Your Daily Devotional for October 16, 2006

 

October 16, 2006

 

 

Slow Down

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

 

“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

 

 

Philippians 4:10-11

 

 

It has been said that salvation is the miracle of a moment, but spiritual maturity is the process of a lifetime. Maybe that is why I appreciate the words of the Apostle Paul in verse 11, “I have learned.”

 

Oftentimes our problem is that we don’t want to slow down and learn what God wants to show us. We live in a society that places more emphasis on where we are than on who we are. We want “life in the fast lane.” When driving down the road of life we see the sign, “slower traffic, move right,” we move quickly and aggressively to the left lane. It is just our human nature.

 

The Apostle Paul was a man who was reaching forth, and pushing ahead. He was moving on for the Lord. But he had also learned to be content. He knew about life in the fast lane, but he also realized life wasn’t always easy. He says that even though He was moving forward for the Lord, he had learned that he needed to take time to slow down and be content.

 

The church at Philippi had cared for him and he was thankful. He was thankful even during the tough times because he had learned to be content. He had learned that Christ had the abundance of resources needed to meet his need. He had taken time to slow down and rely upon God.

 

It has been my observation in twenty years of preaching, that many Christians become dissatisfied and discontented with where they are in life. They feel stuck in the slow lane and often resent their situation. Yet, through this, God wants to teach them to be content.

 

Many people who fail to learn the lessons of the slow lane become depressed, and break down altogether. Some are not content with being single. Some are not content with marriage. Others are not content with their job or where they live. Yet God says, “Slow down and learn to be content with Me.”

 

Paul had learned to be joyous in every situation—whether or not he had money or whether he was in jail or out. Today I’d like to invite you to pull over to the slow lane for a few moments and learn to be content in God. We can all become so busy that we feel we have to get ahead of everyone else. Pull over and reflect upon God. Think of what He has already done for you. Now thank Him and learn to be content with what He has given you.

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