Monday's Blessing

Patricia R.
on 3/7/11 5:43 am - Perry, MI

March 7

Living Above Cir****tances

Philippians 1:12-18

While under house arrest, Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians. The apostle could receive visitors but couldn’t travel. Despite living in a home, Paul was more than likely chained to a Roman soldier 24 hours a day. Moreover, because he knew that a trial was years away, these were his living conditions for the foreseeable future—perhaps for the rest of his life.

Under such cir****tances, Paul might have been tempted to cry out to heaven for release. After all, God had called him to preach, to disciple believers, and to reach the Gentiles. But he was stuck in Rome, unable to plant new churches or visit those whom he was nurturing by letter. Beside being unjust, the imprisonment was keeping him from important work. Surely, if anyone had a right to gripe, it was Paul, who’d endured persecution, shipwreck, and beatings for the gospel. Yet he never once complained. His letter to the church at Philippi is filled with rejoicing, as focusing on God let him live above his cir****tances (Phil. 4:8).

The more we talk and complain about a situation, the worse it looks, until the problem looms larger in our mind than our faith does. Conversely, carrying challenges straight to God keeps matters in perspective. The Lord is bigger than any hardship. On His strength, we rise above the difficulty.

Problems can look so big and unwieldy that they distort our perspective. God invites us to live above our cir****tances by fastening our eyes upon Him. The trials of this life shrink when compared to our loving, powerful Lord, who exercises His might in defense of His people.

Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.
Albert Schweitzer 96179

Patricia R.
on 3/7/11 5:59 am - Perry, MI

RNY on 08/28/06

This devotion shows me how much I have grown, and how sad my mother's perspective on life is. Example: When I was in the hospital with blood clots, I was bedridden, and unable to receive my one psychotropic medication because the pharmacy was closed when I was admitted through the ER in the middle of the night, and then it did not open right away in the morning. I was unable to sleep even with the substitute med they gave me. When I spoke with my mother about my situation, I was agitated, which is normal without the one medication, and I also was having difficulty communicated with the kitchen about ordering my breakfast. I was venting to Mom, over the phone, and her answer was, "Throw a fit. You're entitled." I used to throw fits all the time when things did not go my way, but I would not do that. It was not the fault of the nurses caring for me that the pharmacy did not send the medication I needed. I was not going to take out my frustration on them.

A similar thing happened with my flight to Florida a couple of weeks ago. Both my original flight and my connection were delayed, so much so, that I sat at JFK in New York for seven hours, and did not arrive in Tampa until 4 a.m. I called to yack with Mom, and she started to try to give me a pity party. I laughed, and told her to remember the scene from Forrest Gump where Forrest was running, and stepped in some dog dirt, and someone with him told him that, and Forrest said, "It happens." I was not going to let the Enemy ruin my son's Christmas present by whining and complaining about the lousy weather that delayed my flights. Chris, my son, felt terrible about it, and I was cheerful and told him I was grateful to get to Tampa, regardless of the hour. I was able to do every single thing I wanted to do while there, and I also had blessed opportunities to talk with him, and grow closer to him as a result.

How has the devil tried to get under your skin and ruin your testimony?

Hugs,
Trish

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