Being Content

The State of Satisfaction

We’re all probably familiar with the post-holiday meal stupor. Our tummies are filled, our hearts are light, and we relax into our favorite spot of the couch, content with what we’ve just consumed. It’s a good feeling; one that some people look forward to all year long.

We are also probably all used to what a friend laughingly referred to as the “hangries” – the state of emptiness that we feel when it’s been too long since our last meal. Our tummies are growling, our hearts are frustrated, and we anxiously try to satisfy our dearth of food.

The challenge for Christians is that too often we are content with keeping spiritual life in the second state. We know that we need to eat – to partake in the richness of God through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship – but instead of satisfying ourselves by feasting on what He has given us, we remain undernourished, anxious, and ill-fit to grow. God is offering His children a heart that is filled by Him, but instead we fill it with empty things, much like a child would fill their tummies with “empty calories” simply because of the momentary pleasure it might provide.

Knowing our need to fill our tummies, its no wonder that God often uses the analogy of food when talking about our relationship with Him. He calls Himself the “Bread of Life,” and doing His will “food.” Paul repeatedly writes about “spiritual milk” (see I Cor. 3:2, also I Peter 2:2). We need to know that the feeling of satisfaction we get from a good meal is greatly surpassed by the heart-filled satisfaction that comes from ingesting the Word of God and deepening our relationship with Him. He will satiate our deepest appetites. He will satisfy our heart’s grumbling.

Much like we look forward to the state of satisfaction that comes from a good meal, may we anticipate the heart-felt contentment that He offers daily to those who seek after Him.

How do you plan to find your satisfaction in God this coming year?

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Growth Hope

Outcomes vs. Obedience

In business, we talk a lot about the “bottom line.”  It’s important to know the final result, the end of the story, the status of the scoreboard. Whatever it took to get there, at the end of the day you want to know the success or failure of the actions that were taken. Increasingly organizations also use what are called “leading indicators” – measurements that indicate what the final result will be before we actually get there. Much like the “bottom line” these measurements look at the outcome of the decisions that are made. Organizations focus on results because we tend to think they will be a good indicator of whether the decisions made and processes used were the right ones.

Like many things in God’s economy, however, He turns this upside down. One place where we see this is  Ezekiel 2:5-7. God tells Ezekiel to go to a “rebellious house” and indicates that he will be persecuted and ignored. However, God also says, “And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.”

Can you imagine that? God says, before Ezekiel even goes, that they are rebellious and indicates that they won’t be receptive to the message he has been sent to proclaim. Yet God still tells him to go, because Ezekiel’s job is to obey God. It’s God’s job to worry about the results.

It’s an important truth for us to remember as well. It can be tempting to try and think through all the likely outcomes when we are facing a decision. We want to plot and strategize to achieve the maximum results. However, if God has told us clearly that we are to do something, we need to simply do it. The One who holds the stars in His hands and commands the hearts of kings will manage the outcomes according to His purpose and pleasure.

 

How does trusting God for the results change our mindset? Why is it important to remember to obey even if we can’t anticipate the likely outcome?

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