This Hour Of Human Discontent

"Now 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 clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."  1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NKJV)

It seems as though there are greater numbers of people going through life unsettled these days. Humanity has a habit of placing increasing demands and pressures on itself and I don't think that's what God had in mind for any of us. I believe that God intends and expects that He will be and is our primary focus. Still, there's so much to do and so much we have to do just to get by from one day to the next according to society and the life this world demands... but there's another perspective.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."  Romans 8:5-6 (NKJV)

As human beings, part of the demands of this world are based in things that we've invested in, bought into, sold ourselves to and made ourselves slaves to. We've come to worship our broken selves, celebrities, the latest trends, possessions, animals, and things. Oh how we love things. We've sold ourselves into debt to have what we otherwise couldn't afford and now have to meet the required payments and obligations. We worry and fret about what we have that we could lose and fawn over other things, relationships, and other potentials that we want and don't have - things that lead us to be further discontented. And if it's our intention to follow Christ, somewhere inside we know that so much of it is all wrong- leading us to a guilt that we might try to ignore. And that only leaves us further unsettled. We were warned about all of this in scripture beforehand and either didn't hear it, study it, or we just plain willfully ignored it. And because of this, we've made ourselves prisoners of a life that God never wanted for us. If we've erred, we must now likely pay the remittance of choices that we've made in order to honor God, but must also absolutely repent of our sins and change course to be careful to honor Him in our future decisions.

"Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant."  Psalm 25:8-14 (NKJV)

The people of the world, those without Christ, have every reason to be unsettled. They, like all of us, were created by God with an incompleteness- a hole in our spiritual makeup that only He can fill. His purpose for our very existence is to be in relationship with Him thereby allowing Him to fill that intentional void and complete us as we submit to Him. The worldly have no hope of filling that void other than by surrendering themselves and their lives to Christ, but that doesn't stop them from trying to fill it with a host of other people, places, causes, beliefs and  things that have no possible hope of satisfying that gnawing incompleteness. And satan makes sure that there's an abundance of other things available for them to try- leading them to disillusionment, depression and a host of other destructive emotions and circumstances. The unwitting could try to argue the case of their ignorance, but the erring Christian may well find themselves tripping over their own excuses at some point if the Holy Spirit chooses to call them out.

"Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace." Psalm 37:37 (NKJV)

We followers of Christ should know better than anyone else where true peace is found and know better than to fall for the enemy's cheap, hollow, imitations. But these days I worry that there are a number that don't. I think some have become far too casual in their walk with God and some have fallen victim to what I call dessert teaching- teaching that dances around the hard truths of God, including that He doesn't change or compromise. That kind of teaching is intended to scratch the itch of ears that only want to hear what they want to hear and ignore the rest in an attempt to edit any part of God that they don't agree with. As it was to Lucifer, insolence toward God is a sure poison to the soul of man.

"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."  Colossians 2:8-15 (NKJV)

Although I know that it's possible for us to compromise, I also know that our God doesn't. And while it may be possible that Jesus might not allow our failures in some of these things to sink us to hell, it may be possible that they could still rob us of some reward when we finally reach heaven. Christ will be the true judge of all things in the end. Those motivations aside though, as followers and professed lovers of Jesus Christ, our highest, most sacred motive in all things that should guide our conduct, should be the motivation to respond to all that Jesus and our Father in heaven is and has done by bringing worship and glory to His name... and a smile to His most holy, precious heart. He should be first in priority and all other things in this life and beyond viewed through that lens. Our true peace, provision, and contentment are found in Him today, tomorrow, and forever as we're made complete in Him when we seek Him first- nowhere else. 

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister."  Colossians 1:15-23 (NKJV)

In Scripture...

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it." Deuteronomy 10:12-14 (NKJV)