Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
“A lesson which Christ teaches a Christian when he comes into His school is this: He teaches him to understand what is the one thing that is necessary, which he never understood before. You know what he said to Martha: ‘O Martha thou cumberest thyself about many things, but there is one thing necessary.’
Before, the soul sought after this and that, but now it says, I see that it is not necessary for me to be rich, but it is necessary for me to make my peace with God; it s not necessary that I should live a pleasurable life in this world, but it is absolutely necessary that I should have pardon of my sin; it is not necessary that I should have honor and preferment, but it is necessary that I should have God as my portion, and have my part in Jesus Christ, it is necessary that my soul should be saved in the day of Jesus Christ.
The other things are pretty fine indeed, and I should be glad if God would give me them, a fine house, and income, and clothes, and advancement for my wife and children: these are comfortable things, but they are not the necessary things; I may have these and yet perish for ever, but the other is absolutely necessary. No matter how poor I am, I may have what is absolutely necessary: thus Christ instructs the soul.
Many of you have had some thoughts about this, that it is indeed necessary for you to provide for your souls, but when you come to Christ’s school, Christ causes the fear of eternity to fall upon you, and causes such a real sight of the great things of eternity, and the absolute necessity of those things, that it possesses your heart with fear and takes you off from all other things in the world.”
Jeremiah Burroughs (1600-1646) in The Rare Jewel Of Christian Contentment (Preach the Word) 55.
Today we pivot to the Puritan era. This classic work is a rare jewel for sure. I will explore it over the next week to see what is necessary and needful for living, giving, serving, and loving generously like Jesus.
Burroughs beckons us to go to school with Jesus to learn how to live. The world tells us to value a pleasurable life with a fine house, incomes, clothes, and other comfortable things. Jesus wants more for us.
We learn to value things in light of eternity when we go to school with Jesus. We learn contentment only by understanding that in Christ we have everything we have ever needed and will ever need.
In this light, knowing Christ comes into view as the one thing, the only thing, that is needful, in order to learn contentment. Knowing Christ is also the only pathway for living a life of Christian generosity.
The Father in Heaven resources our generosity. The Spirit empowers our generosity. And Jesus teaches shows the way, leading by example, modeling simplicity, humility, and generosity.
Let’s see what we can learn this week! Start by pondering the truth that when we have Jesus, we have everything we have ever needed, everything we need, and everything we will ever need for the rest of our lives.