satisfied, not satisfied

I was listening recently to a sermon by Dick Lucas and was struck by the contrast in these two statements by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians. Paul is not definitely not self-satisfied as to his spiritual progress (3:12-13), and yet he is definitely content with his physical circumstances (4:11-12)...

Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:11-12 "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need."

Lucas made a statement, which he said was an old saying… "The man of the world is satisfied with his spiritual condition, but not content with his material condition. The man of God is not satisfied with his spiritual progress, but he is content with his material condition. "

Comments

doug said…

Thank you for this reminder- I am often dissatisfied with both and my dissatisfaction with my spiritual growth if often for the wrong reasons. I am in constant need of rebuke and accountability. Both of these are in short supply which would make a carnal man pleased but for one who desires to grow in Christ, it is deadening. Anyhow, this helps. Dick Lucas is one of my favorite preachers to listen to. Together with David Jackman, Ian Hamilton, Peter Jensen, and all the Scotts that I love so much, I have come to realize that I listen to very few, if any, Americans. Must be something in the accents.

April 25, 2013 at 2:16 PM

Pilgrim said…

Too soon old and too late smart. That is me for sure, Thanks

April 25, 2013 at 6:32 PM

clement quotes hebrews

Clement of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth around AD 90. This is perhaps the same Clement, companion of Paul, mentioned in Philippians 4:3. Many hold him to be the first bishop / pope in Rome, aka St. Clement I. Clement quotes from the letter to the Hebrews. Origin suggested that Clement was in fact the writer (as transcriber or amanuensis) of Hebrews. Perhaps this letter began as a "word of exhortation" given by Paul at the synagogue (Heb 13:22; cf Acts 13:15) which then became a circular letter for the churches. Other possible authors of Hebrews include Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos. The theology is Pauline, but the transcriber is obviously second-generation (Heb. 2:3-4). At any rate, this early church leader in Rome, is already quoting Hebrews in his letter in AD 90: CHAPTER 36 ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Savior, even Jesus Christ, the High Prie...

Howard Hendricks on OT books chronology

When I was in seminary, Howard Hendricks (aka "Prof") gave us a little card with the books of the OT chronologically arranged. The scanned copy I have was a bit blurry and I wanted to make something like this available for our church class in OT theology ("Story of Redemption"). A few minor edits and here it is...

sword and trowel

"From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me." (Nehemiah 4:16-18 ESV) The great London preacher, Charles Spurgeon, published a monthly magazine called The Sword and The Trowel; A record of combat with sin and of labour for the Lord. It was published from 1865 to 1892. The cover of the journal had a drawing taken from Nehemiah 4, which included both a trowel (representing the work) and a sword (representing the fight). The sword was necessary to protect what the men with trowels were building. These citizen-soldier-builders would successfully complete the wall aroun...

my burg

Search This Blog