Good morning,

This week we begin a month-long study of the Bible. The Bible is… series. The Bible is God’s word, is practical, is to be obeyed, is about Israel, and is about Jesus and salvation.

Personally, my life has been influenced greatly by the Bible. Jesus Christ is my foundation and God’s word is my direction. Everything I am today is because God revealed His word to me. He taught me how to live in this ungodly world. He showed me that victory in the Christian life is through Him. And all this is revealed in the Bible.

Come with me on a journey to explore what the Bible says. The Scriptures are always helpful, encouraging, and challenging. That’s how we grow in our relationship with God!

The Bible is the Word of God

“The B I B L E, now that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God. The B I B L E, Bible.”

The longevity of the Bible

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Isaiah 40:8

But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 1 Peter 1:25

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:18

The authority of the Bible

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Did it ever occur to you that the Bible is eternal? The Word of God will never go away. God’s Word will never change. Why? Because God Himself never changes. The Bible is a reliable book. It can be trusted to lead in the proper direction every time.

So, how do we know this? The Bible tells us that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” That means God gave it to specific men to write down to preserve for us today. How does it lead us? “…profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” God gave us His word to teach, convict, correct, and instruct us. If we are listening and trusting God, He will direct us.

If we study the Bible, God will reveal His direction for us.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com  

Good morning,

This week we begin a month-long study of the Bible. The Bible is… series. The Bible is God’s word, is practical, is to be obeyed, is about Israel, and is about Jesus and salvation.

Personally, my life has been influenced greatly by the Bible. Jesus Christ is my foundation and God’s word is my direction. Everything I am today is because God revealed His word to me. He taught me how to live in this ungodly world. He showed me that victory in the Christian life is through Him. And all this is revealed in the Bible.

Come with me on a journey to explore what the Bible says. The Scriptures are always helpful, encouraging, and challenging. That’s how we grow in our relationship with God!

The Bible is the Word of God

“The B I B L E, now that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God. The B I B L E, Bible.”

The origin of the Bible

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2

The giving of the Bible

And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Exodus 34:28

The longevity of the Bible

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Isaiah 40:8

But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 1 Peter 1:25

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:18

The authority of the Bible

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The power of the Bible

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Proverbs 30:5

The response to the Bible

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. John 6:68

Conclusion

The Bible was with God from the beginning

The Bible is God’s authority on what His people are to do

The Bible was given to everyone by God

The Bible is powerful

The Bible demands a response

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

This week we begin a month-long study of the Bible. The Bible is… series. The Bible is God’s word, is practical, is to be obeyed, is about Israel, and is about Jesus and salvation.

Personally, my life has been influenced greatly by the Bible. Jesus Christ is my foundation and God’s word is my direction. Everything I am today is because God revealed His word to me. He taught me how to live in this ungodly world. He showed me that victory in the Christian life is through Him. And all this is revealed in the Bible.

Come with me on a journey to explore what the Bible says. The Scriptures are always helpful, encouraging, and challenging. That’s how we grow in our relationship with God!

The Bible is the Word of God

“The B I B L E, now that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God. The B I B L E, Bible.”

The origin of the Bible

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2

The giving of the Bible

And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Exodus 34:28

When we think of the Bible, we think about a book that has God’s word in it. But before the world was created, God’s word was already in existence. God has graciously allowed us to have His word in book form. We can access it whenever we choose, to determine what God would have us do. We have the mind of God in our very hands.

Moses received the ten commandments directly from God. He also received the ceremonial law at that same time. This was God’s directions on how the Israelites were to live. God identified every area of life. A step by step plan for living.

Now, we have the Bible that tells us even more. Only one problem. We choose to ignore God’s direction in our lives. The Bible says this, but we reject it. We have a better way. How’s that working for you?

Choose to trust God today.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

Good morning,

Memorial Day is Monday, 31 May 2021.

God has given us many memorials. This week we will look at five of them.

The Lord’s Supper, the Rainbow, the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Purim.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

5.  The feast of Purim 

The fifth memorial can be found in Esther 9:28. 

“And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.”  (Esther 9:28) 

In the book of Esther you may remember that Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, who was the king’s favorite. As a result, Haman made plans to massacre the Jews on a fixed date. Mordecai went to Esther and persuaded her to intercede with the king. Esther invited the king and Haman to a banquet. At the banquet Esther reveals Haman’s plans to massacre the Jews, and Haman is hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Since the edict for the massacre cannot be revoked, the king sends a edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves. The Jews take advantage of this to kill their enemies. The deliverance is commemorated at the feast of Purim.

The special feast continues to be celebrated by Jews to this day to celebrate their deliverance from Haman’s destruction through Queen Esther’s actions. So it is a self-proclaimed memorial to the Jews to this very day. During the Purim, the Esther scroll is read aloud in the synagogues.

Other festivals were ordained by Divine authority this one was initiated by Mordecai and Esther. Yet its commemoration was undoubtedly sanctioned by God whose merciful interposition it records.

CONCLUSION:

So, what we can learn from this is not so much the memorial that the Jews proclaimed, but rather the fact that God is a protector and deliverer of those who look to him and trust in him. It is a memorial to illustrate the Graciousness of God.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Memorial Day is Monday, 31 May 2021.

God has given us many memorials. This week we will look at five of them.

The Lord’s Supper, the Rainbow, the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Purim.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

4.  Feast of the Tabernacles

The fourth memorial is found in found in Leviticus 23:39-43.

“Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.⁴⁰ And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.⁴¹ And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.⁴² Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: ⁴³ That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”  (Leviticus 23:39-43) 

This is talking about the Feast of the Tabernacles. It fell in the Autumn when the full harvest of corn, wine and oil had been gathered in. It was the last great feast of the year. It was a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving when Israel showed their gratitude to God and remembered that He had delivered them from Egyptian bondage and brought them into a land which produced so many good things.

It came five days after the Day of Atonement when the sin of the people had been removed. During the seven days of the feast Israel dwelt in booths or tents made from the boughs of trees. It would remind them of the 40 years in the wilderness when they dwelt in tents, the This is talking about the Feast of the Tabernacles.

The feast pointed forward to the full harvest and the result of Christ’s work during the Millennium. It will be at this time that the whole earth will rejoice with Israel and keep the feast of Tabernacles. 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Memorial Day is Monday, 31 May 2021.

God has given us many memorials. This week we will look at five of them.

The Lord’s Supper, the Rainbow, the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Purim.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

MEMORIALS

1. The Lord’s Supper

The first memorial we are considering in this list is found in Luke 22:19-20. 

“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.²⁰ Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”  (Luke 22:19-20) 

Of course, the greatest memorial of them all is the Lord’s Supper which is a reminder of the broken body and shed blood of Christ.

The Communion service is a service of remembrance. It is the equivalent of the Passover feast under the Law of Moses. The Communion takes us back to our salvation from sin through Christ, which was made possible on the cross and to which we became related by baptism. Keeping this commandment is therefore something we naturally want to do.

2.  The Rainbow

The second memorial can be found in Genesis chapter 9:12-17.

“And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-17)

The memorial is the rainbow, and it is a reminder that God would never again destroy the world by a flood.

In the verses in the above quote, the rainbow is described as a token of the covenant. So, God is saying that whenever he sees this sign or monument in the sky, it will remind him of the covenant between him and every living creature on the earth. In other words, it is a memorial not only for God but also for us. Whenever we see the rainbow it is to remind us of the covenant, that never again will there be a flood to destroy all life on the earth.     

3. The Passover

The third memorial is found in Exodus 12:11-14. In the verse leading up to these verses the Israelites are told to take an unblemished lamb and kill it. They shall take the blood from it and place it on the side and tops of the door frames of the houses where they should eat the lamb.

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.¹³ And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.¹⁴ And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”

So, the Passover was important as a memorial to the Israelites as it reminded them:

1. God’s separation of His people from the Gentiles.

2. God’s protection of His people.

3. God’s deliverance of His people.

4. God’s requirements of His people, that is, dedication to Him.

5. God’s commandment to them to keep the feast annually to remind them of all God had done for them.

4.  Feast of the Tabernacles

The fourth memorial is found in found in Leviticus 23:39-43.

“Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.⁴⁰ And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.⁴¹ And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.⁴² Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: ⁴³ That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”  (Leviticus 23:39-43) 

This is talking about the Feast of the Tabernacles. It fell in the Autumn when the full harvest of corn, wine and oil had been gathered in. It was the last great feast of the year. It was a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving when Israel showed their gratitude to God and remembered that He had delivered them from Egyptian bondage and brought them into a land which produced so many good things.

It came five days after the Day of Atonement when the sin of the people had been removed. During the seven days of the feast Israel dwelt in booths or tents made from the boughs of trees. It would remind them of the 40 years in the wilderness when they dwelt in tents, the This is talking about the Feast of the Tabernacles.

The feast pointed forward to the full harvest and the result of Christ’s work during the Millennium. It will be at this time that the whole earth will rejoice with Israel and keep the feast of Tabernacles. 

5.  The feast of Purim 

The fifth memorial can be found in Esther 9:28. 

“And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.”  (Esther 9:28) 

In the book of Esther you may remember that Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, who was the king’s favorite. As a result, Haman made plans to massacre the Jews on a fixed date. Mordecai went to Esther and persuaded her to intercede with the king. Esther invited the king and Haman to a banquet. At the banquet Esther reveals Haman’s plans to massacre the Jews, and Haman is hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Since the edict for the massacre cannot be revoked, the king sends a edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves. The Jews take advantage of this to kill their enemies. The deliverance is commemorated at the feast of Purim.

The special feast continues to be celebrated by Jews to this day to celebrate their deliverance from Haman’s destruction through Queen Esther’s actions. So it is a self-proclaimed memorial to the Jews to this very day. During the Purim, the Esther scroll is read aloud in the synagogues.

Other festivals were ordained by Divine authority this one was initiated by Mordecai and Esther. Yet its commemoration was undoubtedly sanctioned by God whose merciful events it records.

CONCLUSION:

So, what we can learn from this is not so much the memorial that the Jews proclaimed, but rather the fact that God is a protector and deliverer of those who look to him and trust in him. It is a memorial to illustrate the Graciousness of God.

Memorials are for:

Remembrance

Worship

Learning

Teaching

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Memorial Day is Monday, 31 May 2021.

God has given us many memorials. This week we will look at five of them.

The Lord’s Supper, the Rainbow, the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Purim.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

MEMORIALS

3. The Passover

The third memorial is found in Exodus 12:11-14. In the verse leading up to these verses the Israelites are told to take an unblemished lamb and kill it. They shall take the blood from it and place it on the side and tops of the door frames of the houses where they should eat the lamb.

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.¹³ And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.¹⁴ And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”

So the Passover was important as a memorial to the Israelites as it reminded them:

1. God’s separation of His people from the Gentiles.

2. God’s protection of His people.

3. God’s deliverance of His people.

4. God’s requirements of His people, that is, dedication to Him.

5. God’s commandment to them to keep the feast annually to remind them of all God had done for them.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Memorial Day is Monday, 31 May 2021.

God has given us many memorials. This week we will look at five of them.

The Lord’s Supper, the Rainbow, the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Purim.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

MEMORIALS

1. The Lord’s Supper

The first memorial we are considering in this list is found in Luke 22:19-20. 

“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.²⁰ Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”  (Luke 22:19-20) 

Of course, the greatest memorial of them all is the Lord’s Supper which is a reminder of the broken body and shed blood of Christ.

The Communion service is a service of remembrance. It is the equivalent of the Passover feast under the Law of Moses. The Communion takes us back to our salvation from sin through Christ, which was made possible on the cross and to which we became related by baptism. Keeping this commandment is therefore something we naturally want to do. We do this in obedience to Christ’s command.

2.  The Rainbow

The second memorial can be found in Genesis 9:12-17.

“And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-17)

The memorial is the rainbow, and it is a reminder that God would never again destroy the world by a flood.

In the verses in the above quote, the rainbow is described as a token of the covenant. So God is saying that whenever He sees this sign or monument in the sky, it will remind Him of the covenant between Him and every living creature on the earth. In other words, it is a memorial not only for God but also for us. Whenever we see the rainbow it is to remind us of the covenant, that never again will there be a flood to destroy all life on the earth.     

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

It is not easy for us to learn this lesson

(J.R. Miller, “Losing SELF in Christ” 1903) 

“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24

Only as we learn to die to self–do we become like Christ.

Human nature seeks all for self–and none for Christ. Becoming a Christian is the taking of Christ into the life, in the place of self. Then all is changed. Life has a new center, a new aim. Christ comes first. His plan for our lives is accepted, instead of our own. It is no more what we would like to do, but “What does the Master want us to do?” It is no longer the pressing of our own will, but “May Your will, not mine, be done.”

This is the foundation of all Christian living–the dying of self, and the growing of Christ in the heart. So long as there remains any self-will, any unsubmission, any spirit of disobedience, any unconquered self, asserting its authority against the will of Christ–just so long, is our consecration incomplete.

This law of the dying of SELF, and the magnifying of Christ, is the only way to true usefulness. Not until self has been renounced, is anyone ready for true Christian service. While we are thinking how this or that will affect us, whether it will pay us to make this sacrifice or that self-denial; while we are consulting our own ease, our own comfort, our own interest or advantage in any form–we have not yet learned fully what the love of Christ means.

This law of the dying of SELF, and the magnifying of Christ–is the secret of Christian peace. When Christ is small, and SELF is large, life cannot be deeply restful. Everything annoys us. We grow impatient of whatever breaks our comfort. We grieve over little trials. We find causes for discontent in merest trifles. We resent whatever would hinder or oppose us. There is no blue sky in the ‘picture’ of which SELF is the center!

But when SELF decreases and Christ increases–then the life of friction and worry is changed into quietness and peace. When the glory of Christ streams over this little, cramped, fretted, broken life of ours–peace comes, and the love of Christ brightens every spot and sweetens all bitterness. Trials are easy to bear–when self is small, and Christ is large.

This lesson has its very practical bearing on all our common, every-day life. Naturally, we want to have our own way. We like to carry out our own plans and ambitions. We are apt to feel, too, that we have failed in life, when we cannot realize these hopes. But this is the world’s standard! The successful worldling is the one who is able to master all life’s circumstances, and make them serve him.

But the greatest thing possible in any life is to have the divine plan for it fulfilled–even though it thwarts every human hope and dashes away every earthly dream. It is not easy for us to learn this lesson–that God’s ways are always better for us than our own!

We make our little plans and begin to carry them out. We think we have all things arranged for our greatest happiness and our best good. Then God’s plan breaks in upon ours, and we look down through our tears upon the shattered fragments of our fine plans! All seems wreck, loss, and disaster! But no–it is only God’s larger, wiser, better plan–displacing our little, imperfect, short-sighted one!

It is true, that God really thinks about our lives–and has a purpose of His own for them, a place He would have us fill, a work He would have us do. It seems when we think of it, that this is scarcely possible–that each one of the lives of His countless children–should be personally and individually thought about by the Father. Yet we know that this is true of the least and lowliest of believers. Surely if God cares enough for us to make a plan for our life, a heavenly plan–it must be better than any plan of ours could be! It is a high honor, therefore–for His plan to take the place of ours, whatever the cost and the pain may be to us!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

How can we learn contentment?

(J.R. Miller, “The Hidden Life” 1895)  LISTEN to audio!  Download audio

“I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Philippians 4:11

How can we learn contentment?

One step toward contentment, is patient submission to unavoidable ills and hardships. No earthly lot is perfect. No mortal ever yet in this world, has found a set of circumstances without some drawback. There are . . .
  trials which we cannot change into blessings,
  burdens which we cannot lay down,
  crosses which we must continue to carry,
  thorns in the flesh which must remain with their rankling pain.
When we have such trials, why should we not sweetly accept them as part of God’s best way with us?

Discontent never made . . .
  a rough path smoother,
  a heavy burden lighter,
  a bitter cup less bitter,
  a dark way brighter,
  a sore sorrow less sore.
It only makes matters worse!

One who accepts with patience, that which he cannot change–has learned one secret of victorious living.

Another part of the lesson, is that we can learn to moderate our desires. “Having food and clothing,” says Paul again, “let us be content with these.” Very much of our discontent arises from envy of those who seem to be more favored than ourselves. Many people lose most of the comfort out of their own lot–in coveting the finer, more luxurious things which some neighbor has. Yet if they knew the whole story of the life they envy for its greater prosperity, they probably would not exchange for it their own lowlier life with its more humble circumstances. Or if they could make the exchange, it is not likely they would find half so much real happiness in the other position, as they would have enjoyed in their own.

Contentment does not dwell so often in palaces–as in the homes of the humble. The tall peaks rise higher and are more conspicuous–but the winds smite them more fiercely than they do the quiet valleys. And surely, the lot in life which God makes for us, is always the best which could be made for us for the time. He knows better than we do, what our true needs are.

The real cause of our discontent is not in our circumstances; if it were, a change of circumstances might cure it. It is in ourselves, and wherever we go–we shall carry our discontent heart with us. The only cure which will affect anything, must be the curing of the fever of discontent in us.

A fine secret of contentment, lies in finding and extracting all the pleasure we can get from the things we have–the common, everyday things; while we enter upon no mad, vain chase after impossible dreams. In whatever state we are in, we may find therein enough for our needs.

No earthly misfortune can touch the wealth which a Christian holds in the divine promises and hopes. Just in the measure, therefore, in which we learn to live for spiritual and unseen eternal realities–do we find contentment amid earth’s trials and losses. If we would live to please God, to build up Christlike character in ourselves, and to lay up treasure in Heaven–we shall not depend for happiness, on the way things go with us here on earth, nor on the measure of temporal goods we have. The earthly desires are crowded out by the higher and spiritual desires. We can do without childhood’s toys–when we have manhood’s better possessions. We desire the toys of this world less, as we get more of God and Heaven into our hearts.

Paul knew this secret. He cheerfully gave up all that this world had for him. Money had no power over him. He knew how to live in plenty; but he did not fret when poverty came instead. He was content in any trial, because earth meant so little–and Christ meant so much to him. He did not need the things he did not have. He was not made poor by the things he lost. He was not vexed by the sufferings he had to endure–because the sources of his life were in Heaven and could not be touched by earthly experiences of pain or loss.

These are hints of the way we may learn to be content in whatever circumstances. Surely the lesson is worth learning! One year of sweet contentment, amid earth’s troublous scenes–is better than a whole lifetime of vexed, restless discontent! The lesson can be learned, too, by anyone who is truly Christ’s disciple; for did not the Master say, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you.”

The artist painted life as a dark, storm-swept sea, covered with wrecks. Then out of the midst of the wild waves, he made to rise a great rock, in a cleft of which, high up, amid herbage and flowers–he painted a dove sitting quietly on her nest. It is a picture of Christian peace in the midst of this world’s strifes and storms. In the cleft of the Rock, is the home of contentment.

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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com