January 3, 2019
Septic Thoughts: Overcoming False Beliefs (Part 2)
Below you will find an audio of the devotion being read for you, followed by the written devotion. Listen on the go, listen as you read along, or enjoy reading it without the audio. God bless!
Dissatisfaction Guaranteed
The average American, especially those that live in our area, is among the most wealthy people in the history of the world. This is not an exaggerated statement. It is a fact. You may be thinking, not me though…well consider this. If you are below poverty level, making $23,000 or less a year (that number includes all benefits: food stamps, housing assistance, social security, etc.), you are more wealthy than over 97% of the world today! The fact that you have a roof over your head, plumbing, clean water, electricity, a pair of clothes, public transportation, or your own car; these things put you light years ahead of a lot of people around the world. Even the homeless people in America have it far better than a lot of the world! I don’t believe there is any embellishment in that statement either. 1 in 7 people is going without food in the world today. Due to the benevolence and the wealth in our country, our homeless have quite a few sources that at least give them free food regularly.
The average American, especially those that live in our area, is among the most wealthy people in the history of the world. This is not an exaggerated statement. It is a fact. You may be thinking, not me though…well consider this. If you are below poverty level, making $23,000 or less a year (that number includes all benefits: food stamps, housing assistance, social security, etc.), you are more wealthy than over 97% of the world today! The fact that you have a roof over your head, plumbing, clean water, electricity, a pair of clothes, public transportation, or your own car; these things put you light years ahead of a lot of people around the world. Even the homeless people in America have it far better than a lot of the world! I don’t believe there is any embellishment in that statement either. 1 in 7 people is going without food in the world today. Due to the benevolence and the wealth in our country, our homeless have quite a few sources that at least give them free food regularly.
Someone reading, or listening to this devotion, may still be convinced they are not blessed. If I only had this, or I only had that. I don’t have everything I need or want. HELLO! Nobody has everything they want or think they need.
Despite how incredibly blessed we are, we often allow discontent to pollute our mind, and ultimately, our attitudes. I love how Craig Groeschel puts it, “Amid the bounty of blessings we experience daily, thoughts of dissatisfaction pop up like pimples on a teenager.”
No matter how many blessings we have, or how many things are going right, we somehow slide into thinking about what is wrong.
-We wish something about our body or our health was better.
-We wish something about our marriage was better, or we wish to be married instead of single.
-While much of the world would be elated at the opportunity to earn an income, doing any kind of work, we find reasons to resent having to go to work.
-We wish the food we have tasted better…even though we might be the one who cooked it.
-We have a closet and drawers full of clothes, but we are upset that we don’t have anything to wear.
-Even though our car gets us from point A to point B, we wish our car was faster, more comfortable, or a different color. Listen, I get it. The gas door on my van doesn’t work right. It is annoying! But I don’t need to go get a new van because of it! And right now, I don’t need to spend the $450 the dealer wants to charge me to replace it and paint it. I am very discontented with that price!
We need to learn to stop and count our blessings! Sometimes we can’t count any higher than four because our thumb is stuck in our mouth. This is where Sis Terrie says, “Oh snap!”
The psalmist said that the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Even on my worst day, there is something I can find to thank God for. I am still blessed beyond measure! If I will change my focus, I will be able to see that God is doing great things all around me.
Let’s adopt a perspective of praise!
Psalm 103:1-10 (ESV)
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
Psalm 34:1-3 (ESV) 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Whenever we feel the gnarly fingers of discontentment start to wrap themselves around our minds, let’s immediately start counting our blessings. Praise will defeat discontentment every time!
You will feel so much better, and so will those who spend time with you! Someone who praises often makes for great company. You will enjoy your life more and God will inhabit all you do, because God inhabits the PRAISES of His people.
Have a blessed day today. I love and appreciate you!