By Michael E. Brooks

“Not that I speak in regard to need; for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Phil 4:11).

Tastes vary, in regard to food and drink as well as colors, fabrics, furniture and cars. I am one who enjoys my hot foods and beverages very hot, and my cold ones very cold. One thing often missing in remote corners of the world is ice and refrigeration; therefore a “sacrifice” I have frequently had to make is drinking lukewarm water or other beverages. This can be trying at times, particularly in very hot weather and while walking long distances.

A few years ago my son, Scott, and I spent two weeks trekking in the Himalayas into remote villages to preach. On our way to the mountains we had spent one night in a hotel in Sriya Brebensi where we enjoyed the coldest Cokes I have yet found in Nepal. Over the next two weeks we walked for more than seven days, including two and a half to get back to Sriya Brebensi after our last preaching stop. Though it was late October in the high mountains daytime temperatures got into the eighties, and with rugged climbs we became very hot and thirsty. Even before we started that last trek we recalled the cold drinks we had enjoyed and began looking forward to them again. We weren’t echoing the rich man’s “just a drop on my tongue” (Luke 16:24). No, we wanted at least two drinks each! And the sooner the better! When we finally got back to the hotel we found the Cokes just as cold as we remembered. Nothing ever tasted any better!

It doesn’t take a lot to make one happy. Especially if the needs are great and expectations are not. We can be physically satisfied with very little. It is our desire that causes trouble. Note Paul’s self-analysis in our text. “I have learned … to be content.” It is about our attitude. James remarks upon the opposite nature:

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:1-2).

Contentment is not achieved with material possessions, power, or fame. It is a blessing that God gives as our reward for seeking his righteousness. And it is usually perceived through simple pleasures: a cold drink; a simple meal; the smile on the face of one just baptized into Christ. These bring a fulfillment and lasting satisfaction that mere wealth can never achieve. As Jesus said,

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt 5:6).

by Michael E. Brooks

"From there he arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but he could not be hidden" (Mark 7:24).

That is not exactly headline material. Jesus could not hide! Well, of course not. Not with news of his miracles being broadcast all over Palestine. And the authority of his teachings. And the controversies he created in confrontations with the leaders of the Jews. This was Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. Of course people took note of him. But it is not only our Lord who is noticeable. All of us have trouble hiding, at least at times.

On Friday, March 14, 2003, I was in a van in Bangladesh on the way from Khulna to Dhaka. Halfway there we found ourselves in a huge traffic jam, waiting at a ferry ghat (landing) for the next crossing. There were several lanes of vehicles jammed together, with no way to move. Cars, trucks, buses, and other vehicles were almost scraping each other. The ghat was on a flood plain, with no trees and only a few small sheds around it. Nowhere to go, no place to hide.

What made this a rather tense experience is that this was less than one week before the U.S. would launch its attack on Iraq. Bangladesh is an Islamic nation. Over 85% of its population are Muslims. They are highly sympathetic towards Iraq or any other Muslim nation, which is, or might be, under attack by "infidels." Anti-war, anti-U.S. sentiment was especially high at the time. Would that translate into hostility towards Americans who happened to be there? No one really knew. But I could not help wondering. Nowhere to go, no place to hide!

There is a more significant application of this dilemma however. No matter how well we might conceal ourselves from threats of a physical nature, there is One who is always watching. One who always sees us. There is never any way to hide from God. The Psalmist dealt with this at length:

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me" (Psa. 139:7-10).

There are times when we would like to hide, even or especially from God. Times when we are troubled with guilt and shame (Gen. 3:8-10). Times when we desire to yield to temptation (John 13:26-30). Or simply times when we lack the desire to be close to God, or when we may feel smothered by his presence. But there is nowhere that God is not, nowhere He does not see. Nowhere to hide. But is that really a problem? The Psalmist found the answer:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psa. 139:23-24).

The way to deal with our exposure before God is to invite it, and open ourselves to its benefits. God is not watching us just to judge or condemn. He is watching to protect and help. He is our loving Father, who "is not willing that any should perish" (2 Pet. 3:9).

There is no reason for us to hide from him. So embrace his watchful care. Seek his help. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).

by Michael E Brooks

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).

Many of the sayings of Jesus have become so familiar and generally accepted to us that we often fail to grasp their true significance. "Seeking the kingdom first" means making sure there is room in our lives for church, a little prayer and Bible reading and maybe a few other "God" things, right? Maybe to a few really dedicated and mature Christians it also includes considering God’s will on a matter before making a decision. Is that enough? Is that really what Jesus is saying?

I had studied the Bible with a middle-aged Guyanese lady and concluded the session by asking her for a faith commitment to Jesus. Would she obey the Gospel? She looked at me earnestly and said, "I will become a Christian, but not now." When I asked why she would put off something so important, that she knew was right, and wanted to do, she gave me this story.

"My aged mother lives in this house with me and I take care of her. The house belongs to my brother who is of another religion. He pays all our bills, and provides us with food, clothing, and other necessities. If I change religions he will throw us out of the house and cut off all support. I just cannot do that to my mother."

Suddenly I looked at Matthew 6:33 in a whole new light. "Don’t worry about food! Don’t worry about clothing! Put Me first and I will take care of you!" That promise is not given just to Christians who are well off. It is not merely about making time in our schedules for "church" once or twice a week, at the cost of losing a little work or recreation time. It is God’s promise to those who may lose everything for His sake.

Trust in Him! He will provide! What faith that requires! Yet so many in the world must make that kind of decision. They face the threat of lost jobs, families forsaking them, even imprisonment or death, if they accept Christ. Yet they have no real choice, for if they save their lives, Jesus says, they will lose them, eternally (Matt. 16:25). Salvation comes through no other name (Acts 4:12). He is "the way, the truth and the life." No man comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Is God wise and powerful and rich enough to provide for our needs? Of course He is. He is the Almighty -- Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign of all (Psa. 121). Does He care enough for us to give us what we need? Absolutely! "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…" (John 3:16).

Peter says, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet 5:6-7).

The issue is not God’s power or compassion. It is our ability to trust Him, and our desire to please Him. Will we really put Him first? Will we really seek the things of His kingdom even when that threatens our possessions or physical well-being? Jesus assures us that we may do so, with confidence. But He also demands that we must do it, or risk the loss of everything.

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26).

by Michael E. Brooks

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Earlier this year I spent a few days in one of the tea growing areas of northeastern India. As we traveled through the tea gardens I noticed many barren fields, and dead tea shrubs. The local people told me that this portion of India is losing many tea estates and the once huge export business is decreasing. It seems that the industry was begun by the British during the colonial period and the tea plants are now more than 100 years old. Production has fallen off, some plants are dying, and the industry is failing. Why not replant? Some are doing so, but most cannot. They lack the financial resources for such an investment.

Does that not remind you of life? We begin with great energy and enthusiasm, full of innocence and abounding with resources. But life’s experience soon begins to age us, sin corrupts us, and we find ourselves aging, less productive, and dying. Can’t we just start over? Change bad habits, make new relationships, gain skills and attitudes that will revitalize us? Some do, at least partially, through job changes, education, and other self-help measures. But ultimately we all fail, because we simply lack the resources. We need help, an "investor," to give us the necessary ingredients to make the changes that are essential to profitable lives.

Enter the Good News of God’s intervention through Jesus. Renewal is His gift to us. What we cannot do for ourselves, what we cannot earn or pay for, He does by grace.

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5) .

Forgiveness from sin, freedom from guilt, new purpose and worth -– all these are Christ’s gifts to us, available through simple obedient faith. He constantly renews us, equipping us for productivity and eternal joy. If we will "wait upon the Lord," He will give us strength.

by Michael E Brooks

“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.” (2 Cor 3:13)

The difference between mere belief and true saving faith may be summed up in one word – “therefore”. Genuine faith results in consequences. It causes us to act. It establishes parameters to our lives. Because of our faith we do certain things. Because of our faith we refuse to do other things. An incident in Kathmandu, Nepal a few years ago illustrates this point well.

Ramesh is a young Hindu man who worked part time for an American dentist who lives in Kathmandu. His older sister, Sunita, who had become a Christian, also worked with the family as a fulltime cook and housekeeper. One day Ramesh finished his duties about noon and, being hungry, fixed a piece of meat he found in the refrigerator for his lunch. He then took it out to where Sunita was working and sat to eat it.

After taking a bite Ramesh exclaimed, “Sister, this is good. What is it – buffalo?” She answered, “No, it is beef.” (To Hindus the cow is a sacred animal, whereas the domesticated water buffalo is not). Hearing this, Ramesh widened his eyes in shock and said, “Someone killed a goddess?!!” Extending his fork with a piece of beef impaled on it to arm’s length he mournfully said, “Oh poor goddess, I am so sorry someone killed you!” He then fell silent, and after a moment slowly lowered the fork to his mouth and took the bite and ate it, continuing on to finish the piece of beef. After another pause, he turned to Sunita and said, “If Dr. Jerry has someone kill another goddess, would you please save me a piece?”

I am sure that Ramesh still believes that the cow is sacred, a divine animal. Yet that belief will never again restrain him from eating beef if he has the opportunity. He has the belief, but not the conviction that leads to a “therefore.”

James calls this kind of intellectual acceptance of a concept “demon faith.” “You believe that there is one God? You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble” (Jas 2:19). Genuine faith must be much more that that. It must lead us to obedience. Jesus taught, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter they kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven” (Mt 7:21). True faith is obedient trust in God. Nothing else is sufficient.