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Satisfied with Jesus
"I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need." - Phil 4:12
This time of year is a time of extremes. It's a time when we see some who are inexplicably obsessed with anything they don't yet own, and we see others make heroic sacrifices to bring a bit of comfort to those with no ability to comfort themselves. And, it's worth noting that those two characters are spread all over the economic spectrum. Rich and poor alike can be obsessed with something just out of their reach. Wealthy and destitute alike have the capacity for sacrifice. So, what's the secret?
Paul claims to have figured out the secret to living with more than he needed and, at other times, less than he might have wanted. He reveals his secret in vs. 13: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
So, I'm now forced to ask myself the question: Why don't I feel content? I don't live in want. I don't know that I've ever experienced what Paul would call "humble means," "going hungry," or "suffering need." And yet, I find within myself an embarrassing lack of contentment. I find myself sympathizing with those scrambling to know what's coming "next" or the toys they don't already have.
I suspect the flaw at the root of that attitude is that, at times, I'm just not satisfied with Jesus. I would say that Paul was satisfied with Jesus. When he had little, he still had Jesus. When he had prosperity, he knew how to live in prosperity because he still had Jesus.
What about you? Are you satisfied with Jesus? If not, why not? It's not a personality trait or a genetic disorder; it's a decision. If you don't want to be satisfied with Jesus, you won't be. If you do want to be satisfied with Jesus, you will have to choose to be.
We need to learn to be satisfied with Jesus not just to be able to cope with the highs and lows of life but because Jesus is the only place actual satisfaction can be found. And Paul had found it. Ephesians chapter 1 describes many things that contribute to that true satisfaction. Read it over sometime. He's offering you everything you are designed to have and to be.
