OVERFLOWING CONTENTMENT
“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside his garments and girded himself.” (John 13:3)
One of the great results of plenty too much contentment is that it overflows in generosity and acts of service. I love the quote that says people who are humble don’t think less of themselves they just think of themselves less. If I’m secure and satisfied in God’s love for me I will naturally forget about myself and focus on serving others. One of the biggest barriers to living a life of generosity and love is that we fall prey to insecurity and self-interests. We are worried about getting credit or having a better position, or somehow climbing the ladder of success. We see this on the night of Jesus’ betrayal with the disciples. This poverty mindset of what if there is not enough recognition or power for me when Jesus sets up the kingdom.
When you have that empty hole of insecurity inside of you, you become the slave of self-focus. But Jesus operated completely different. His focus was on knowing and being aware of all that the Father had given Him and was for Him. The result was that he laid aside not only his garments but agenda and self-absorption to serve and add value to others.
George Mueller said that his first responsibility each morning was to be filled with the joy and satisfaction of God through an awareness of His grace and love. In other words to live out of a conscious awareness of how the Lord is plenty too much to not only give us all we need but to make us completely satisfied with who we are. Once in your spirit there is nothing you are aware you need to get and nothing you need to prove you begin to just naturally live as a hose and not a sponge.
It was the need to fight for their rights and prove something that caused the disciples to divide and drive Peter to live out an unsanctified ego that led him to deny Jesus.
How crucial it is every morning to start the day filled with the awareness that I am enough and I have enough in Jesus to fully live a life focused on others. It comes with a decision to get out of the rat race of people trying to get and prove something about who they are. Leaving our ego on the cross and positioning ourselves at the finish line of faith. I am already blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Father loves me and has crowned me with the favor of Jesus’ perfect performance. I am so plenty too much blessed I have to give some of this away.