"Already you have all you want!" (1 Corinthians 4:8, ESV)
Really? Most people today have all they need; few have all they want. The Holy Spirit is telling us that in Jesus Christ we have all sufficiency. If people are to have a contented life, they need to bring closer together their needs and their wants. The larger the gap between the two, the larger the frustration.
The Greek word for, "want," can also mean, "satisfy." Paul is telling us that in Christ we lack nothing; satisfaction is ours in Jesus Christ. He goes on to say, "Already you have become rich!" Think of it. In Jesus Christ we, "have all [we] want," and in Jesus Christ, "[we] have become rich!" Then why do people play the lottery, and if they win, they quit their job? Why do so many others strike for higher wages, look for every opportunity to get a promotion at work? They want more. At the root of most "unrest" in cultures and societies is the belief that others have more and we should have at least what they have.
Phillips says, "I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be." All translations agree. Yet you and I do not start off this way; we learn "this way." For some, it takes a life time. Now it's true that when a person first surrenders his/her life to Jesus, contentment is one of the first "fruits" which seems to manifest; remember? But then, all too often and all too soon, the old nature starts reminding the new, "Now don't forget those things you always wanted, those things for which you are working and hoping, those things which you may not need, but sure would like to have." This is the frustration gap, and it robs us of contentment. Have you ever noticed that the vast majority of things people want are things they see. I wonder how much more contentment would be in us if we cease to live a "window-shopping" life style.
The Bible says that the key to life's victory is living with our eyes, "looking unto Jesus." It is never a frustrating life because in Jesus we have, "all you want!" In Jesus we, "have become rich!" Our Lord Jesus is never beyond our grasp like those so many "beautiful" things people desire. As we enter into one of the most "commercial" seasons of the year, if we bring our needs and wants closer together, I have no doubt it will be a merrier Christmas.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I want to say more and more with Paul, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Amen.
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Right now we are looking at a Berlin/Eastern European Mission in the month of March.
Really? Most people today have all they need; few have all they want. The Holy Spirit is telling us that in Jesus Christ we have all sufficiency. If people are to have a contented life, they need to bring closer together their needs and their wants. The larger the gap between the two, the larger the frustration.
The Greek word for, "want," can also mean, "satisfy." Paul is telling us that in Christ we lack nothing; satisfaction is ours in Jesus Christ. He goes on to say, "Already you have become rich!" Think of it. In Jesus Christ we, "have all [we] want," and in Jesus Christ, "[we] have become rich!" Then why do people play the lottery, and if they win, they quit their job? Why do so many others strike for higher wages, look for every opportunity to get a promotion at work? They want more. At the root of most "unrest" in cultures and societies is the belief that others have more and we should have at least what they have.
Phillips says, "I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be." All translations agree. Yet you and I do not start off this way; we learn "this way." For some, it takes a life time. Now it's true that when a person first surrenders his/her life to Jesus, contentment is one of the first "fruits" which seems to manifest; remember? But then, all too often and all too soon, the old nature starts reminding the new, "Now don't forget those things you always wanted, those things for which you are working and hoping, those things which you may not need, but sure would like to have." This is the frustration gap, and it robs us of contentment. Have you ever noticed that the vast majority of things people want are things they see. I wonder how much more contentment would be in us if we cease to live a "window-shopping" life style.
The Bible says that the key to life's victory is living with our eyes, "looking unto Jesus." It is never a frustrating life because in Jesus we have, "all you want!" In Jesus we, "have become rich!" Our Lord Jesus is never beyond our grasp like those so many "beautiful" things people desire. As we enter into one of the most "commercial" seasons of the year, if we bring our needs and wants closer together, I have no doubt it will be a merrier Christmas.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I want to say more and more with Paul, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Amen.
***********************
Right now we are looking at a Berlin/Eastern European Mission in the month of March.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
