Paul knew the secret to being content. By putting away his desire to be with Christ in Heaven, he was living for a higher purpose. He remained alive by the grace of God, so that more people would hear the Gospel and be saved.
Some might ask, "How is it bad that he wanted to be with Christ in Heaven?" Well it was a selfish desire. It would only serve his own needs. As he said, it would be far better for him. But it wouldn't have been better for the Kingdom of Heaven. The better thing for the Kingdom of Heaven, was staying alive and spreading the Gospel.
How many of us struggle with putting our own desires above the will of God? I know I sure have, and still do from time to time. The desires we have could be anything. Some struggle with the desires of lust and addiction. Some struggle with what seem as good-intentioned desires such as wanting to be married and have a family.
Now some may ask, "How is wanting to be married and have a family a selfish desire that should be lumped in with lust and addiction?! Isn't it God's will for us to be married?" Well, God's will is different for everyone. It may or may not be God's will for some people to be married. Paul talks about the issue in 1 Corinthians 7. He talks about how an unmarried man or woman can spend their time doing the Lord's work and thinking how to please Him, but married men and women have to also think about their earthly responsibilities. (vv. 32-34). In other words, it has the potential to make us unequally yoked, and we all know how God feels about that.
Now those of you who know me, know that I have been divorced twice. It would be easy for some to say, "Well you're just bitter or upset about it not working out for you." Nothing could be further from the truth. There is no room in my heart and in my life for bitterness and anger. While I haven't always been a Christian, or been in a relationship with Christ, over the years I have come to understand that God has been orchestrating His will in my life to put me exactly where He wants me, whether I understood it or not. In one of my favorite stories of the Bible, Mordecai tells Esther, "Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).
I have often said that, unless God does a radical work in my heart and changes my mind, which He has done in the past and is certainly capable of doing again, I have no desire to be married again. Does that mean that it won't happen? Of course not. Do I miss the companionship that comes with dating or being married? I sure do. For now, God has me where I am for a reason, and if His reasons take a turn down a road I wasn't anticipating, I am content to give up my selfish desire to not be married. Until that happens, I will spend my time doing the Lord's work.
God has all of us EXACTLY where He wants, for EXACT reasons, that we don't necessarily understand and recognize. We will never be able to fully understand everything about God while we are still finite. Until then, we need to work at being content that we are where we are by the grace of God for a time such as this.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for Your comforting words. Thank You for reminding me to be content in all circumstances, and to quit trying to always figure them out. Thank You for showing me that it is far better to give up my selfish desires and to serve the Kingdom of Heaven. I pray for those that are struggling with their own desires, and putting them above Your will. My prayer is that they will break free of their bondage to these desires, and work to serve You first and foremost. And by doing so, they will be content knowing that they are serving a purpose greater than themselves. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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