Tag: John 10:10

The Price of Discontent

3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1 Timothy 6: 3-10 (ESV)

This past week, I have really been struggling with discontent. There are things I want that I can’t afford; things I want to accomplish, but I have other obligations that eat away at my time and energy. I want to lose weight and exercise more– the spirit is willing– but my body and will-power are weak. And I spiraled down into anger, frustration, depression, and comparison. It’s been an ugly week. Instead of thanking God that we have enough money to pay the bills and buy groceries, I complain about the price of the groceries and bills, and the lack of money left over for entertainment or new clothes I don’t need.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain” (v.6). It’s a verse I learned as a girl, and yet I’m still struggling with the concept. Part of that, I think may be that our culture’s teachings clash with the Bible. There are people in our culture– even pastors and Bible teachers– who twist the Gospel so that, as Paul says they (imagine) that godliness is a MEANS of gain. (v. 5). And I have listened to, and bought into, that concept– that God rewards (financially, socially, physically) those who practice “godliness”. But what kind of godliness bargains with God for reward? What kind of godliness leads to discontent and anger?

No. Godliness is not a game or a role to play at. It is, much like prayer, a pursuit and a lifestyle. It is discipleship– following the example of Christ’s life and teachings– changing the way I think and the way I live. And no amount of “following the principles” on my own will lead to that kind of change, because my motive will always be “gain.” Whether gaining money, or status, or achievements and accolades, this type of sham godliness will leave me discontented. And the price of that discontent will be my life.

 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10 (ESV).

Jesus did not come to earth to gain fame or fortune. He was despised by many and crucified by the religious authorities of his day. He was misunderstood, and he was, in worldly terms, a failure. He was homeless, childless; there were no monuments to His achievements, no medals or honors bestowed on Him by the rulers of the day. BUT He came to make it possible for us to break the chains of Sin, guilt, worry, jealousy, and discontent. Jesus saw suffering around Him. He saw people with beautiful houses, high social status, productive farms or businesses, and great political power. But He was not drawn to them. He was content to do the Father’s will; content to travel from town to town, talking with lepers and prostitutes, with tax collectors and beggars. And His life changed the world! It is because of His life, death, and resurrection that I can have eternal life and abundant life now and forevermore (John 3:16).

That doesn’t mean that I have everything I want, or that I don’t have to struggle in the present. And it doesn’t mean that I am comfortable and complacent with what I do have. Sometimes, life is difficult and doesn’t seem very “abundant” in the moment. I still have bills. I still have diabetes. And I still have ambitions and unrealized goals. I just need to remember what the Gospel is really all about. It isn’t about becoming rich or well-respected, or productive in the eyes of the world. My life may be quietly abundant in the things that really matter– peace with God, time with family and friends, opportunities to reach out with hope and encouragement to those who need it, seeing beyond the moments of life to the value of life itself.

“Godliness with contentment” isn’t about wealth or achievement. It’s about the journey– and taking this journey WITH God–walking at His pace, walking where He tells me to walk, walking toward a greater goal. Discontent takes me along a different path– one that will never result in a life that is truly abundant and worth living. I waste my days wishing for this or regretting that or envying someone else’s victories instead of being able to join with them in celebration. It teaches me to be frantic, restless, and angry with myself and others. It leaves me exhausted and unfulfilled.

Money, fame, achievement– none of these is the “root of all evil.” Rather, it is the love of ANYTHING that displaces my “first” love for God that is the root of all kinds of hurt, grief, disappointment, and waste.

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More Jesus, Less Me?

Last week, I saw numerous posts with New Year’s resolutions, promises, and goals. One that I saw repeated often was the phrase, “This year, I need more of Jesus and Less of Me.” And, while I can see the appeal of such a phrase, I’d like to take a closer look at what that really means in a practical sense.

It’s easy enough to say a phrase like this and then proceed to live exactly the same as last year– struggling to be a “better” person, a more Christ-like person–and wondering why it isn’t working. But what if we’re missing the real transformation we need this year by misunderstanding what this phrase really means?

“More Jesus.” Actually, there is no “more” Jesus to be had than there already is. We can’t “get” more Jesus. We already have access to all the Grace, Power, and Peace that Jesus can offer. We have His Spirit to guide us, His example to follow, His indescribable sacrifice to motivate us, His promises to sustain us…what “more” are we looking for?

What we really mean by this phrase isn’t more of Jesus, but more TO Jesus and more FOR Jesus– more of our devotion, more of our obedience, more of our submission, more of our learning to lean on Him. We need to make more room for Him, more time for Him, more energy.

“Less Me.” In today’s world that revolves around identity and self-expression, this is where we lose non-believers, and many Christians, as well. The language of the New Testament– Jesus’ own words in fact! — call for us to die to ourselves and be raised to new life in Him. To many people, this seems like a very bad bargain. Matthew 16:25 puts it this way: “ For anyone who keeps his life for himself shall lose it; and anyone who loses his life for me shall find it again.” (The Living Bible) But look closely at this statement. Jesus is not promising death, but LIFE. (See also John 10:10) Jesus isn’t proposing to take away our life, but to help us find our best life. The word “life” in this passage can be translated as “life” or “soul.” When we think of “dying” to ourselves, or “losing” our life, we see only the negative. And death IS the ultimate negative. We don’t want to “die.” We don’t want to let go of this precious gift of life that we have been given. And it seems as though Jesus asks us to make a ridiculous trade– our life for His; our will for His; our self-control and determination for His mastery and domination.

Except that is Satan’s oldest and greatest lie! When Jesus says, “anyone who loses his life for me shall find it again,” He’s not promising a shadow life of slavery or degradation. God doesn’t want Holy zombies or robots, mindlessly and grudgingly following orders. He wants to bring us into the BEST and most abundant LIFE we can experience! But in order to experience any of it, we have to “get out of the way!” We have been given the ability to choose between right and wrong, between following God’s way or rebelling against it. It is when we believe the lie that God doesn’t love us, that He doesn’t have our best interests at heart, that He is withholding “something” from us– power, “fun,” happiness, achievement, etc.–that we lose our true life. We lose perspective, we lose joy, we lose peace, we lose our true purpose, we lost trust, and we lose hope. We get so worried that God will “cheat” us out of what we want in life, that we become enslaved to our own limitations and fears. I have hopes and dreams, but on my own, I will scheme, connive, compromise, and fall short of what I could become. I will let circumstances and bitterness determine my limits. I will betray all the promises of God for all the lies of the world. i may “win” the game of life, but in the end, I will still die. And I will die never knowing what I might have achieved WITH God, instead of in my own strength and wisdom.

So when we say, “Less Me,” what we really mean is less of my grasping, less of my whining, less of my demanding my own way, less of me shutting out others, less of me standing in opposition to God’s best for my life. ”More Jesus”– more trust in Him, more humbly walking WITH Him, instead of shaking my fists AT Him, actually results in “More Me”– not the ME that wants the world to revolve around only myself, but the Me that God created me to be! The Me that can only be shaped by a Master’s Hand. The created me bringing glory to and through the Creator!

So this year, instead of saying “More Jesus, Less Me,” maybe we should say, “Me Less, Jesus More!” Me less and less in the driver’s seat. Me less prideful and isolated. Me less prone to anger and bitterness. Me less in the center of my thoughts and plans for today. Jesus more in my daily talk. Jesus more in control of my emotions and reactions. Jesus more of my focus. Jesus more of my best and most trusted friend! And in the end, Me, More like Jesus made me!

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The Measure of Success

My senior year of high school, I was voted “Most Likely to Succeed.” I’m not sure what that meant to most of my classmates, but it was both an honor and a burden to carry. While I was honored by my classmates’ faith in my ability to become some sort of “success,” I was also daunted by the mantle I felt I had to bear. Would I become famous? Wealthy? Important in public affairs or business? My immediate and modest goal was to become a teacher. But I had visions of becoming a well-known author. I also dreamed of becoming a wife and mother; of having a loving, happy family, and a nice home.

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God’s plans are not our plans. God has placed many opportunities in my path– opportunities to serve myself and “get ahead,” and opportunities to serve others. I can say from experience that serving others brings more satisfaction in the long run, but it doesn’t feel like “success” as defined by most of our society. I’ve never achieved what most would consider “success.”

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Some days, I feel wistful and even a bit resentful about some of life’s circumstances– children I was never able to have, or jobs I might have pursued with more ambition. But then, I think of all I might have missed– friendships, victories over certain struggles, lessons learned. My life isn’t finished– God may yet give me the opportunity to do “great things.” But already, He has given me the privilege of doing small things for Him over the course of many years. And it is more than enough.

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One of the greatest measures of true success is to look at the life of Christ. After all, His life, death, and resurrection changed the entire course of history! Time is measured by His arrival on this planet– everything happened either before or after His birth. Billions of people have called themselves “Christians” after Him, and lived their lives in His service. But what did He actually accomplish in human terms? He was not a ruler or political powerhouse. He never owned a house, let alone villas and mansions. He never wrote a book (even though thousands of books have been written about Him). He didn’t invent anything, or found a corporation, or make a monumental scientific discovery. He never led an army. He healed several people, but He didn’t cure cancer or wipe out leprosy, or put an end to blindness. He didn’t rid the world of poverty, hatred, greed, or injustice. At the time of His death, He owned only the clothes on His back– and they were taken from Him! His friends deserted Him as hundreds shouted for Him to be crucified. He was nailed to a cross between two nameless malefactors, and died. He was placed in a borrowed grave. People who had expected great things of this Messiah ended up turning on Him and thinking Him a failure and a blasphemer.

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Jesus did not pursue worldly success. He told parables. He dined with sinners and saints alike. He laughed. He cried. He prayed. Jesus served others, and yet He challenged authorities. He drew crowds, and performed miracles, but He died alone. Jesus did not come to show us how to “get ahead.” He came to show us how to live more abundantly, not more successfully. (See John 10:10)

 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2: 1-11
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God can use our worldly success, if we achieve any. But He delights in our humble prayers, our small acts of service, and our obedience. Jesus lived a humble life. He could have done anything He wanted, fulfilled the loftiest of ambitions, and crowned Himself King of the universe. But His success came from the unlikeliest of lives, and the most humiliating death. He lived the perfect and abundant life He offers us.

I don’t live a perfectly humble life. I chafe at my own weakness, sometimes. Yet it is when I stop chasing “success” and perfection that I find it –in Christ.

My prayer today is that someone reading this will be encouraged. If life feels like a series of missed opportunities to find success and fulfillment; if you feel like your life has let you down, and that God cannot use you for some great purpose– take heart! He loves to pour His love and holiness into broken vessels and exalt those who are humble and weary and “not enough.”

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