Devotionals for the Heart: Finding Contentment Amidst Commercialism

Where To Find Contentment
A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

“I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.”–Philippians 4:11-13 (MSG)

Contentedness is illusive in our culture. Everywhere we turn we are confronted with advertising that tells us that we need something more to make us happy in our lives. Even when we think we’re good, commercialism tells us we are not.

When the Apostle Paul wrote the above words to the Christians in Philippi, he was in prison for being an evangelist. It was a time of physical discomfort and great need for himself and his friend Timothy. Yet when Paul received a care package from the church, he responded by saying he is content.

My friend Josy is an amazing person who models for me the contented life. Born in rural Kenya, she knew poverty. Her family lived without running water or power in a home with dirt floors. Food was scarce while hunger was prevalent. To better her life for herself and her family, Josy married. But her husband was abusive. Going from bad to worse, she gave birth to a son with a serious heart defect. People believed her to be cursed and suggested she leave her baby in the wilderness to die.

But Josy believed in Jesus Christ and thought the advice given to her was wrong, as did an American medical missionary who connected them with a heart surgeon in the United States. Through a series of kindhearted gifts, Josy’s son received the necessary surgery to correct the defect and set the boy up to thrive.

The love and compassion that Josy received inspired her. She decided to leave the abusive marriage and move to the United States where she could become a person who gives in return. Josy’s American Dream looks much different than those of us born here. Rather than amassing stuff for herself, she gives to others. She and her son live in a small apartment and have often struggled to make ends meet. Despite the everyday difficulties, Josy has paid for a home for her mother in Kenya and began a nonprofit for Maasai children with disabilities.

Josy’s story illustrates Paul’s sentiments through her pursuit of showing love to others. Her desire mirrors God’s desire to see hurting people loved and cared for. This testimony reminds me of what the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 (MSG): “Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.”

Each of us is influenced one way or another—by the ads telling us what will make us happy or by the One (God) who gives us the recipe for lifelong contentedness. We get to choose.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving us so deeply and caring for our needs so well. Your holy scriptures help us to understand just how You have designed us to love and live for others and not just pursuing our own wants. You show us the contentedness in living aligned this way. We thank You for the examples in the lives of others and ask for Your help in centering our lives on what You desire. In Jesus’s Name we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “The Mission” by Steve Green. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove has a diverse background in business, fitness, and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served women in the homeless community. 

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She was privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she’s served, Sharon sees the great need for encouragement and connection. Within ministries served, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and building cross-cultural communities has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys nature, deep conversations, and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown children.

Currently, Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, writing devotionals for other websites, and is working on a nonfiction book titled The Whole-Of-Us: Putting Church Back Together.

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Connect with Sharon:
Email: sharon@sharonmusgrove.com
Website: Sharonmusgrove.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonkmusgrove/

Devotionals for the Heart: On loving others like Jesus Christ loves us

Love Like Jesus
A devotional by Carrie del Pizzo

“But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you.” 

–John 13:34 (CEV)

At first glance, this command can seem truly impossible. Jesus showed His love for us by dying on a cross. Does God expect us to die a gruesome painful death for others? Good news: He already took care of that part, so we can cross it off the list.

That means loving people the way Jesus did isn’t impossible … it’s only really hard.

In the first century, loving others meant being polite to those closest to you: family, friends, business associates. Good people attended synagogue, sacrificed at the temple, and stayed far away from sinners. Somewhere there was someone who did something to help widows and orphans, but only because they had to. Prostitutes and drunkards and foreigners were on their own.

The primary rule was to be clean. If you touched some undesirable person, you couldn’t go into the temple until you performed the ritual cleaning, which could take days. And if anyone saw you with an unclean person, they would assume you too were unclean. They might not do business with you. Their children might not play with yours. They might tell others about who they saw you with and what they thought you were probably doing.

Jesus turned society upside down. He demonstrated over-the-top knowledge of the Scriptures, performed miracles, and spoke messages that were both confusing and wonderful.

But the craziest thing He did was love people. His closest friends were smelly fishermen. He ate dinner with tax collectors. He actually touched people with leprosy, several prostitutes, and a couple of demon possessed guys.

In some cases, Jesus spoke a word to heal someone. But many times, He reached out and touched them. He hung out with them. He visited their homes. He ate their food. He took rides in their boats. He talked, laughed, and cried with them. He did life with these untouchable, undesirable people.

What about us? Sure, we’re nice to our families and church friends. Probably even school or soccer parents and some coworkers. But then there’s the next-door neighbor who doesn’t mow his lawn as often as we’d like. And the guy two cubicles down who voted for the other candidate in the last election. And the young lady who’s facing an unplanned pregnancy.

What if we loved them like Jesus does? What if we chose to do life with those people?

Let’s ask Jesus who needs His love and how He wants us to share it.

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Author Bio:

In this world of texts, memes, and emojis, slowing down to truly communicate can feel like straining a muscle you haven’t exercised in far too long.

Seventeen years of business experience across a variety of industries has taught Carrie Del Pizzo the fine art of professional communications.

Partnering with corporate executives and entry-level employees alike, she has written and edited major project proposals, direct marketing pieces, sensitive client communications, employee handbooks, and user manuals.

Carrie’s love of literature and story has led her to develop and exercise her fiction writing skills as well. Aside from her personal creative efforts, she also edits for self- and traditionally-published authors and enjoys writing short dramas for church presentation.

Carrie is a wife, mom of three Americans and host-mom to numerous exchange students. Italian-by-marriage means she loves to cook and eat. She lives in Spokane, Wash., with her hilarious family who keep her in stitches and provides piles of material for great stories.