Growing in Christ
discontentment
The Peace of God Verse The God of Peace
03 years ago
A soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God; nothing but God can fill a soul that is capable of God. Though a gracious heart knows that it is capable of God, and was made for God, carnal hearts think without reference to God. But a gracious heart, being enlarged to be capable of God, and enjoying somewhat of him, can be filled by nothing in the world; it must only be God himself. Therefore you will observe, that whatever God may give to a gracious heart, a heart that is godly, unless he gives himself it will not do. A godly heart will not only have the mercy, but the God of that mercy as well; and then a little matter is enough in the world, so be it he has the God of the mercy which he enjoys. In Philippians 4:7, 9 (I need go no further to show clear Scripture for this) compare verse 7 with verse 9: ‘And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.’ The peace of God shall keep your hearts. Then in verse 9: ‘Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ The peace of God shall keep you, and the God of peace shall be with you. Here is what I would observe from this text. That the peace of God is not enough to a gracious heart except it may have the God of that peace. A carnal heart could be satisfied if he might but have outward peace, though it is not the pace of God; peace in the state, and his trading, would satisfy him. But mark how a godly heart goes beyond a carnal. All outward peace is not enough; I must have the peace of God. But suppose you have the peace of God. Will that not quiet you? No, I must have the God of peace; as the peace of God so the God of peace. That is, I must enjoy that God who gives me the peace; I must have the Cause as well as the effect. I must see from whence my peace comes, and enjoy the Fountain of my peace, as well as the stream of my peace. And so in other mercies: have I health from God? I must have the God of my health to be my portion, or else I am not satisfied. It is not life, but the God of my life; it is not riches, but the God of those riches, that I must have, the God of my preservation, as well as my preservation.
Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, p. 42 (Banner of Truth, Puritan Paperback edition).
Me, Generation Me, and Discontentment
03 years ago
In reading on the cultural mantra of “I can do anything” in Twinge’s Generation Me, I read the following line today during lunch:
In a recent survey, a stunning 98% of college freshmen agree with the statement, “I am sure that one day I will get where I want to be in life.” (78)
In this section Twinge exposes how this mantra affects “Generation me” (folks born in the late70’s through the end of the 90’s). Twinge’s remark here got me thinking on cultural idols that are ingrained in me in such a way that I don’t see them as cultural idols. The sentiment that’s reflected in the quote is what contributes to creating a culture and people who have high ambitions, and expect other people to help them make those individual dreams reality.
Making this observation about ambition in my generation helps me make sense of some sins in my own heart I’ve seen lately. There is this burning desire to set a goal, aim for it, and make it happen. Not only does the world not work like that, but neither does God; but in the Gospel, God uses these foolish things of my heart to help me repent and look for growth by his grace. Satan has always bated us away from trusting in God. (Isn’t that what Satan meant when he asked if Eve really could trust God?) For my generation, the bate is self-esteem fueled with the passion to see one’s self exulted in the exact way they want. By my own experience, and according to statistical data, my generation has the idea that when we set our mind to something, because we’re the best judge or what’s best for us, that something will happen. No wonder I struggle with contentment in God! I was trained to by my nature (fallen in Adam, Romans 5:12), experienced in my personal sin (rebellious towards God, Romans 1:18ff.), and couched in my culture (the things of the world, 1 John 2:15-17). Obviously I take full responsibility for my sin; it was my own choice. But it’s helpful to see how my personal sin of discontentment in God is culturally informed. It’s a clean rag washing my window pane – I can see the world around me a little more clearly, why other people seem to struggle with the same sin, and that we really have a lot more in common than what’s admitted to. This isn’t to say that previous generations didn’t struggle with discontentment, but it’s a helpful observation as to why my generation does. It’s as though I’m able to finally see the trick of the enemy; how he’s deceived me through the culture that set’s the ambition for self-glory as the purpose for one’s existence. It’s these things, subtle Trojan horses that my flesh grabs onto to throw my heart into discontentment. Thank God for the Gospel that says that while I was wondering from God, and fully absorbed in the selfish, glory-thieving generation I was born into, he made me alive with Christ Jesus by his sovereign grace alone to instead inherit the kingdom of God. That is so much better.
This prompted another line of thinking for me that pans into a few questions that I’ll list here for further reflection:
- How does this culturally reinforced view of the self and ambition get expressed in the theological sins and struggles of my generation?
- How does this observation effect how I counsel and care for others?
- How does this observation change or influence how I present the Gospel to people?
- How does this observation change how I preach the Gospel to myself?
