Find The Extraordinary In The Ordinary

We seem to live in a society that is constantly looking for the WOW factor. Whether it be in our personal or professional lives, it feels like so many of us are focused on the next best thing instead of being content with the smaller blessings God provides every day. Our constant access to the lives of others through social media has only accelerated this unhealthy desire to have more, do more and experience more. In the Book of Proverbs, we read about how envy can steal our joy, A heart that has peace is life to the body, but wrong desires are like the wasting away of the bones (14:30) . When we allow envy to live in our minds and hearts, we literally begin to waste away from it. In other words, it will consume us. What you and I currently have will never be enough.

James 4:14 cautions us about how little time we have on this earth. Often, we are painfully reminded of the frailty of life and how precious each moment is that we are given by God. We have so little time. Why waste it on envy? Along with the pain and resentment it creates, envy also robs us of contentment. Some people spend so much time working, looking and searching for the "extraordinary" things in life they miss all blessings God provides us in the little things.

What if we lived every day in complete gratitude just for the day? How wonderful would our world be if we spent each day in prayers of thanksgiving for those "little things" taken for granted? How much happier would you and I be if we earnestly tried to focus on the amazing things God provides that we simply take for granted. As I write this sermon, I challenge each and everyone of us to start each day this coming week in a prayer of thanksgiving for 22 things He provides us daily. Things like: breath in our lungs, our senses, a roof over our head, our families, jobs, the ability to walk and talk, and so on. Once you start, I am confident you can and will pass 22 blessings quickly!

And with contentment comes joy. Not happiness (which is temporary), but the pure joy spoken of in the Bible. In the Book of John (10:10), Jesus tells us He came so that we may have a full life. One that involves all of the blessings the Father provides, both big and small. In the same passage, Christ also warns that the devil intends to do the exact opposite by stealing that joy from us.

Do you find yourself caught up in comparisons? Are you always wanting something bigger and better? If so, I invite you to enter into a conversation with Jesus that begins with two words: THANK YOU...

Pastor Aaron