Daily Thought for: 25th November

BE CONTENT WITH SUCH THINGS AS YE HAVE

Hebrews 13. 5-6

Contentment is a rare virtue. Even in the idyllic surroundings of Eden, it was a desire for something they did not possess that caused Adam and Eve to sin. Throughout the course of history that same desire in the heart of man has led to covetousness, greed and envy, often resulting in gross sins of theft, adultery and even murder.

In our present society, a man or woman is judged by the things they own, the possessions they have and the job they do; all of which leads to discontent in the hearts of many.

To the church at Corinth Paul writes, ‘what hast thou that thou didst not receive?’ 1 Cor. 4. 7, reminding them that they were totally dependent on the Lord for everything that they had. Since this is true of every one of us, we should be grateful for all that He has blessed us with, whether it is much or little, and we must seek to use those things for His glory.

Perhaps the only area of our lives with which we should not be content is our own spiritual progress! Even the apostle Paul constantly desired progress and attainment in his Christian experience; cf. Phil. 3. 10-14. A deeper knowledge of Christ, a greater ambition in the work He has entrusted to us and a striving towards a measure of spiritual maturity should constantly exercise our hearts.

Sadly there are many believers who are perfectly content with their spiritual progress, content just to be saved without any particular desire to develop and grow as Christians. It is often these same ones who join the ‘rat-race’ of materialism and build their lives on possessions!

In our reading today, the exhortation is that ‘our conversation’, our manner of life, be without covetousness, literally, without love of money. We can be content with such things as we have because ‘he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’, v. 5; the golden promise that runs through the scripture to His own of every age.

May we examine our own manner of life in the light of such scriptures, and hear again the apostle’s word to Timothy, that ‘godliness with contentment is great gain’, 1 Tim. 6. 6.