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Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (IV)
- 07/09/09
- 13
Today, in our effort to read together some of the Christian classics, we come to chapter four of Jeremiah Burroughs’ The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. This is the third and final chapter that has dealt with “The Mystery of Contentment.”
Discussion
I am not a very good reader. Though I read a lot, I have a lot of trouble with retention and lose far more than I remember. Maybe this is part of why I read so much—I’m seeking to replace quality with quantity. So I tend to set reasonable expectations; if I can take one or two points from each chapter and just a few major points from each book, I am pleased. That is what I have done here. This chapter offered me a couple of things that resounded in my mind. It was a short chapter so I figure that two things is enough!The first was the importance of being full of grace. Burroughs seeks to prove that a Christian finds contentment within, not from the natural man but from the Spirit who lives within. There is a mystery here, he says, so that only a Christian can understand it. Here is an illustration he provides:
As it is with a vessel that is full of liquor, if you strike it, it will make no great noise, but if it is empty then it makes a great noise; so it is with the heart, a heart that is full of grace and goodness within will bear a great many strokes, and never make any noise, but if an empty heart is struck it will make a noise. When some men and women are complaining so much, and always whining, it is a sign that there is an emptiness in their hearts. If their hearts were filled with grace they would not make such a noise. A man whose bones are filled with marrow, and his veins with good blood does not complain of the cold as others do. So a gracious heart, having the Spirit of God within him, and his heart filled with grace has that within him that makes him find contentment.
In times of suffering, when we are faced with a lack of contentment, there will be the temptation to complain bitterly, to whine and fuss. Those who are full of grace, full of the Lord, will respond with grace in a way that honors the Lord. Those who are empty will sound like a gong, loudly complaining about all they deserve that they have not been given. Do you know people, who at the smallest whisper of trouble begin to cry loudly and bitterly? Do you know people who under the heaviest burden display the grace that only God can give? It is these people who have found the rare jewel of contentment.
The other thing that stood out to me was the importance of prayer in the pursuit of contentment.
Other men or women are discontented, but how do they help themselves? By abuse, by bad language. Someone crosses them, and they have no way to help themselves but by abuse and by bitter words, and so they relieve themselves in that way when they are angry. But when a godly man is crossed, how does he relieve himself? He is aware of his cross as well as you, but he goes to God in prayer, and there opens his heart to God and lets out his sorrows and fears, and then can come away with a joyful countenance. Do you find that you can come away from prayer and not look sad? It is said of Hannah, that when she had been at prayer her countenance was no more said (1 Samuel 1:18), she was comforted: this is the right way to contentment.
It strikes me that prayer, then, is not only a means to greater contentment, but a mark of one who has found contentment. The fact that we should pray to God, not angrily in some kind of “imprecatory prayer,” but humbly and contentedly, this is a sign that our hearts are content before him and that they will remain content before him.
Do you wish to be content? Then pray! Are you already content? Then you will pray all the more.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (13)
“I am not a very good reader. Though I read a lot, I have a lot of trouble with retention and lose far more than I remember. Maybe this is part of why I read so much—I’m seeking to replace quality with quantity.”
It seems the only way I can get some type of mastery (I’m using that term loosely) is to immerse myself in a subject. And that means reading a lot of material in hopes that some things will ‘stick’. I cannot seem to get a good grip on a topic with only a thorough reading of one book. So I guess I’m in the ‘quantity group as well.
For this reading I focused on one quote. You guessed it; same as one of yours. I blogged on the illustration of the full and empty bottle of liquor and the resultant whining and complaining.
Here is an excerpt:
If whining and complaining are signs of an empty heart than we have a lot of empty-hearted people in our society; we have a lot of empty-hearted believers in our churches.
Whining, by definition, is to ” to complain or protest in a childish manner or about trivial thing”. By its very nature, it is either immature or concerned about the unimportant. Whining, as far as I am concerned, is never acceptable. That is not to say that I don’t whine; I do. But it is surely falls short of acceptable communicating strategies.
You can read the rest here.
Hey Tim, I am greatly encouraged to hear you say that you struggle with retention as well! I have always had that problem, kind of like a spaghetti strainer..some things are held in but a lot leaks out! I was struck by that first illustration as well, I find myself making noise when I’m struck by difficulties or afflictions, I do tend to complain and wonder “why again”? Dave Harvey has a similar illustration in his book “When Sinners Say I Do” He talks about what comes out of us when we’re bumped, is it grace or is it the black ugliness that gets all over everyone around you. Obviously I have not learned the mystery of contentment but I really desire to. This book has really opened up some things in my heart, like wanting comfort or respect more than I want God, I tend to look elsewhere for my contentment, it’s exposing some pretty big idols that are still alive and kicking inside of me. I am really enjoying this book a lot. Looking forward to chapter 5. Blessings Ron Reffett
I like the first section that is posted. I had pretty much come to the same conclusion about my life situation as I lay awake in bed last night. I have a chronic illness that results in pain and fatigue. There isn’t any medication that is helpful, so I was thinking to myself last night that I just need to focus on worshipping and praising God to manage to be as contented as possible and just not worry or get stressed out about life. It is what it is, so I might as well praise God for the good and not sweat the less good.
If there is just one thing in this chapter for me to remember is to trust in God’s promises. “Hebrews 13:5 shows this plainly, that it is our inheritance, and we do not inherit less now than they did in Joshua’s time, but we inherit more. For you will find in that place of Hebrews that more is said than is to Joshua. To Joshua God says, He will not leave him nor forsake him; but in this place in Hebrews in the Greek there are five negatives, I will not, not, not, not, not again.”
No matter what my affliction (in my case job loss) I have God’s promise He will NEVER leave or forsake me. This promise alone will take you from depression to excitement.
I have to read in quantity, too. Sometimes I wonder why I read at all when I seem to retain so little. But hopefully that little will count for something. :-)
Mystery # 12God has all. I have God. So I have all.
I liked the analogy of the husband with the nagging wife. No wonder he doesn’t want to stay at home (within himself). But the man with the pleasant home and good wife doesn’t feel compelled to go out to find peace. The kingdom is within.
Mystery # 13We inherit the covenant in general and the benefits of the promises.
Mystery # 14Even with afflictions here for a moment, we can delight that a fuller glory is ahead.
Mystery # 15A godly man can tell God all about it and find relief and contentment, whereas a carnal heart has no way to relieve himself except through “abuse and bitter words.”
I summarize these four mysteries here.
I’ve included a brief overview of this chapter here: http://lauriemo.blogspot.com/2009/07/rare-jewel-chapter-four.htmlAnd will post additional thoughts on finding contentment in the Covenant of grace in a few days.
Excellent, excellent post.
“It strikes me that prayer, then, is not only a means to greater contentment, but a mark of one who has found contentment. The fact that we should pray to God, not angrily in some kind of “imprecatory prayer,” but humbly and contentedly, this is a sign that our hearts are content before him and that they will remain content before him.”
Amen.
Brad
“As it is with a vessel that is full of liquor, if you strike it, it will make no great noise, but if it is empty then it makes a great noise; so it is with the heart, a heart that is full of grace and goodness within will bear a great many strokes, and never make any noise, but if an empty heart is struck it will make a noise. When some men and women are complaining so much, and always whining, it is a sign that there is an emptiness in their hearts. If their hearts were filled with grace they would not make such a noise. A man whose bones are filled with marrow, and his veins with good blood does not complain of the cold as others do. So a gracious heart, having the Spirit of God within him, and his heart filled with grace has that within him that makes him find contentment.”
Tim, this statement convicted more than anything else in the book I have read thus far. This is a phrase that should drive us to our knees. We whine and complain when the air conditioning does not work, or when someone treats us unfairly. I see now that my complaining is because of a lack of being filled in my heart by the grace of God. God have mercy on me a sinner. May we all strive to be filled in our hearts with His Grace Alone!
Patrick
“When some men and women are complaining so much, and always whining, it is a sign that there is an emptiness in their hearts. If their hearts were filled with grace they would not make such a noise.” Ouch! I have such a bad tendency to let others know when I have a headache, or back pain, etc.. I try to rationalize it by thinking I’m just sharing something about what’s going on in my life at the time, instead of seeing it for what it really is -complaining and a lack of contentment. Oh for more grace! (James 4:6)
God is really speaking to me through this book. I’ve “always” known that Jesus is all I need; now I’m delighting in the growing realization that He is all I want.
Psa. 25:8 “Show me your ways, O Lord,teach me your paths;”YOUR ways, YOUR paths. Not mine.
God is really speaking to me through this book. Maturing in Christ seems not to be just a matter of prioritizing things in my life as it is a matter of divesting my heart of everything that’s not relevant to me as His child.
Psa. 25:8 “Show me your ways, O Lord,teach me your paths;”YOUR ways, YOUR path — not mine.
Tim, once again Burrough’s power has been in reminding me of things I already know, in words that are well chosen. I liked how he framed the specific promises within the larger covenant that we have with God in Christ. I’m finding this book more and more relevant as I read on. So many things in life turn on whether we have gratitude in a gracious way. Surely holiness and happiness are impossible without contentment and gratitude.
I’ve posted an expanded discussion on Covenant and Contentment here: http://lauriemo.blogspot.com/2009/07/covenant-and-contentment.html