My Travels towards Contentment

Back in Chile, we are! Back home, back in the southern hemisphere. We are back in the place where God has called us.

Since arriving in Chile back in January we’ve found ourselves reflecting the needs of the moment that abound in this culture and society. Chile is predominantly Roman Catholic. It is a western culture and her people largely live for the moment. Chileans enjoy the present. Life is about what today offers…about the immediate.

I too love to enjoy the present. But not at the expense of the future. My focus is to look at what God is teaching me now, in light of what He wants me to learn for tomorrow.

One example is the matter of being contented with where I am in life. As I rode my bike today for my weekly trek I was praying for God to touch the hearts of the unsaved people I know…as I prayed for myself too. Then the thought came to mind: what God often uses to bring people to himself is their own feelings of discontentment with life. Just yesterday a young woman that Ruth Ann is discipling told us that for years she had a feeling that she needed to find out more about God but was afraid to do so. Suddenly cancer brought her to life to a halt, and following the surgery she began to sense that her life was missing something. A sense of inner discontent opened her eyes to her lack of a relationship with the God she never knew.

However for me as a child of God, one of the great privileges I have is to know that my Heavenly Father cares for me and that He is fully attuned to my needs. He is the “giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).” He is the source of our satisfaction. In the Person of our Living God and Creator we find rest, joy and contentedness.

When you think about that truth, expressed for instance by Paul when he clearly affirms “..for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Phil. 4:11b), you can see that our travels through life are designed, in part, to teach us to learn to be content. The thing is, we are not untouched by our surroundings, we cannot disconnect from our reality. These things tend to pull us down and create discontentment. If you and I are honest, when we are discontented, it is much easier to “turn our eyes”…not upon Jesus, but upon the world, its pleasures and its toys.

I am thankful for a God who patiently teaches us to rest on Him. Sometimes He does it through need. Sometimes he does so through hurt in our dearest relationships. Sometimes he does so through sudden loss. But every time He does, the goal is to bring us back to the “Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17b NIV). If you are feeling discontented, ask yourself, “If all I had were God’s presence and company, could I, would I, be contented with Him?”

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When we move away from God, we find that nothing satisfies. When we rest in His life and sustenance, we find only HE satisfies. In reality only HE can bring contentment.

David L. Rogers, M.A.Min

About David Rogers, Magister en Artes

Este blog nace de una profunda gratitud al Autor de la vida, al eterno "YO Soy," quien me dio todo lo que tengo y lo que soy. Sin El, nada sería. Pero como no todos en el mundo han llegado a conocerle, también procuro dar una razón por la fe que tengo. Es una razón no basada en emociones ni en la intuición o el esperar algo mejor. Sino la razón está fundamenta en la verdad eterna, que no es incambiable y que es defensible, la verdad de Dios, el Creador y Sustentador de este mundo. ** Para los que se dedican a las credenciales, aquí están las de este autor, profesor, y misionero: 35 años viviendo en un país adoptivo, 39 años esposo de una misma dama, padre de 4 hijos destacados, abuelo de 4 tiernos nietos, amigo y compañero de colaboradores que han visto mis fallas y aun me llaman su amigo. ENGLISH: This blog is born of deep gratitude to the Author of life, to the eternal "I Am," who gave me everything I have and what I am. Without Him, nothing would be. But as not everyone in the world has come to know him, I also try to give a reason for the faith I have. It is a reason not based on emotions or intuition or expecting something better. But the reason is based on the eternal truth, which is not unchanging and is defensible, the truth of God, the Creator and Sustainer of this world. ** For those who are dedicated to credentials, here are those of this author, profesor, and missionary: 35 years living in an adoptive country, 39 years husband of the same lady, father of 4 outstanding children, grandfather of 4 sweet grandchildren, friend and partner of collaborators who have seen my failures and still call me their friend.

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2 Responses to My Travels towards Contentment

Brenda Griswold says:

23 June, 2017 at 05:33

My son is a Marine Embassy Guard In Santiago Chile. He has not found a Bible believing church. He says there are not many Christians there and keeps looking for a place to worship and fellowship with other believers. Are you near him? He meanwhile has been listening to a lot of online sermons.

Thanks,

Brenda Griswold

- Pastor David Rogers says:
  
  23 June, 2017 at 10:47
  
  Hi Brenda,
  Yes, we are. We are located in center city, just 8 blocks from the Presidential Palace, la Moneda. Our address is Agustinas 2332, between General Bulnes and Ricardo Cumming. You or your son may want to look at our church’s web site or my blog in English:
  
  iglesiavidanueva.cl — Church web site
  
  missionarymiles.com — my personal blog.
  
  Looking forward to meeting your son soon! The Church’s phone number is located on the web page as well as our schedule of services and ministries. If you would like my phone, please email me directly. My email is drogers(at)abwe.cc (use the @ instead of the word “at”). I put it this way so that robots don’t pick it up from the blog.
  
  In Christ,
  
  David Rogers