stand side by side a man as his helpmate, I am also glad for this time in my life as a single person to pursue God, my ultimate groom, and learn more about His character and desire for my life. He is always there, standing by me, pursuing me, and ever forgiving me when mistakes are made. He is there for you as well, and will not let you fall out of His grasp. Praise Him!

  

  
  

{{Learned}} Contentment ~ Leaning on Christ's Finished Work

wordsimagined.blogspot.com

   As I sit here, this chilly February day, in my cozy home wrapped in a fuzzy blanket sipping a hot cup of tea and reading the last chapter in the book of Philippians, one would think that contentment would be the last thing on my mind. I live in America, have no immediate needs, a full refrigerator and clean drinking water await me in a clean kitchen, I have several quality friends, and yes, I live under a government that, though I disagree with morally and financially, still allows me religious freedom and the ability to have my own opinion which I can voice and will not be arrested for. Life is good.

   Yet the question than arises, why work on contentment? Aren't you 100% fully satisfied? Unfortunately, no...I'm human, your human...discontentment runs rampant, even in the best of times. In Philippians, Paul is quick to remind us that in whatever situation we find ourselves, contentment must be learned. "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." ~ Philippians 4:11 Even Paul himself, a man who wrote God's divinely inspired word, had to go through the courses of learning contentment. I have found that no matter what place of life I am in, there is always a piece of my heart that is not leaning on my hope in Christ, but rather, is looking for something else to fulfill me. Whether it be a lack of contentment in my job, salary, health and allergies, my singleness, my body, or my discontentment in the leadership God has placed in my life...contentment is always being {{learned}}. Yes, {{learned}}.

   Look back at Philippians 4:11, it is there that we see the word {{learned}} used in connection with contentment. At one point in time, I wrote down in my bible the following information, most likely given from some chapel speaker at The Master's College: "{{Learned.}} Greek form is mafano, which means continuously {{learned}}. It is not instantaneous. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, 'now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.' We must commit it to our mind. To be content without ______ I must {{learn}} to depend on the Lordship of Jesus Christ." ~ Unknown.

   It is only through Christ that contentment can come. Though it may be a difficult path to travel, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13. It is a continuous lesson...weather you be  9 or 99, there will always be something that dissatisfies you. So, {{learn}} with me now the ability to be seeking the face of Christ, kneeling before Him daily and thanking Him for the blessings He has already bestowed on you. The more I {{learn}} about contentment, the realization hits that contentment stems out of a heart of gratitude. Work on praying for those difficult relationships in your life, the stressful job, the desire to be married (or single, if your in a rough marriage), or the health issues you may be facing. If you don't already have a heart of thankfulness in some of these areas, the Lord will be faithful to place a gleaming spark of peace in your heart that will work itself out in contentment towards where He sovereignly has you and with whom He has you. In most of his letters, Paul begins with saying he is thankful to God in every prayer of his for the people, or for Christ Jesus who gave Himself for our sins, even to those he was correcting. May we learn from this. A heart that is willing to thank Christ is a heart that will be more content and able to minister to others for the sake of the gospel!