This week in the United States a new president was inaugurated (or rather, re-inaugurated). Depending on a person's political beliefs, there may be great hope for the next four years, or great trepidation. But for the Christian, our hope is not in any political figure - it is found in the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, to whom every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:11). Scripture makes it plain that this is the hope of the Christian when it says in Titus 2:13 that we should be "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."
I've been thinking about the blessed hope lately, and it occurred to me that our great hope includes satisfaction. I'm in the midst of switching careers, and the job market has been tough, which has left me awfully dissatisfied some days. That's putting it lightly - the reality is that most days I am outright down in the dumps. The Lord has provided for my every need (and more), and I know that He will continue to provide for my needs and direct my paths, but there's just something about not having a job that really grinds me down.
Do you ever find yourself feeling that way? It's not that you don't have faith in the Lord, or that you're unthankful for all that He does for you, but something in life has been like sandpaper on your soul and find yourself dissatisfied. We should be careful when we find ourselves in that spot: we could develop that kind of attitude sinfully, but there are other times when our dissatisfaction is completely justified.
Sinful Dissatisfaction
It's probably not difficult for you to imagine sinful dissatisfaction. When we lust for things we don't have (which sometimes includes things that a Christian has no business having, am I right?) then clearly we're in the wrong and need to straighten up. This is addressed in in I Timothy 6, where the context is material goods and the love of money. In verses 6-8 Scripture says:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Is it wrong to have nice things to enjoy and a healthy bank account to use? Of course not - some of the godliest men and women in Scripture had more than you and I will ever have! But others among the godliest men and women had far, far less than you and I have. It's not about the stuff - it's about the heart. God instructs us that if we have food and raiment (clothing) we should be content. Paul had this mastered. Consider what he says in Philippians 4: 11-13:
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
When we find ourselves dissatisfied, we must do a heart check. If we've got food and clothing (and let's be honest, most of us have never lacked for those things) then we should be content. In fact, we should not just be content, but also thankful (Philippians 4:6) and joyful (Philippians 4:4) because of the truth of Psalm 68:19 in our day-to-day lives (emphasis added):
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
We are invited to bring all of our wants and needs to the Lord (I Peter 5:7, Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:6), but let's mind our attitude when we do. Sound fair?
Righteous Dissatisfaction
That's not to say that all dissatisfaction is sinful, however. Yes, I should be content with the Lord's provision for my needs, and joyful and thankful for His abundant graciousness in providing some of my wants, but there are times when we are completely justified in being discontent.
When we see flagrant injustices, rampant unrighteousness, trampled innocence, and utter disregard for the Lord and His word, we have every right to be dissatisfied! John 2:13-17 records just such a moment in Jesus' earthly ministry:
And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
The Lord was so dissatisfied that he braided a whip and started flipping tables! I wish that gave me a permission slip to do the same whenever I saw something offensive to the Lord out in public, but let's not forget - Jesus was doing this in His Father's house, which is His house. He didn't burst into some bar or den of thieves or temple of a false religion and make a ruckus. So while this may not give us permission to become God's vigilantes, I believe it does give us permission to feel dissatisfaction with the wickedness around us. More importantly, this absolutely gives us permission to be dissatisfied with the wickedness in our own "houses" which are now also the "houses" of the Lord! Do you see where I'm going with this?
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
I Corinthians 6:19
...Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:20-22
We would be in much better shape spiritually if we quit wasting our efforts with our outward dissatisfaction and got serious about those inward things that dissatisfy the Lord. The zeal of His house should eat us up, not the zeal of our outward belongings. Are there things in your Christian life that you're satisfied with that you shouldn't be? Are there any "money changers" in your heart who need to be driven out with a whip and have their tables flipped?
Our Great Hope Includes Satisfaction
And so we come full circle back to where we started: although we may encounter different sorts of dissatisfaction throughout our lives, our blessed hope includes satisfaction. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, He will satisfy like nothing else can. He will purify believers at the Judgement Seat and take them - the Church - as His bride. Then He will personally usher in a kingdom of perfect righteousness, gain a spectacular public victory over His enemies, toss the Antichrist into the lake of fire, and bind Satan for 1,000 years. And at the end of that, He'll gain an even more spectacular victory that will last for all eternity. Every injustice will be addressed. Every sin that has not been placed under the blood of Christ by faith will be dealt with. And finally, every tear will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4).
We are exhorted to be content now because we are promised we will be satisfied later. Right now we are just strangers and pilgrims in this world, so let's not worry about getting too comfortable. Consider I Peter 2:11, which says:
One area where I remain embarrassingly immature as a believer is that I allow myself to be satisfied with far less than the Lord. I am satisfied with the trivial, temporary things of this world, which often robs me of the blessed hope and anticipation I should have for that which truly satisfies. I am willing to trade the joy of an eternal perceptive for the stresses associated with baubles and trinkets. You know what that means? It means I've got some tables that need kicking over. How about you?
Kommentit