Contentment, Part 2

"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."

Psalm 16:5, 6

 

"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places." 

A boundary is an edge, limit, margin, border; something that indicates a border or limit.

Lines - a district or inheritance; measuring line; country, region, rope

Something pleasant is something delightful and favorable.

 

The Lord sets up boundaries in our lives for protection, for our freedom, our security and to mark out what is rightfully ours.

 

An experiment was conducted several years ago in which children at a school were put out into two different types of playgrounds.  The first playground had no fence surrounding it but lots of play equipment and toys for the children to play with.  After a week of playing in this type of playground, the experts found that the children always stayed close to the school building, sometimes not even playing with the equipment that was there.

 

The second playground had the same amount of land but there was a fence surrounding the whole property.  These children played through the whole playground, utilizing all of the play equipment and the whole yard!!

 

What experts found was that children feel the most safe and secure when there are very clear boundaries established for them and made clearly known to them.

 

God gives us boundaries so we won't go beyond our calling; what He has called us to.  God says the boundaries are fallen in pleasant places - favorable places.  They are favorable to and for us, not to limit us in any way, but for our own good, to bring us to a place of freedom. 

 

But boundaries also limit us.  What are our limits?  What are my personal limits?

 

I no longer have a spouse; that alone imposes several limits on me:

I have a lack of male companionship and love

I have no husband to protect and care for me

I have no husband to guide and lead me; to be my strength

I have no husband to give me another perspective - the male perspective

I am no longer #1 to someone

Loss of retirement plans and years to grow old together

 

I have food limits:

I can't eat whatever I want and stay healthy and at a reasonable weight; I have to ever be mindful of what I put in my mouth

 

I have age limits:

I am 64 years old.  No matter how much I exercise, no matter how many beauty products I use, I will never look like a 25-yr old again.  I have more years behind me than I do ahead of me.

 

I have job limitations:

I can't just do what I want when I want - I have a job.

 

Financial limitations:

my income is fixed and I need to live within those financial boundaries.

 

Time limitations:

there are only so many hours in a day!

 

What are some of your limits?

Finances

Family

Lack of a family

Sick parents

Single/married

Too young, too old

Not enough time to do what you want to do

Physical limitations; sickness

 

Whatever your limitations or boundaries are, what do you do with them if they are not what
you want them to be?

 

Grieve them

Embrace the pain of your limitations

Give them to God and trust Him.

 

He knows your limitations and your boundaries.  He is the one who has established them for your own good.  TRUST HIM that He knows what is best for you.  Those boundaries are there for your protection and for your freedom.

 

Grieve your limits if you need to, embrace the pain of those limitations and move into the realm of divine trusting!!

 

"...surely I have a delightful inheritance." 

Delightful is to give great pleasaure or joy; great enjoyment

An inheritance is something inherited; heirloom; estate; portion; possession; something passed down from preceding generations; property or tradition

 

What is the inheritance we have in Christ?

restored relationship with God

salvation

eternal life

wholeness

truth

wisdom

abundant life

freedom from sin and death

partakers of the divine nature

freedom in this life from bondage to sin

redemption

grace

mercy

strength

blessings - beyond measure!!!

 

Our inheritance is immeasurable!!

 

Summary - (again, Donna's paraphrase) Lord, the limits and boundaries you have put in place in my life have fallen for me in delightful and favorable places and I can trust that you know what is best for me.  I have a portion, a possession, a heritage passed down to me through my relationship with Jesus Christ, that is considerable and will give me great pleasure and joy!!

 

Contentment
Do you long for that in your life? 
Seek contentment through the Lord. 
Let Him work in you that you might learn and attain it!

 

Paul said in Philippians 4:11 - "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content."

 

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."

1 Timothy 6:6

 

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.  It's about learning to dance in the rain.