Grant
Puritan Board Graduate
Good Morning. Today’s reading comes from Brakel’s Chapter on Contentment. The 2 quotes are a few sentences longer but I think this is an important Chapter for the modern Christian living in the age of entertainment, adervistment, and “1-click away“ ownership. Do you wrestle with the anxiety of being discontent? This is certainly a pit for the unconverted, but the saint, especially this one, can also wrestle with this sin as well.
From pg. 389, the diagnosis:
From pg. 390, the exhortation:
From pg. 389, the diagnosis:
You would glorify Him, on the contrary, if you would be satisfied with your present circumstances, and if your felicity consisted in the enjoyment of God Himself. As far as you yourself are concerned—you bring yourself into continual unrest, apprehension, fear, and anxiety. You rob yourself of delighting and rejoicing in God. You impede your growth, since your disposition displeases God, and renders you unfit to appropriately use the means for spiritual growth. Your concerns will cause the Word and your good inner motions to be choked, thus rendering them unfruitful (Matt 13:22). Unbelief has opportunity to surface and will toss the anxious soul to and fro. The desire for religious exercise decreases and free access to God is hindered. The thoughts that these adversities come upon you in God‘s wrath cause the soul to tremble. Thus, to a great extent quietness, dependence upon God, a childlike confidence in God, and walking with God disappear. Would you lose all this for a greater or lesser quantity of bread, for getting your way, for your own honor, and for the future, of which you do not know how it will be? Oh, these matters are too insignificant to permit the well-being of your soul to dissipate.
From pg. 390, the exhortation:
May these scriptural promises serve as peacemakers for Christian hearts belabored with anxiety from discontentment.To that end you must first of all meditate upon all forceful exhortations. Hear them from the mouth of the Lord, speaking to you in this way: ―Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass‖ (Ps 37:5); ―Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved‖ (Ps 55:22); ―Be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee‖ (Heb 13:5); ―Therefore take no thought ... for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things‖ (Matt 6:31-32); ―Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure‖ (Isa 33:16); ―Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you‖ (1 Pet 5:7). Do not readily pass over these texts, but give attention to each one—yes, to every individual word. Take note of these words as being addressed to you by the God of heaven. He not only commands you to take no thought, but also to be content.