Good morning!
I hope this day finds you and your family well. I invite you to take a few moments with me to read and reflect upon today’s scripture selection — and to carry these thoughts with you into your day.
Today’s Scripture: Philippians 4:10-19
10 I rejoice[a] in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it.[b] 11 Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.
15 You Philippians indeed know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. 16 For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs more than once. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account. 18 I have been paid in full and have more than enough; I am fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Tim’s Devotional Reflection for Today
Years ago, some friends of mine were driving across Texas on I-20. Since it was around 2 am, there wasn’t much traffic. You know how it is at that time of the night. They were sort of groggy, and everything seemed a little surreal.
Then, they recounted later, it became more surreal. A hearse passed them in the left lane pulling a U-Haul trailer. They looked at each other and said — almost in unison — “So, you CAN take it with you!”
But we all know the truth: all of the stuff in the U-Haul — and all of our other possessions — are transient. All of it is temporary. It doesn’t ultimately satisfy nor does it last. Jesus says, “Take care, be on your guard against all kinds of greed. For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
Do we really believe that? That one’s life is not the sum total of what we possess? We don’t always behave as though we believe that. But, again, when it comes down to it, our life doesn’t consist in the abundance of possessions. Paul, who had a very difficult life, found the elusive quantity called “enough” and the elusive quality called “contentment.”
Earlier in Paul’s life, there must have been times when he was not content. There must have been times when he thought, If only I had that or if only circumstances were different, then life would be worth living. But Paul learned where to find what he had always been looking for. And when he did, everything else paled in comparison.
He wrote, “Yet whatever gains I have, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and I regard them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8)
Have you discovered the elusive quantity called “enough” and the elusive quality called “contentment”?
More than a century ago, John D. Rockefeller’s famous answer to that question spoke for many of us: “Just a little bit more.” It is that answer to the question that robs us of contentment.
Enough. While it is a word we use repeatedly, do we recognize “enough” when we see it?
When have we worked enough?
When have we earned enough?
When have we bought enough?
When have we spent time enough?
When have we accumulated enough?
When are we prepared enough?
Enough is a tricky thing to measure, and that difficulty is compounded by advertising, which promises us that the next thing will finally be enough.
How much is enough?
I had the opportunity a number of years ago to attend an event where the speaker was David Robinson, the retired superstar center for the San Antonio Spurs. He spoke about what his faith meant to him and how it rearranged what he valued most. He recounted how he had several cars, two houses, and more money than he ever dreamed he would have.
Yet, he looked at Michael Jordan embracing the Chicago Bulls’ first championship trophy, and he was envious. He wanted some of what Michael Jordan had. He said that what he had should have been enough — more than enough.
That experience made him realize that material things ultimately can’t satisfy our deepest needs. For him, that was his wake-up call. That experience caused him to search for what truly satisfies, and he found that in his faith in Christ. In Christ, he found abundant life.
In our reading for today, Paul says, “I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
I am more and more convinced that the concept of enough is critically important for our world and its future. In our global village, our understanding of enough relates directly to whether others have enough. In our global village, our sense of enough relates directly to the average temperature trends in our world. In our global village, our understanding of enough relates directly to the world we leave for our children and grandchildren.
I should have learned about the elusive quality of enough when I was six or seven years old. One summer afternoon, there was a beautiful rainbow out behind my grandmother’s house. She told me that there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. I’m sure she got a kick out of watching me from her back porch set out across the pasture to find that pot of gold. I remember learning that day that rainbows are elusive. As I walked, the end of the rainbow moved away from me as fast as I tried to move toward it. I walked faster, and the rainbow moved away faster. I learned that day that chasing pots of gold at the end of rainbows is not at all fulfilling.
And, as if to drive home the point, as my focus was on that gold, I stepped in a cow patty.
Hymn: “Seek Ye First” by Karen Lafferty (1972)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness;
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
Seek, and you shall find.
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Man shall not live by bread alone,
But by every word
That proceeds out from the mouth of God.
Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Thank you for sharing this moment of your day with me, with God, and with these reflections on a portion of scripture. I hope you will carry these with you throughout your day and night.
Grace and Peace,
Dr. Tim Bruster
Senior Pastor
