Tea and Hebrews 13:5

This morning, as an introduction to my devotions, amid thoughts of contentment, I turned to Charles Spurgeon’s Morning devotional for today. Observing the text, I decided to turn there for contextual awareness. The verse says,

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ”

Spurgeon comments,

In this promise, God gives to His people everything. ‘I will never leave thee. ‘ Then no attribute of God can cease to be engaged for us…Whatever attributes may compose the character of the Deity, every one of them to its fullest extent shall be engaged on our side.

Since we have the Lord always with us, it ought to motivate us to contentment with where he has placed us. I know that I struggle with this. I often think, “All I need is this, and then I will be happy.” Then Jeremiah Burroughs, in his work The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment humbled me by aptly pointing out that I ought never to be content with things of the world, and to realize that even if I had ‘fifty thousand a year’ it would not make me content, and ought not to:

A soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God; nothing but God can fill a soul that is capable of God. Though a gracious heart knows that it is capable of God, and was made for God, carnal hearts think without reference to God. But a gracious heart, being enlarged to be capable of God, and enjoying somewhat of him, can be filled by nothing in the world; it must only be God himself.

How much more should I reflect on the power of God and the treasure I have because of His grace in my heart, and His promise to never leave me! I would like to say that I am like this. Although Burroughs’ words resonate with my soul, I am afraid they find much opposition in my practice.

May the Lord be pleased to cause growth in godliness, and may his Holy Spirit cause me to reflect more on the all-sufficiency of Him, and the insufficiency of the things my sinful heart tries to follow after.