Are You Satisfied?
One might expect me to take the angle on this question that we, as Christians who are blessed beyond measure, should of course be satisfied! If we weren’t, wouldn’t we be ungrateful and a bit spoiled? After all, we have the blessings of the hope of heaven, access to our Father through His Son, and “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
While all of that is true, a recent Bible class made me rethink being satisfied. We were looking at the well-known passage in Philippians 3 where Paul says:
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (verses 12-14)
In the past, I looked at these verses as a call to persevere and not give up but to look at the prize that awaits all Christians. Our discussion that day led my mind a different direction: not settling or being satisfied.
Have you ever thought about dissatisfaction as a desirable trait? Until I saw that concept linked to the above verses I sure hadn’t. Notes from Clarence Deloach suggest that this is not only desirable but necessary in our pursuit of the Christian goal. If I decide that I “have arrived” as a Christian – that my faith is where I want it to be, that I’m happy with my service to God, that I am in a “good place” – I am satisfied, and I stop pressing forward.
As sometimes happens, once you have one Biblical thought turning in your mind, something else seems to connect. In a sermon not long after that Bible class, Jeremiah spoke about 2 John. In verse 8 we read, “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.” There are many variations and attributions to the following quote but you get the idea: “If you aren’t growing, you are dying.”
Keep an energy and fire to constantly be more like Christ drive you forward. Don’t be satisfied with where you are. Look for new ways to serve and evangelize. Be more prayerful. “Press on toward … the upward call.”
“Keep moving forward.” -Walt Disney
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AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
