Am I experiencing deep contentment or is my soul still hungry for the things of the world?

35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 

INSIGHT: Before we talk about contentment, it is so important that we see again from Christ’s words, that we are always thinking naturally, while God is always thinking spiritually.  When Jesus says, “you must be born again”, Nicodemus thinks only about entering his mother’s womb a 2nd time.  When Jesus says, “tear down this temple”, the Pharisees think only of the literal building they see.  When Jesus says, “I have food to eat you know nothing about”, His disciples think only of literal food.  When Jesus says, “If anyone drinks my blood and eats my flesh he will live”, his hearers think only of His physical blood and flesh.  When Jesus says, “whoever drinks this water will never thirst again”, the woman at the well thinks only of natural water.  When He says, “Lazarus has fallen asleep” the disciples can only think of natural sleep. This is one of our greatest obstacles in knowing and walking with God; we are so terribly naturally minded. 

The more we can see and understand this, the more it will help us to understand what often appears to be His very mysterious dealings in our lives, without us being so shocked or offended.

In John 6, the people had just received a wonderful miraculous meal from Jesus, the day before.  In v. 31 they speak to Jesus about the literal bread/manna that God had given their ancestors for temporal sustenance in the desert.  Jesus replies in v. 32-35 explaining that He is the “bread from heaven.” But, as we know, Jesus is not literally bread, but the people’s desire was for the literal bread.  Jesus is using “bread” (something they must have to live) as an earthly illustration to point them towards seeing beneath the surface, to the far superior spiritual reality of what He is using “bread” to symbolize.  God, the same yesterday, today, and forever, is ever using types, shadows, signs, symbols, and earthly representations to help us to see below the surface.

Regarding contentment, it is completely normal for unbelievers to have hungry souls, but I too lived 19 years of my life, as a believer, convinced that my true happiness was just in front of me (the carrot).  I believed I would be content when I made that next big business deal, reached the next level of revenue, found that next key employee, got the business to run without so much demand on me, bought that next dirt bike, or finally got my 1st spouse to return my love language.  It was all a delusion of my own natural thinking.  I was caught in the snare of needing God and (fill in the blank), and my seed was choked off by the pursuit of other things (Mk 4:19). 

There is such a place you can get to with Christ that you will be content with God alone and have need of nothing else which is not in His will to give.  You may have some desires, but none that you cannot live without, should God not see fit to provide them.  Try to imagine how your life, your activities, your career, and the way you spend your time and money, might all change if suddenly you felt perfect contentment in your soul with God alone?  Most people cannot even believe this is possible, but it is true, and as A.W. Tozer taught, there is such a blessedness of possessing nothing.  That doesn’t always mean that you don’t have anything literally, but it means that in your heart you live spiritually detached from all things, as a steward rather than an owner.  There is nothing God could take from you physically, which would kill your spiritual joy.  I am saying that as someone who God has been pleased to take away two spouses and four children from.  Often it seems that contentment comes because of our genuine surrender to discontentment.  When we surrender to it, and stop our grumbling, Christ gives us contentment by His grace.  Godly contentment provides incredible freedom to your soul because it allows you to live detached from all things.  Even after all the loss I have experienced, I told Lisa while working on this 10th Anniversary Edition of the Challenge, that I am feeling perhaps the deepest of joy that I have ever had.  This contentment is a mark of the Holy Spirit and saving faith.  Do you have it?