Contentment isn’t just about being content material with what we now have, however trusting what God has mentioned. As God's phrases fall, anxiousness and greed rise in our hearts.
When the author of the letter to the Jews needed to show his readers about contentment, he instructed them an previous story with a well-known chorus. He calmed their worry and quenched their greed by reminding them what God mentioned. “Keep your life with out the love of cash and be content material with what you’ve got he mentioned'I’ll by no means depart you nor forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5). Which prompted Charles Spurgeon to ask,
The hardships of life and the pangs of demise, inner corruptions and exterior snares, trials from above and temptations from beneath is not going to seem to be mild afflictions to us once we can cover below the wall of “he has?” mentioned”?
The seed of pointless worry within the coronary heart of the Christian is forgetfulness—a failure to recollect and belief what the God of the universe has mentioned and performed. Nobody has ever had motive to accuse God of not maintaining his phrase. Not one sentence in any sentence in any utterance he ever made failed (Joshua 21:45).
We’ll solely be actually glad with what we now have once we know we now have it. And we are going to keep in mind that we now have him once we hear his voice and imagine him.
God mentioned
When God mentioned, “I’ll by no means depart you nor forsake you,” He was chatting with Joshua earlier than little Israel got down to conquer the entire land of Canaan by drive. A nation of nomads was about to invade a land filled with enemies larger and stronger than themselves. Not one military, however many (Joshua 3:10)—and never ours, however theirs. Israel's solely confidence was that God had instructed them to go. He mentioned.
What did he say? The overseas land you might be about to enter is already yours (Joshua 1:3). No enemy, irrespective of what number of or how robust, will be capable to defeat you (Joshua 1:5). And probably the most promising of all: “I’ll by no means depart you nor forsake you.”
'I’ll by no means depart you'
“Nervousness and greed develop in our hearts when the phrases of God fall.”
This nice promise is not going to come true if we predict primarily by way of geography and never loyalty. In fact God won’t ever depart us as a result of He’s at all times in every single place. “If I ascend to heaven, you might be there! After I make my mattress in Sheol, you might be there!” (Psalms 139:8). However we see God's constancy within the very subsequent verse: “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell within the uttermost components of the ocean, even there your hand will lead me and your proper hand will maintain me” (Psalm 139:9-10). If you’re his, he is not going to depart you; he’ll information and shield you.
As Joshua stared into unimaginable circumstances and overwhelming opposition, God mentioned:
“I can’t depart you nor forsake you. . . . Be robust and courageous. Don’t worry or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5, 9)
When the author of Hebrews noticed what Jesus' followers would face and the way they might wander in temptation, he returned to the identical phrases (the one time this promise is quoted within the New Testomony): “He mentioned, 'I’ll by no means depart you nor forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5).
You’ll by no means be alone. Irrespective of how determined and lonely you are feeling, irrespective of how a lot opposition you face, irrespective of how precarious your circumstances, he mentioned: I'll be with you. His presence can calm any worry—so long as we don't neglect that He’s there, He’s close to, and He’s attentive.
What you do not need
Nevertheless, the creator of the letter to the Jews didn’t warn in opposition to the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. His readers, Jewish converts, confronted intense persecution, however from inside their very own nation—from their very own communities, even from their very own households. And because the scorching pleasant fireplace fell, an much more formidable enemy appeared of their hearts: their very own wishes and longings.
He says, “Hold your life free from the love of cash, and be content material with what you’ve got, for He mentioned, 'I’ll by no means depart you, nor forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5). When Western Christians at this time learn, “Be content material with what you’ve got,” we would assume that the Christian has had sufficient. We might hear, “Don’t need greater than you want.” However many of those younger converts have been thrown from their households, minimize off from all provision and safety. Following Jesus meant accepting abandonment and accepting poverty. So lots of them have been referred to as to be content material with what that they had performed No have.
“The seed of pointless worry within the Christian's coronary heart is forgetfulness.”
Dissatisfaction immediately doesn't appear so gratuitous. A few of them have been with out meals—for Christ's sake. A few of them had solely the garments on their backs – for Christ's sake. A few of them misplaced their properties – for Christ's sake. A few of them “gladly accepted the pillage [their] property, from [they] he knew it [they themselves] he had a greater possession and lasting” (Hebrews 10:34).
If they they may very well be content material with what that they had and didn't have, how can we not be taught to be content material with what we now have?
Grace sufficient
Be proud of what you’ve got. Are there six extra scary phrases in a tradition like ours? I'm certain they'll hit me like six sharp pictures from a cannon. Don't let your coronary heart endlessly lengthy for what you might need someday, however domesticate contentment with what God has given you at this time.
A phrase for content material is similar phrase in 2 Corinthians 12:9 when Jesus tells the apostle Paul, “My grace is adequate for you, as a result of my energy is made good in weak point.” Paul solutions: “Subsequently I’ll moderately glory in my weaknesses, in order that the facility of Christ might relaxation on me. Subsequently, for Christ's sake, I’m content material with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I’m weak, then am I robust” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
Paul's message just isn’t like so many gospels about contentment: If the Lord offers you much less, make lemonade. Relatively he says If Christ offers you much less, boast that you’ve much less, as a result of you may see extra of him in your much less. His grace is adequate to cowl any deficiency in us. If God is so nice and style so candy, then we’re in a position to say what the overwhelming majority can’t say: “If we now have meals and clothes, we can be content material with these” (1 Timothy 6:8).
We is not going to merely be comforted however delighted as a result of our deepest pleasure doesn’t rise and fall with what we now have (Philippians 4:11).
How silver kills a person
Nevertheless, if we need to be glad with what we now have, we should free ourselves from the love of cash. As Paul warns, “The love of cash is the foundation of every kind of evil. It’s due to this need that some have strayed from the religion and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:10). And due to this need, many have misplaced contentment and forgotten what God mentioned. Intimacy with God loses its worth as we fall deeper in love with our forex (and all it buys for us).
“We’ll solely be glad with what we now have once we know we now have it.”
If we proceed to flirt with cash, we are going to turn out to be the sons of Judas, who exchanged God himself for thirty measly items of silver (Matthew 26:15). However even earlier than he died, Judas knew he was defeated (Matthew 27:3). He grossly overestimated cash and misjudged the love that no silver should purchase: “I’ll by no means depart you nor forsake you.”
May he not see how murderously sad the Pharisees have been (Luke 16:14)? He nonetheless couldn't shake his need for extra, even when it price him every little thing. If we might really feel the horrible realization that he felt after he traded Jesus for cash, wouldn't we need to race to surrender all of the possessions essential to have God? Wouldn't we be glad to have even so little on this life to realize it within the subsequent and endlessly?
Content material and braveness
What does contentment sound like? True contentment doesn’t sound low-cost, shy, or docile as a result of it typically requires deep energy and the braveness of a lion's coronary heart. Hebrews continues: “He mentioned, 'I’ll by no means depart you, nor forsake you.' So we will say with certainty,The Lord is my helper; I can’t be afraid; what can man do to me?'” (Hebrews 13:5–6). As he appears to be like at this small military of Jesus' followers going through need, want, and worse, he turns from Joshua 1 to Psalm 118, which works on to say:
It’s higher to take refuge within the Lord
than to belief a person.
It’s higher to take refuge within the Lord
than to belief princes. (Psalm 118:8-9)
Braveness connects Psalm 118 to the promise of Joshua 1, as God tells Joshua thrice, “Be robust and brave” (Joshua 1:6-7, 9). And earlier than Joshua heard these 4 phrases, Moses mentioned to him, “Be robust and brave. Don’t be afraid and don’t be afraid of them, for the Lord your God goes with you. He is not going to depart you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Whenever you're tempted to fret about how a lot you’ve got, take into consideration what he mentioned. If the true God is your God, he goes with you. He is aware of what you want (Matthew 6:32). And He is aware of all that you simply want and all that you’ll face, He won’t ever depart you or forsake you. Subsequently, we may be daring the place his hand leads us, flee from the intense guarantees of silver and rejoice in what we now have. Above all, we will rejoice that we now have him.
