Content with our lot ?

scotty · #1 02-12-2009, 08:56 AM

the following exchange was pasted from a conversation between me and a friend.

Friend--striving for perfection only sets you up for failure.

Me--but contentment in where you are is result of never caring enough to try..

Friend--I have to respectfully disagree Chris. The Bible teaches to be content with your lot in life. It never mentions, to my knowledge, that you should try to excel in this world.

Should we just do whats neccesary to survive while here ? I have always been taught to exel in our lives here. Not so much the "keeping treasures" , but I never did believe God's people were to live or be content with where they are at any given point in life..

Any thoughts ?

rgcraig · #2 02-12-2009, 09:00 AM

You are right and your friend is complacent or just lazy.

Ron · #3 02-12-2009, 09:03 AM

I believe if one has any desires in life he will seek to excel whether it is Work, Family, or Ministry.

I repeat it again, one can be content & not be satisfied!

LadyChocolate · #4 02-12-2009, 09:11 AM

IMO when you fall into complacency, it becomes a trap to you. It's almost like living from paycheck to paycheck... you get by but it wears you out and is stressful... I believe God wants us to be prosperous in all we do! Not necessarily speaking in $$ terms either. One of the reasons people do not strive for success is the fear.... Sometimes it's the fear of failure and sometimes it is the fear of success... We should strive for perfection in what we do.... When we don't, we aren't giving 100%. I like to strive for perfection in my walk with God, parenting, relationships, jobs.... just about everything... I fall short many many times, but that doesn't mean failure!

Some just don't want to put any effort into things either....
...... I think for me, it's more of a mindset than anything else...

deltaguitar · #5 02-12-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty

the following exchange was pasted from a conversation between me and a friend.

Friend--striving for perfection only sets you up for failure.

Me--but contentment in where you are is result of never caring enough to try..

Friend--I have to respectfully disagree Chris. The Bible teaches to be content with your lot in life. It never mentions, to my knowledge, that you should try to excel in this world.

Should we just do whats neccesary to survive while here ? I have always been taught to exel in our lives here. Not so much the "keeping treasures" , but I never did believe God's people were to live or be content with where they are at any given point in life..

Any thoughts ?

I agree with your friend. I firmly believe that if we truly depend on God and rest in him he will do a great work in us. Does that mean we should sit on our butts and do nothing? No, but if we will just understand that God has a purpose for our life that has already been prepared in advance we can rest in him. Once we learn to rest and find our fulfillment in Christ alone will we ever be able to reach our full potential.

To strive for perfection comes from insecurities and our own selfish motives. When we rest in God then his will becomes our will and we will attain more perfection than we ever could have ever imagined.

Hebrews 4:6-11 (New International Version)

6It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts."[d] 8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

rgcraig · #6 02-12-2009, 09:19 AM

Delta - I agree with what you are saying, however sometimes people SIT and wait on God when all the time God is waiting on them.

Digging4Truth · #7 02-12-2009, 09:24 AM

Wow... haven't there been a few broad brushed statements about people who think differently than others.

I am a tested genius and yet I have never attended college above a few night courses on computers in the 80's.

I am not complacent... I am not lazy...

I simply have no interested in some of the things that some people see as success in life.

The things that I see as success are the things that others have no interest in.

Would I do well to accuse them of being short sighted... or materialistic... or any other number of adjectives I could derive to describe those who think differently than me?

I have everything it takes to be the college educated highly successful individual. But these are not my desires. I love the land and a simple life and it isn't a lack of drive that puts me here. It is my drive to fulfill the things that I find to be important and worthwhile that has gotten me where I am today.

I am happy. I am content. Complacency is not a given when those things are in place in a persons life.

EVERYBODY works to be successful in this life. Some of us just define success differently than others.

deltaguitar · #8 02-12-2009, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgcraig

Delta - I agree with what you are saying, however sometimes people SIT and wait on God when all the time God is waiting on them.

Right, this is very common is Pentecostal/Word of Faith/Prosperity Gospel churches. People want magic and they want God to zap them and fix all their issues. It just doesn't work that way.

I am talking more about our labor and works for God. We think we are going so much for God many times when all we are going is what WE want to do. Many times the work that God has for us there will be no boasting or credit but only glory for Him.

I do not believe in being lazy and I assure you I understand lazy folks.

RandyWayne · #9 02-12-2009, 09:25 AM

This is actually something that I have a hard time with. On one hand I am constantly told or reminded of the parable of the rich man (you know the one who wanted "bigger barns"), which seems to contradict the command to "whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your/their might".

Rhoni · #10 02-12-2009, 09:26 AM

The Bible tells us that Christ came to give us life...and life more abundantly. The Bible tells us to be good stewards of time and money which will lead to a better circumstance in life. It tell us to pray for wisdom and knowledge and understanding. It tells us a man/woman must work to eat.

I think the lazy man will be content with living off others or the system.

Paul was taking about being content in the situations that you find yourself in that have nothing to do with your bad judgement/decision making, but all about content with God's will as it unfolds in your life.

Blessings, Rhoni