OnFire #72 What Contentment is Not

I looked out my window today and found a ladder lying in my back yard. That's a little unusual since we don't have a ladder. I was not alarmed however. It means that Buddy, our carpenter, must have been here to fix the roof. We've had a leak since last October, but we couldn't find it because it doesn't leak every time it rains. We thought we had solved it and had hired a man from our church to repair the drywall, but then it leaked again. The 4X8 hole in our ceiling is a testimony to this frustrating condition.

Our roof leak reminds me of situations about which we cannot be content. Last week I wrote about contentment, or lack of it, and how we need to see it for what it is. We cannot confuse needs for desires, nor can we fix spiritual problems with material things.

This week I want to make clear that contentment is not about settling into life in a "whatever may come" kind of attitude. There are some situations about which we should never be content in our Christian lives. In the same way I should not be content over a leaky roof, I should never be content with the stage of my spiritual development.

God calls us forward in our faith journey. It began when we asked Jesus to come into our hearts and to forgive us for our sin. And it continues until the day we die or Jesus returns for his followers, whichever comes first. God wants to work within us to change our character, our lifestyle, our service, our commitment, and our vision.

Character is who we are at the core. Someone said this is who we are when no one is looking. Character determines how we will act, and other people see it as they know us over time because it is hard to hide. The shadow side comes out when we are hurt, angry, or frustrated. God wants us to work on our character to be the person he created us to be. There are character traits he wants us to have and also those which we need to eliminate.

Lifestyle is how we live, what we do. Often, this is the first area we tackle when we become Christians because it is the most obvious to other people. Just because we live by the 10 commandments, however, does not mean there is nothing else we need to work on.

Service is what I do with my talents, gifts and abilities. I can use them for myself or I can bless others and serve God with them. Selfishness is what sin is all about and we constantly face the temptation to horde what we have for ourselves only. As a pastor, I'm becoming increasingly concerned with the matter of time and service. As people feel pressed, they guard their time and give less of it away. Its hard to convince people that their own feelings of satisfaction and contentment will actually increase when they serve.

Vision is how the future can be, as distinguished from the way things are now. How is God calling me to change things? What is God calling me to do for him?

Commitment is about follow-through. Its not enough to want to have a deeper walk and be a better disciple. We must also act. Secondly, commitment is also about not giving up when we face struggles. Are we willing to count the costs of being a disciple and keep going?

These are areas in which we cannot be content because God calls us to develop them. They are not easy and take a lifetime to complete.

The most frustrating group of Christians I teach are those who feel they have it all together. They've heard it all before. As the saying goes, they've "been there and done that." They're the ones who, when I announce a new Bible study, will say, "But we did that before," as if to say there is nothing new to learn. Interestingly, there is no one age group with a monopoly on this attitude of pride. It can set in at any time and it is very difficult to uproot. It often takes a major life-changing event to set people free.

Now, I want to make something clear to the small group of Christians who will read this and feel guilt over these things. "You're right, Troy, I'm not good enough. I've got so much to work on." I know what you're thinking because I am one of those people. Its not about being perfect. Jesus did not say to the disciples, "Be perfect." He said, "Follow me." In other words, learn from Jesus. Imitate him. Remember God's grace - "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). We are called to be holy (Eph 1:4; Heb 12:14; 1 Pet 1:15-16) BUT God's love for us does not depend on the level of our holiness or perfection. We cannot forget this.