Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU (Heb 13:5).
Let’s
say you bought a boat, and now you are on the river every weekend during the
summer months. You are working 60+ hours a week and justify unwinding on the
river every weekend because you work so hard and long. You may have a camper as
well as a watercraft of some kind, and now rather than going to church, you
are going to the river and worshiping God in the great outdoors, participating
in the worldling ways!
In other words, we, as believers, who are in the world but not of the world, are
hanging out with the of-the-world crowd. In so doing, we are spiritually
attempting to mix light with darkness by trying to put a square peg down a
round hole. It doesn’t work any more than it does mixing oil and water. The worldlings,
having not the Holy Spirit, will always drag a born again believer down to his
or her level, spiritually speaking. Allowing this to happen is unpleasing to
God (cf. Jn 15:19; Rom 8:7; Jas 4:4; 1 Pet 1:15-16; 1Jn 2:15-16).
Getting
away occasionally is not equivalent to getting away regularly. Some of the most
unhappy “campers” in the world, like many on the river that day with us, are
those getting away nearly every weekend. Their constant flights into the
“wilderness” reveal their unsettledness and unhappiness. They are so dysphoric
at work or at life in general that getting away for the weekend becomes an
expected means to a disillusioned end, even if they should love their job!
Now,
this wilderness wandering in search of new adventures or relief valves is
nothing new in the lives of many. Have we not learned as believers that
contentment apart from Christ is emptiness, futility, vanity of vanities, and
vexation of spirit? Solomon came to that conclusion when he left his vertical
orientation with God (above the sun living, being in His will) out of his life
and living his life under the sun, horizontally speaking (worldliness, out of
the will of God).
Nothing
satisfies the soul like Jesus and doing His will, yes? Discontentment always
results when a foolish believer attempts to replace Jesus with the world’s
ideas on what yields contentment or satisfaction! We call it running on the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It is all smoke
and mirrors, amounting to nothing and is going away (cf. 1 Jn 2:17), and yet,
we invest time, energy, and money into it.
When
our lives become a blur by the pace of our lifestyle, know that we have already
thrown the words of Paul (Heb 13:5) out the window along with those wise words from
the psalmist, Be
still, and know that I am God (Psa 46:10a). Active-minded people get into panic-mode
and suffer from the heebie-jeebies whenever they hear the word “still!” Being still
is what you do when you are sick, incapacitated, in the hospital, or older than
dirt, yes? Still is for fearful sissies, right? That is what Satan would have us
believe. Oddly enough, consider that stillness does not mean motionless any
more that peace means the absence of conflict. Selah. Stillness is spiritually
healthy for us!
There
is a time to pause to reflect and realize that God is God and will be
exalted among the nations, including the United States of America. During times
of deep darkness, as believers, we sometimes fail to see that Yahweh will never
vacate His throne! We are zipping through life with all of this outrageous craziness that is happening all around us! All of creation is subservient to Him! We are to
recognize His supremacy and sufficiency and not panic. Are we taking time to
trust, pray, and be guided by His Word, or are we too busy worrying?
Those
of the far-left mentality and those associated with them are the enemies of
Christian values; they are treading on very thin ice in their rebellion against
Yahweh. Yahweh is a refuge to His people, not some political affiliation or pagan ideology.
It is time for us to stand and speak out against this evil flooding our land
and to be still in light of who He is and witness His exaltation among the
nations! Judgment is coming… Obey governmental authority, yes, as long as it
does not run contrary to a higher authority, His Word (cf. Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet
2:13-17); if it does, we must obey God rather than man (cf. Acts 4:18-20; Ex
1:15-17; Dan 6:4-10).
Going
back to having things, it is said that a reporter asked John D. Rockefeller,
the first American billionaire, “How much money is enough?” He responded, “Just
a little bit more.” You know he was clueless of the supremacy and sufficiency
of Christ, right?
Goodness,
how we love to pamper and cushion ourselves silly! It is so much better than
living a spartan existence? To our flesh, the answer is yes! To the new man
within us, it would depend on God’s will in the matter. It’s a good idea to
keep in mind as we attempt to accelerate accumulation without the Lord’s
approval, the sobering words of Jesus,
Take
heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the
abundance of the things he possesses (Lk 12:15), whether rich or poor.
You
will never hear these words above from those who are worshiping the gods of
meism and materialism! Let me throw in one more verse which just so happens to
be our text because it is related to worldly covetousness! It comes from a very emphatic verse in the New Testament, found in Heb 13:5,
Let
your conduct [lifestyle
or manner of life] be without covetousness [monetary greediness, a lifestyle without love
of money or material riches]; be content [satisfied] with such things as you have [with the present
circumstances].
For He Himself has said, I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU [cf. Gen 28:15; Deut 31:8;
Josh 1:5; 1 Chron 28:20].
This ironclad promise of the presence of Jesus in our lives regardless of
the circumstances (positive or negative) serves as a great solace to all of us
who believe! We should rally around this unshakeable promise of the presence of
Jesus in our lives, but often overlooked, there are the two preceding words mentioned: covetousness and its counterpart – contentment.
Apparently,
how we manage and apply this promise of His presence in our lives will determine
the extent of the impact that covetousness (a negative characteristic) and
contentment (a positive characteristic) play in our lives. The love of money is
contrary to the great command (cf. Mk 12:30). Discontentment reveals that there
is a love problem.
I
am going to suggest that if we are practicing the presence of Christ in our
lives at all times, being consciously aware of His presence day and night, what
is manifested from this spiritual awareness is love (agape) for God and not a love of money
or material riches. Along with that, there is a higher or supernatural level of
contentment in the present circumstances, regardless of the caliber of our situation, which is kind of counter-intuitive in those negative situations, yes?
That is why biblical contentment is supernatural!
There
is something about the presence of Christ that revolutionizes our thinking and
doing. I hate bad circumstances like anybody else, but Jesus being right
there with me through the good or bad makes all the difference in the world to
me. When I was struggling medically last year, throughout the whole ordeal, it
was well with my soul. Was this because I was a “super-saint” or “super-spiritual?” No, Jesus was there with me. This God-Man’s cross experience told me all I needed to know of His love and care for me (cf. Rom 5:8; 8:38, 39).
Was
my situation grim last year? Oh, yeah! But by resting on the promise of Hebrews 13:5 made a significant shift in my thinking and response in dealing with my imposing challenges.
Regardless of my outcome, I knew Jesus was with me all the way, one way or
another. It was a win/win.
Moving
on, Heb 13:5 is not suggesting that those believers having substance should
decrease their substance, but to consider what is the driving force behind the substance,
self-glory or His glory (Col 3:17; 1 Cor 10:31)? I think it is clear that this motive is a matter of
the heart. We know that a love for money
is incompatible with having a love for God. This is crucial that we understand this.
The prime directive of Scripture is to love Yahweh with the totality of our
being (Mk 12:30), and He is to have the preeminence (or first place) in our
lives (cf. Mt 6:24, NASB; Col 1:18, or first place).
Being
wealthy, however, does not necessarily mean that a believer who is rich is
guilty of greediness or having a love for money. To automatically assume that
would be unfair and unjust. Being consumed by a passion for money reveals a
person who is not consumed with a passion for God. Greediness puts money first;
contentment reveals that a love for Jesus is the priority. Yahweh doesn’t want
our money; He wants us in our entirety, the whole of us. If He has us, money is
not interfering with the priority of the prime directive and putting Jesus
first.
Under
inspiration, Paul is saying to each one of us who believe in Jesus Christ that
our lifestyle (conduct) should be absent of covetousness or greediness or the love of
money and characterized by biblical contentment (be content with such
things as you have). This is a byproduct of practicing the presence of Christ in
our lives; such a spiritual strategy recognizes Yahweh supremacy and sufficiency and revolutionizes
our thinking and priorities regardless of the circumstances.
Allow
me to loosely paraphrase the unwavering promise of His presence in our lives,
“I will never, never, never, never, never leave you!” Our English translations
do not reveal the emphatic nature of this passage. The Greek text reveals five
negations of the impossibility of Christ ever abandoning us, no matter what! If we
knew and applied this truth that Jesus was ever-present with us, then we would live
in light of the fact that He knows our thinking; He hears our words, and He sees our
behavior: 24/7/365. This would rightly motivate us, would it not, to be more loving to be like Him by obeying His commandments, yes
(cf. 1 Jn 2:5, 6; Jn 14:15, 21, 23) and loving our neighbors rightly, as ourselves (cf. Mk 12:31)?
Well,
not only is He all-knowing, but the Holy Spirit lives within us, too (cf. 1 Cor 6:19)! Would
that not make us an open-mike to God? Would not His attribute of omnipresence
make us an open-mike to Yahweh? Have we not figured out that physical darkness
is light unto Him and nothing can be hidden from His sight (cf. Psa 139:7, 12)?
What
a beautiful and inspiring truth of the presence of Yahweh in our lives! Oh, there
is that one other thing to consider; He also knows when we sin against Him in
thought or deed. He knows the thoughts preceding the act before the foundations
of the world! This is where 1 Jn 1:9 (cf. 1 Jn 2:1, 2) comes into play provided
we are wise enough to resort to it and not let our rebellion get protracted.
His
presence in our lives is the key to biblical contentment with the present things on
hand (cf. Php 4:11, this speaks of Christ’s sufficiency and sovereignty (cf. Php
4:13; Col 1:18; 2:10), and the reason for us not desiring those things (money
or material riches, cf. 1 Tim 6:10) outside the boundaries of His will. So,
practically speaking, it is wise for us to keep in mind that a good deal on this or
that does not automatically mean God’s will for you or me to have it, right?
Good! This tempers materialism.
We
must not allow the devil to sell us a bill of goods; his sales are always overblown
and outside the parameters of the will of God. The lies of the devil are never a
buy-in to a blessing from God, but will always lead to a burden from the devil
to those who are deceived by his lies. Eve acutely found out just how costly
that can be! This is what makes advocates of a prosperity gospel so deceptive
and dangerous is that it clashes with biblical contentment. The answer to our
challenges in life is not prosperity but the presence of Jesus Christ in our
lives. Christ is the answer, not our checkbook.
So, what is the value of practicing the presence of Christ with everything intersecting with our lives in this context of the book of Hebrews? It is this; biblical contentment is achievable regardless of the circumstance in our lives by practicing the presence of Christ in our lives at all times.
It is a contentment that acknowledges Yahweh’s supremacy and sufficiency and puts us second to Jesus, giving Him first place in our lives. But another byproduct of biblical contentment is having full confidence in Yahweh’s ability to help, guide, and protect us in doing His will. This also translates into a public testimony for others to the glory of God,
So we may
boldly [confidently and courageously] say [as Paul, Not that I speak in regard to need, for
I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content (Php
4:11).]: THE LORD IS MY HELPER; I WILL NOT FEAR. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME (Heb 13:6; cf. Psa 118:6)?
This is not some kind of spiritual arrogance; rather, it is a powerful testimony of faith (cf. Jas 2:26)! If we claim to be an apple tree,
we need to show the world our apples!
The lure for more or more idyllic situations always poses an ongoing and dangerous temptation for believers because going after more can challenge God’s will for our lives. It is good to be reminded that nothing enters our lives unless Yahweh approves of it. We don’t have to ask Eve or Adam about the more deal (cf. Gn 3:5); we know what happened to them and us on going after more outside the will of God!
When you and I decide to go for more and it is clearly out of God’s will for us, we are in effect, willfully ditching God’s supremacy and sufficiency through self-effort. Discontentment opposes spiritual priorities. Most assuredly, it does not pay to disobey by going after more outside of His will. The law of the harvest pertains to volunteers, not victims, yes? <><
PS:
On a personal note, when we practice the presence of Christ in our lives in all
that we think, say, or do on a daily and continual basis, imagine a mystical river
that is running through our hearts, and we are refreshed by the flow of His
supremacy and sufficiency in our lives regardless of the temperature on the surface of the water of our circumstances. I can testify that it is far better, keeping our feet in that refreshing stream!
Perhaps the southern style of “Billy-bobbing” might do you some good by reminding you of how refreshing it feels to your weary feet to be massaged by the cooler currents of His supremacy and sufficiency in your life? It works for me; there’s contentment to be found all in the river of life, but I will let you be the judge of that! Blessed is the flow that comes from Your throne, O, Lord, to all who desire to do some Billy-bobbing in the river of Life!
