Towers to Tents!

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"Godliness with contentment is great gain!" (1 Tim 6:6)

A very important lesson we learn from the obedient life of Abraham is his contentment with less. "By faith he sojourned in the Land of Promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents" (Heb 11:9). A comfortable city-dweller is now in the deserts. He left towers for tents. He faced too many odd situations. But we don't see any trace of murmuring in his story. The delay of the fulfilment of God's promise did cause some despair to Abraham. Nevertheless he resisted the temptation to complain. He politely prayed, "Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless?" (Gen 15:2).

Our disobedience very often stems from our impatience. We set aside God's will and sail away in a direction of our choice. We come to our senses only when weeds wrap around our head (Jon 2:5). But Abraham, after he had patiently endured, obtained the promise (Heb 6:15). In this age of quick results and instant everything, if we do not "imitate those who thro' faith and patience inherit the promises" (Heb 6:12), we shall break our heads against the Rock of Offense. The disobedient are bound to stumble (1 Pet 2:7,8).

There's nothing wrong in having aspirations in life. But unless we place them on God's altar, they will become malignant ambitions. An ambitious man avoids obedience to God's mysterious ways. He gets caught up in carnal competitions and misses out God's will completely. See how Abraham generously let Lot choose whichever land he desired. Left or right made no difference to Abraham because he expected blessings from Above (Gen 13:8-12). Later he bluntly refused the offer of the booty from the King of Sodom because he trusted in the "Possessor of heaven and earth" (Gen 14:21-24). 

True contentment is found, not in having everything you want, but in not wanting to have everything. Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor. C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a great Christian thinker, has penned these words: "Nobody who gets enough food and clothing in a world, where most are hungry and cold, has any business to talk about misery!"

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favour He shows and the joy He bestows
Are for them who will trust and obey!
                (John H. Sammis, 1846-1919) 

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