Overcoming Discontentment

That brings us to a very important spiritual truth: The only thing that matters is knowing Jesus and through him, growing closer to God day by day. Nothing else matters. If we know God in Christ, then we are of all people most blessed and highly favored. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3). And if we don’t know Christ, then the rest of life won’t satisfy our deepest longings anyway. Christ must be the center of life or else the circumference will never satisfy. Circumstances—even happy ones—can never replace the soul’s longing for the Lord.

Seen in that light, discontentment is a grievous sin because it is an attempt to overthrow God. It is an attack on the Sovereign who sits on the throne of the universe. When you complain against the Lord, you are repeating Satan’s mistake. It’s the first great rebellion played out in your own heart. And you will not be any more successful than Lucifer was.

A great deal of our problem in this area stems from the fact that we don’t really know who God is. Too many of us have an “Americanized” God who is sympathetic, democratic, and eager to make us happy. He adjusts his plans to fit our needs and lives to bring us to “self-actualization” and personal fulfillment. It may surprise some people to discover that the biblical picture is quite different. With regard to his sovereignty, the God of the Bible is an autocrat; a divine despot who does whatever pleases him. As the Creator, he has the final word regarding everything in the universe. We Americans love democracy. We like to talk about the voice of the people, the will of the people, and how the majority rules. The universe is not a democracy. It’s a theocracy. It’s a divine monarchy. God doesn’t give us the vote. He doesn’t poll the universe to see what his next move should be. The Lord can say, “Come” and we come. “Go” and we go. I need you there. And we must obey. We dare not fight back. We dare not murmur against the Master.

“Jesus Christ is My Lord”

If we are truly surrendered to the Lord, and if we have any true concept of what “lordship” really means, this is what we should say: “Jesus Christ is my Lord. I will do what he says. He has the absolute right to my life. He has the unchallenged right to direct my affairs. He places me where he wants me. And my response is unqualified, absolute, unquestioning submission.” That’s what Paul means when he declares in Romans 14:8 that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. If we belong to Jesus…

Our bank book is his,

Our investments are his,

Our calendar is his,

Our home is his,

Our family is his,

Our marriage is his,

Our children are his,

Our future is his.

Once we understand this principle, our true position will become evident. Down on your faces before him! Bow down and worship the Lord. One of our beloved Christmas carols says, “O come, let us adore him.” And that is our calling and our proper response to the great truth of God’s absolute sovereignty over all the details of life. The Magi understood the truth better than we do. The “Three Kings” brought their gifts to Jesus and then worshiped him. It is not better to be a king than a shepherd because all stand on the same level ground before the Lord.