It Has to be Learned

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13 (New American Standard Bible)

I have often looked at fellow believers, saw godly qualities in their life, and made the false assumption that they came by those qualities naturally. I failed to see what they had to “learn” before they could say “I know.” I was not privy to the times of testing God walked them through in order to develop in them the sterling qualities I witnessed later on. The education they gained in the school of life may have taken years and was wrought with tears and difficulties that few knew anything of. God is reminding me this morning, that the gold I see so profoundly in them was mined out of the darkest caves of their life. He is also letting me know it is no different for me.

As I read today’s passage I noticed for the first time Paul’s phrase, “I have learned.” His contentment in all circumstances and knowing how to get along with abundance as well as poverty, being full and going hungry, having needs met and having needs remain unmet, had to be learned. It had to be learned through experiencing those very things and allowing God to be his Teacher in each situation. It required many moments of saying with Jesus, “Not my will, but Yours, O God.” It required dieing to self. It required walking in the Spirit instead of living in the flesh.

I don’t consider myself a fast learner or cooperative student most of the time. It is usually with difficulty that I finally yield and see the richness in doing so. It takes awhile for God to convince me that He really does know best and is bringing about the best for me. The longer I walk with Him the clearer this becomes.

Presently, I am “learning” the necessity of letting go. I have spent a life time harboring attitudes when disappointment came my way. God has been faithfully helping me to hear His voice as He nudges me to let go of the expectations I have put on others as well as the thoughts I can so easily mull over and stay connected to when those expectations are not forth coming. I see now that freedom is a choice and so are the steps necessary to live in that freedom. For now, most of my waking hours are spent saying, “I’m letting go of THAT!” because “holding on” was so much a part of my life. The change has not come easily but it is coming and in that I delight!

Father, my letting go when I so often want to hold on is coming with Your help. Thank you for Your insistence and assistance. I need You and I love You. Amen.

Spirit Song - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC7RDZP7tFw

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.