Stuck or Abiding?

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1 Corinthians 7:23–24 (NKJV) You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

What It Is Speaking to Me

You know the feeling: You're stuck in traffic on the way to a job that doesn't excite you anymore. You're sitting across the lunch table from the same difficult situation(person) you've been sitting across all year. The job stinks, the house is too small, the family is too contentious, the friend too annoying, the boss too difficult. And the obvious thought creeps in "If I could just change this one thing, everything would be better- A different job. A different house. A different set of circumstances. Then I'd be happy. Then I'd even be more useful to God."

That pesky Paul doesn't buy it though. He writes to people who are in genuinely complicated situations: slaves, free men, married, unmarried, dirt poor and filthy rich. And frustratingly his instruction is the same across the board: abide with God where you are. Not abide and wait it out until something better comes along. Abide with God where you are, because He has called you to it. You have been bought with a price. That changes the whole equation.

The issue is rarely the job or the relationship. The real issue is whether or not God is in it with us. In a sense you could say that the answer to discontentment isn't a change of scenery, but company. Bring God into the cubicle. Bring Him into the difficult conversation. Bring Him into the ordinary, unremarkable Tuesday you were trying to escape. Be present with God in the place He has us. Then we find contentment...yes, even in the afternoon traffic.

What Is It Saying to You?

What circumstance are you most tempted to escape right now?

Have you actually tried glorifying God in it? Or have you been planning your exit?

What Are We Going to Do About It?

Today, before you do anything to change your situation, spend five intentional minutes in it with God. Not venting. Not planning. Just present.

Ask Him: What are You doing here that I'm too restless to see? Then listen long enough to get an answer.