This post is part of a collection of posts, and joined in on-line interaction with scores of others, in the reading of Jeremiah Burroughs' "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment".
There once was a man who called himself Christian. He was so fabulously wealthy, that he lit his cigars with $100 bills.
Now this man, who called himself Christian, truly was a Christian, but had become seduced by his great wealth, and began to behave as though he might exist without being a bother to God. Living the American dream, and enjoying a self-indulgent lifestyle. Truly God has blessed this man.
Then one day, a thief came into his house, and stole half of his money.
As you can probably guess, the man was beside himself. "I was honest and worked hard for that money", he proclaimed, "Where is the justice? Where is this thief?"
"God?", cried the man called Christian.
Now, the story doesn't end here. Now the hard part really begins.
Half of the money is gone, but God would have the man learn to be content, and furthermore, not even grumble.
Not the slightest peep!
You see, even though half of the money was gone, he was still whining, murmuring, and discontent.
God desires that this man called Christian learn that everything that he will ever need is found in Christ, and not of the things of this earth. God desires this man learn that the very reason that the rich do not inherit the kingdom of God is because they have traded Christ, for the things that will decay.
God desires that this man learn that even though half of the riches disappeared, with the thief, he still desires the earthly riches, over Christ.
God desires that this evil, this idolatry, this murmuring heart be purged from the man called Christian.
God desires that the bride be in love with, and loyal only to, the Bridegroom.
From Jeremiah Burroughs' "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment":
"So you see that to be a murmurer, and to be a rebel, in Scripture phrase is all one; it is rebellion against God. Just as it is the beginning of rebellion and sedition in a kingdom, when the people are discontented. When discontent comes, it grows to murmuring, and you can go into no house almost, but there is murmuring when men are discontented, so that within a little while it breaks forth into sedition or rebellion. Murmuring is but as the smoke of the fire: there is first a smoke and smouldering before the flame breaks forth; and so before open rebellion in a kingdom there is first a smoke of murmuring, and then it breaks forth into open rebellion. But because it has the seeds of rebellion, it is accounted before the Lord to be rebellion. Will you be a rebel against God? When you feel your heart discontented and murmuring against the dispensation of God towards you, you should check it thus: Oh, you wretched heart! What, will you be a rebel against God? Will you rise in rebellion against the infinite God? Yet you have done so. Charge your heart with this sin of rebellion.You who are guilty of this sin of murmuring, you are this day charged by the Lord, as being guilty of rebellion against him, and God expects that when you go home, you should humble your souls before him for this sin, that you should charge your souls for being guilty of rebellion against God.
Many of you may say, I never thought that I was a rebel against God before, I thought that I had many infirmities, but now I see the Scripture speaks of sin in a different way than men do, the Scripture makes men, though only murmurers, to be rebels against God. Oh, this rebellious heart that I have against the Lord, which has manifested itself in this way of murmuring against the Lord!"
