Colossians 3:11 – Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
THEME OF THE DAY: JESUS: THE CHRISTIAN’S CONTENTMENT. Have we recently taken time and pondered all the rich blessings we receive from God by being Christians? The list is long. It would be a good exercise to periodically remember them. Such an exercise would help us when life gets in the way and we forget to live in the spirit of thanksgiving to God for His loving and giving heart. And all these blessings are a result of our union in His Son, the Lord Jesus. God told us He “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). In Christ, we have the gateway to encounter and enjoy the God who blesses us immensely and allows us to know Him intimately.
So, amid being overwhelmed with all the rich blessings we have from God in Christ, let’s consider one that makes us distinct in a world not knowing these great blessings. It is the blessing of contentment in life. If you were to corner me with the question, “What are the prevalent attitudes in most people today?” and you restricted my answer to three words, this is what I would offer, “Most people live their lives with the attitudes of fear, complaining, and discontent.” Think for a moment about the unsaved people in your circles of influence and relationships. In discussions with them about life and the world we live in, do these three or any of the three ever come up? I am sure they do. Now take that into the realm of our relationships with Christians. Do we not find these attitudes also present among believers? Ever engage a Christian paralyzed by fear or anxiety? Ever hear a Christian complain about something? And discontentment? There are a ton of discontented Christians in the world. It shows in their materialism and always looking for some “new” Christian experience to satisfy them. What about ourselves? Look in the mirror. Are any attitudes of “fear, complaining, and discontentment” present in our personal lives? It should not be. Why? Today’s scripture . . .
In the Colossian passage, the Apostle Paul writes, “Christ is all, and in all.” What is implied by the Apostle in the words “Christ is all” is that He is enough for all we need, want, and crave in this life and beyond. Christ satisfies our souls’ desire for peace. Christ fulfills our hunger for meaning in life. Christ cures the pain of loneliness. Christ calms the sea of fear raging in our souls. On and on and on it goes. Christ is our all in all. Friend, is that your experience today? Is Christ meeting you at your point of need and satisfying the need? Is Christ making Himself known to your hungering soul and satisfying you with Himself? Jesus proclaimed “I have come that they might have life and that abundantly” (John 10:10). This abundant life He promises is Himself; “Christ in us leading to Christ satisfying us.”
When it comes to the sin of discontent in the Christian, it says far more than we are dissatisfied with our current situation in life. This sin says, “I am not satisfied with You, Lord. I want something else, someone else, to fulfill my life, satisfy my life, and complete my life.” And where a discontented heart exists, the activity of Satan leading to great sin will be intensified. The Puritan Thomas Watson said, “Satan loves to fish in the troubled waters of a discontented heart.” That is good insight and drives us to seek the Lord that He may help us to see and pursue the only true contentment in life; Him. And God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ to include a life of contentment in Him.
PRAYER: “Father, may Your Spirit create and satisfy a thirst for Your Son deep in my very being”
QUOTE: “One of the healthy paradoxes in the Christian life is having spiritual thirst and spiritual satisfaction”