Deeper Reflection
THE THESSALONIANS WERE PUTTING INTO PRACTICE walking “to please God” (v.1) and “loving one another” (vv.9-10a). But Paul exhorts them, “just as you are doing, do so more and more” (vv.1, 10b). We are not only to grow in the Lord, but to grow with a godly discontentment.The antithesis of godly discontentment is spiritual complacency, disinterest, indifference and laziness. In a true sense, there is no spiritual stagnancy. In the spiritual life, if we do not progress, we regress. Growth is the result of God working in our lives. We progress because God is working in our lives. Where is God when we are regressing spiritually? The foundation of our spiritual life is Christ (1 Cor 3:11). And we are building upon that foundation. The question is not whether we are building or not building. The question is how we build upon the foundation: Is it with “gold, silver and precious stones” or with “wood, hay and straw” (1 Cor 3:12)? And so, Paul exhorts us, “Let each one be careful how he builds upon it” (1 Cor 3:10).Seeking to grow is a matter of the heart. And the seed for spiritual growth is the Word of God. This is clearly taught by Jesus in His Parable of the Sower (Lk 8:11-15). The Word of God is sown on our “hearts” (Lk 8:12). Growth by the Word of God is determined by the response of the heart to the Word. Growing with godly discontentment is “hearing the Word, [we] hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Lk 8:15).