Jan. 26-28, 2007: First Annual CMA Conference - Members of CMA and others interested in organic church will want to attend this. Complete information can be found here.

( We are due for a house church gathering. We should try to have one during the first quarter of 2007. Lets start the discussion as soon as possible after the holidays. )

EID is one of the first ministries to fully hand off the ministry to indigenous leaders with no strings attached. The ministry leaders there are peers, equals and we certainly need to learn from them. I hope to be able to bring two of the leaders, Matthew Ninan and Jeffery Thomas, to the USA in 2007 to encourage us in our faith. The way the live out and practice their faith puts me to shame. I have much to learn from my Indian brothers.

If you'd like to read more about my trip go to my blog page at http://edwaken.blogspot.com/. If you'd like to see a short video we put together from the trip, you can view it at this page: http://www.valleylifechurch.citymaker.com/page/page/3888639.htm.

( Take a look at this video of typical traffic in India. )

Furthermore, if we have a view of God as all-powerful, all-knowing, sovereign, good, and perfectly and impartially loving, then there is no reason not to be content in what He ordains, allows, orchestrates, and provides. Contentment rests in the good and sovereign purposes of God. As Joseph said to his brothers who had done him great evil, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Because of God’s promises, character, and Word, we can always have confidence that all that we experience is meant to work some ultimate good in us and perhaps for many others as well. An entire nation was spared because Joseph remained content in God despite both the unfair treatment and incredible blessing which he experienced. Indeed, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). No experience, whether good or bad, is purposeless. We are called for God’s purposes, and we can trust that God will use all events to work good for those who love God. Christ’s cross, the most unfair and brutal thing ever endured on this earth, worked for the greatest good of all time in providing salvation to those who believe. God had a purpose in this, and He has a purpose in our lives also. Knowing this, wherever we are, we can be content as we acknowledge Him and put our trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Finally, contentment rests in God’s boundless love. Paul says in Ephesians 3:17-19, “[That you] being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Whether we are in a prison cell or in a palace, we can be content if we know, believe, and trust in God’s love. Whether we are in a loving family or a family mired in sin, we can be content knowing that God loves us. Whether we are the most gifted person in the world or partially or totally disabled, we can be content if we rest in the love of God. God’s love is to fill us up such that our cup overflows ows (Psalm 23:5). His love is always available and abundant, and therein we can find contentment.

If our answer to any of the following questions is “yes,” we need to repent of self-reliance and self-sufficiency and rest in our Lord for contentment. Do we find ourselves panicking or doubting when we have needs, perhaps even using sinful measures to try to meet them? Do we find ourselves becoming self-sufficient and prideful when we have more than we need? If we have just enough, do we forget to thank God for His provision?

Contentment is a gift worth seeking and an attitude worth learning. May God in His great grace teach us how to be content in all things as we learn that it is Christ Who is our strength, sustenance, and sufficiency, and not we ourselves.