24 Mar Live content and conquer
Never settle. I’m sure we’ve all had that phrase spoken to us at one time in our life to the other. It’s usually spoke by people who really, truly love us, ones who don’t want us to experience less than God’s best for our lives.
The sad truth is that many of us do settle, and we do so for a number of reasons. Sometimes, it’s because we’re poor at dreaming beyond our circumstances. Other times it’s because we face difficulty. The fact is that there will be obstacles on the road, and sometimes it’s tempting to allow fatigue and discouragement overwhelm us.
But, maybe you aren’t a settler. Maybe you’re good at persevering through trials. But maybe you fall into another category, the one I have often fallen into. Maybe you’re a striver. Striving usually feels like success because we pressure ourselves to make more and more progress. But it won’t necessarily take us into the reality of God’s promises.
Which one do you fall into? Here’s a pretty telling sign. If you deal with fear or discouragement, you’re probably a settler. If you deal with guilt or perfectionism, you’re probably a striver. Sometimes, we even operate in both of these at different points in our lives. That’s what Moses did.
Moses knew he was called to lead Israel out of captivity and into the Promised Land. One day, he got so upset at the bondage the Israelites were living in that he killed an Egyptian he saw beating a Hebrew slave. That was him striving in his own strength to bring deliverance instead of trusting God.
But then, fast-forward to when Moses was 80 years old standing in front of the burning bush. God reminds him of his call, and Moses comes up with every excuse in the book as to why he wasn’t the man for the job. Why? He wanted to settle. He didn’t think he had what it took.
It wasn’t until Moses got beyond both the striving and the settling that God could take him into the things he had for him.
Friends, we aren’t called to settle or strive; we’re called to live in God’s strength. We’re called to remain content on the journey of becoming all we’re meant to be. No, we won’t be perfect, but we weren’t made to be! We’re just made to keep on trusting and keep on doing what God calls us to do.
In Philippians 4:12-13 Paul writes about this contentment. He says, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Settling and striving keep us from God’s strength. So from today forward, let’s choose to rest in Him, trusting His strength above our own. If we do, we will inherit his promises!