Faculty & Staff Devotion

Faculty & Staff Devotion

19th of July 2012

Opening Song: I Give You My HeartThis is my desireTo honor YouLord, with all my heartI worship YouAll I have within meI give You praiseAll that I adoreIs in You

Chorus:Lord, I give You my heartI give You my soulI live for You aloneEvery breath that I takeEvery moment I awakeLord, have Your way in me.(Repeat Chorus)Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, we come down before You and glorify Your holy name. We ask for your presence to be upon us and cleanse us from all our iniquities. We thank You, Lord, for your loving presence that makes us strong and guided at all times. As we go on with our devotion with you, continuously search our hearts. Touch us, Lord, that Your message be planted in us. We believe, Father, that you always want whats best for us.

In the mighty name of Your Son JESUS CHRIST, we pray

AMEN.The Message

By: Maria Kristina C. ChengChoose one color then say your pieceIf I were ____________________,I am now ___________________.

I wish I am __________________,so I can be __________________.

If I had ____________________,I could have been__________.

This is our nature.

We tend to look for what we do not see, ask for what we do not have. We spend our days regretting

I could have been this, I could have been that if I were, If I have..I should have had.

When can we say.. Thank you! I have it all!An airplane pilot was flying over the Tennessee mountains and pointed out a lake to his co-pilot See that lake? When I was a kid I used to sit in a rowboat down there, fishing.

Every time a plane would fly overhead, Id look up and wish I was flying it. Now I look down and wish I was in a rowboat fishing.ContentmentCan be an illusive pursuit. We go after what we think will make us happy only to find that it didnt work; in fact, we were happier before we started the quest.

Just like the story of the two teardrops floating down the river of life..Who are you? Im a teardrop from a girl who loved and lost a man. Im a teardrop from the girl who got him.Who are you?IM A TEARDROP FROM A GIRL WHO LOVED AND LOST A MAN.IM A TEARDROP FROM THE GIRL WHO GOT HIM.

Lack of Contentment..that marks our nation is reflected in many ways

We see it in high rate of consumer debt. We arent content to live within our means, so we go into debt to live a bit better than we can afford.We always want new clothes, new bags, new shoes, new cellphones.. But then we suffer anxiety from the pressure of paying all our bills.

Our discontent is reflected in our high rate of mobility. Were always on the move to look for a better house, a better job, a better place to retire. We always think that we will be contented if we get high remuneration, good shifting schedules and various benefits. Sounds perfect!

Then here comes the slave driving, inconsiderate, workaholic boss that will turn you into

a pretty, classy office girl ever!

Our discontent rears its head in our high divorce rate. We cant find happiness in our marriages, so we trade our mates in for a different model, only to find that some problems reoccur.Philippians 4: 10-13

THE WORD OF GOD IS CLEAR!Contentment vs. ComplacencyBut let us not mistake contentment with complacencyContentment means:Peace of mindMental or emotional satisfactionIt is an inner sense of rest or peace that comes from being right with God and knowing that He is in control of all that happens to us.Complacency means:A feeling of being satisfied with how things are and not wanting to try to make them better.OK NATO!

1 Corinthians 7:21Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if you can gain your freedom, do so.

-NIV-

As Christians we can work to better our circumstances as we have opportunity. The Bible extols hard work and the reward that come from it as long as we are free from greed. Paul tells us not to give undue concern to gaining our freedom. If you are single and lonely, there is nothing wrong with seeking a godly mate, as long as youre not so consumed that you lack sound judgment that comes from waiting patiently on the Lord.

. If youre in unpleasant job, theres nothing wrong with finding another one, as long as you do in submission to the will of God.How do we acquire contentment?Focus on the Lord as the Sovereign One to whom we must submit.Focus on the Lord as the Savior whom we must serve.Focus on the Lord as the Sufficient One whom we must trust.

Even if we get any material possession that we wish for.. our hearts will still push for moreIt will be always be unending.. and still wont give us happiness and healingdont let go

family

Realize that we are far more gifted..friends

and we have no right...blessing

to be discontented.

EndThanks and God bless!!!