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Theme of the Week: How to Dis Discontent
Craig Barnes
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: I have learned to get along happily whether I have much or little (Philippians 4:11). Bonus Reading: Philippians 4:10-20
Life is never good enough for some people, while others have great joy even though their lives are plagued by problems. According to the apostle Paul, the problem for those who are never happy is that "their minds and consciences are corrupted" (Titus 1:15, NIV). It's as if a bad computer virus has corrupted all their spiritual files. We're all created to enjoy this brief life by finding the marks of the Creator in everything He's made. Yet sin has distorted our vision, making it hard for us to see God's good work. Instead we see only a world that's not good enough, a family that's imperfect, or friends and colleagues who don't appreciate us.
It's tempting to just get new friends, change jobs, and bombard our family members with criticism. Yet the problem doesn't lie out there. It lies in our own corrupted minds and guilt-ridden consciences. Until we deal with these corrupted files through confession, the invitation to joy won't compute for us. That's because joy is essentially an expression of gratitude, and nothing makes us as grateful as believing we're forgiven. When we're overwhelmed by the grace we've received, it's hard to be judgmental of the world around us.
—Craig Barnes in An Extravagant Mercy
My Response: Today, I'll thank God for my most basic blessings.
Thought to Apply: Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. —JOHN WOODEN (basketball coach)
Adapted from An Extravagant Mercy (Jossey-Bass, 2004) by permission.
Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
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Lord, make me grateful for Your past blessings, confident of Your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
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