Therein Lies Our Contentment

December 4

There is a verse in scripture (II Corinthians 10:12) that says, "They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise.” The Bible is quite clear that if we believe in Christ, have settled in our hearts and minds that we are His and we will follow wherever He leads, there is no place in us for second guessing His choices for us..

There is no place for negotiation for a ‘better deal.’ If He calls us into a mission field in some far-flung corner of the world, we must trust that it is because He knows His plan for us will be best accomplished there and His plan for that part of the globe will be best accomplished because of our presence there.

If He tells us to remain in our hometown and share our faith with the people among whom we grew up, we cannot lament the lack of adventure in our lives. Again, He knows where we will be most effectively discipled and where we will be best equipped to draw new disciples to Jesus.

Even Peter wrestled with the question of where he was to go in order to serve the Kingdom of Christ—and where his fellow Apostle John would go, and how he would die. Jesus had described Peter's martyrdom in John 21:18, 19, so in John 21:21, Peter asked, "And what shall this man (John) do?"

As we so often do, Peter was trying to reconcile in his mind how ‘fair,’ how ‘proportionate’ would be his lot in life compared to that of someone close to him. Can we not hear ourselves saying, ‘But, Jesus, why did he get the promotion? Don’t I work harder than he does? Lord, why is their marriage thriving while ours is chugging along after several years of less-than-marital-bliss?’

Our questions could go on to include those about other relationships and other people whose lives touch ours, but the point is that we are to trust the Lord in all circumstances of life. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

We may question ourselves—‘How can I do better?’ ‘What can I do more effectively at work to attain the goals I seek?’ ‘How can I love my spouse more fully to have the joy in marriage that seems to be missing?’ Assessing our effort can be quite productive, but interrogating our God is as unproductive for us as it was for Job. (See Job 38:4 as the Lord begins His response to Job’s challenge of His dealing with him.)

The Lord’s answer to Peter when he asked Him to outline John’s fate as compared to his own silenced him. It should silence us, too, when we ponder the role of fellow believers in His Kingdom. In John 21:22, Jesus said, “If I want him to tarry until I come, what is that to you?”

This was His polite way of saying that another person's life and ministry and fate are none of our business; and His answer should effectively shut us up, as it did Peter. Can we ask Him to help us improve ourselves while trusting Him with the things we cannot change? If we can, therein lies our contentment.