Contentment, Part 1

How content are you with who you are? I read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in The Message recently and was struck by Peterson’s translation of Matthew 5:5: “You’re blessed when you are content with just who you are—no more, no less.”

The first thought that came to mind was another passage of Scripture, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mt. 22:39). Perhaps the most elementary point of this verse is that if I don’t love myself, and I am not content with who I am, my neighbor isn’t going to be very appreciative of my attempts at “loving” him.

I can give intellectual assent to loving myself, but the proof of my love will be in my contentment with Pres. As I thought about it, I realized I had a nice, neat theological perspective of me.

I am accepted, loved, forgiven, sanctified, justified, seated with Christ in heavenly places, etc., etc. If you are a regular reader of my blog or my books, or if you followed my work at Lifetime Guarantee, you are very familiar with your identity in Christ.

But this passage of Scripture took identity a step farther. It is one thing to be who I am, it is another to be content.

I’m headed this direction in my next post.