I listened to a sermon this week about why it is imperative for Christians, by definition, to be satisfied with God. By satisfied I mean content in whatever circumstance Christ has placed me, joy in Christ that is able to tower over my disappointments in life, a deep sense of security in the love of God given to me in his commands, and a joyful positive response to the will of God.
So, why is this so important?
When you serve other people, you will get easily hurt if your joy comes from their response and not your satisfaction in God. If you serve merely for them, they might hurt you or not appreciate you. If you serve primarily for God, then the approval of man is only a nice bonus -- should you happen to get it. Ultimately, you serve other people because it proves that you are truly satisfied with God. If you plead for and desire the praise of others, it merely reveals the lack of deep satisfaction with God to begin with. That is why spiritually mature people are so difficult to offend. Although the mature person naturally desires the approval of others, his or her joy is not dependent on it.
The cross born by serving others through difficulty proves the joy I have in Christ. May we all be joyful servants, "...and the second is like it, love your neighbor like you love yourself..."
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1 comment:
You've been listening to Piper, haven't you. Great post. I pray that this really takes of for our church.
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