Being Content

Looking for Reasons

“I think it must hurt the tender love of our Father when we press for reasons for His dealings with us, as though He were not Love, as though not He but another chose our inheritance for us, and as though what He chose to allow could be less than the very best and dearest that Love Eternal had to give….”

– Amy Carmichael, Rose From Brier

We are creatures that search for meaning.

We like to understand the reasons why things happen, how things work, and what the purpose is in our circumstances.

As individuals, we try to understand where our lives are leading, what the outcome of our choices will be, and how we will know when we have arrived at where we are supposed to be.

As a society, we strive to understand the nature of cultural changes, the trajectory of where we are heading, and we seek to anticipate what the future will contain.

This quest for knowledge has led to discoveries and breakthroughs. It has provided solutions to problems that long plagued the human race. It has brought individuals clarity in regards to how they should invest their lives.

But it has also caused turmoil. As we have searched for answers, sometimes God’s children neglect to consider that they already have the greatest Answer. The One who holds the Earth together is their Father and Lord (Col. 1:17). Even when we can’t make sense of our circumstances, we can trust in Him.

Nothing happens in our lives that He does not allow. Nothing is outside of His perspective or control. And He desires the best for us – not just for this life, but for eternity (Rom. 8:28).

So instead of pressing Him for answers, may we press to trust Him more. Instead of relying on our ability to make sense of things, may we depend on the knowledge of His love. May we seek Him first and foremost, knowing that as we do so, “all these things will be added” unto us (Mt. 6:33).

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Being Content

The Same Goal

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Many team-building activities are built around a single premise – if a group of individuals can be united towards the same goal than there is little that can stop them from achieving it. This is why football teams rally together before the start of a game and recite the same chant in unison. It is why corporate America spends so much time drafting catchphrases that encapsulate their strategic plans. It is why churches have mission statements and non-profits have slogans. Having a unified theme, a common aim, motivates people towards its fulfillment.

In Philippians Paul writes about the goal that he has for his life, namely knowing Christ (Phil. 3:8). This was the goal that drove his work, that motivated his efforts, that allowed him to be content in every circumstance (Phil 4:11-12). If Christ was known more fully, than Paul’s mission was achieved. His desire was for Christ – for Him to be glorified and exalted, everything else paled in comparison.

Paul was fully aware that this goal may lead to unpleasant circumstances in his life. He had been imprisoned, beaten and persecuted all for the sake of his Savior (See 2 Cor. 11:23-29). He was threatened with hardship and even death for the sake of His King. Yet because of what drove Paul, because of his overwhelming desire to make Christ more fully known, he was satisfied with whatever circumstance God had for him. Life or death – it did not matter (Phil. 1:21). If God was to be glorified, Paul was pleased.

As John Piper said in a sermon on January 27, 1980:

“Life and death: they seem like such opposites; they seem so contradictory; they seem like enemies. But in Paul’s mind there is this unity somehow, so that whether by life or by death Christ would be magnified. The greatest longing he had would be fulfilled in both. So in a sense it was a matter of indifference to him which one the Lord would give him.”

This should make us stop and think: what is our greatest longing? What is the goal that motivates us – that keeps pushing us forward? Are we, like Paul, motivated by knowing Christ and making Him known? If so, than the situations that we face are inconsequential to the achievement of this objective. If this goal can be realized in our death than, like Paul, we know that “to die is gain” for Christ will be glorified and we will be with our Maker. If we must face hardship and persecution, are we glad to do so for the sake of Christ and His renown? Do we desire our comfort over magnifying Him? Do we choose convenience rather than exaltation of our Savior?

May this not be so. May our motivation in life be to bring glory to our King. May we live with this goal at the forefront of our mind and may we be willing to accept whatever comes our way – life, death, hardship or blessing – if as a result, He is magnified and honored. May His glory be the goal that unites our desires. May His renown be more important than our rights, being willing to sacrifice what “we deserve” for His majesty and grace to be put on display. May we not be mostly concerned about the outcome of our circumstances in this life, but the end result in eternity.

 

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