A Caregiver's Contentment

I first experienced peace with God through the gospel of Christ when I was a college student. That peace resulting from God's gift of salvation can never be taken away from me. Through Christ's atoning sacrifice, the Father receives the repentant sinner calling upon Him in faith. God declares the sinner righteous in Christ. God adopts the sinner as His own child. God ends all hostility between Himself and the new believer. Christ's blood produces more than an armistice or a cessation of hostility. The spiritual war between that individual and God is over, forever. Amen!

The peace of God is the experience of joy and satisfaction in the Lord. That peace is real and experiential, although disobedience to the Lord's will can introduce conflict in the experience of it. Having peace with God and the peace of God produces great contentment, as happened in me. From the world's perspective, I'm a tragic, helpless victim, and I should be screaming out for recognition of my victimhood.

How does the world, the flesh, and the devil attack? Here's another example during the caregiving years: "Greg, you have no job, no income, no flexibility, no wife, no kids, no goals beyond the day." The enemy then gives voice to a nameless "Christian" who comes along and questions: "Greg, at your age, how can you justify not doing anything with your life? or not having a job?" Whew.....that's when you have to hold your tongue, shake the dust off your feet, move along, and wait upon the Lord to set the record straight on the Day of His choosing.

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." Phil 4:11

Contentment with the Lord's care, His will, His judgments, His timing frees us from chasing the empty things of this world, success, assets, money, fame, reputation, respectability, the admiration and accolades, and especially the approval of those who don't know the Lord.