Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have, for He hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5
A man I once knew who professed to be a Christian developed a reputation for being less than honest in his business dealings. At one point, one of his customers complained to the police, and theft charges were laid. The man went to court, and after a trial was convicted. As the judge prepared to sentence the professing Christian, he glared down at him and barked, ‘The trouble with you, sir, is that you are just too greedy!’ What a shameful thing to be said of a person who claimed to be a Christian! Greed is totally contrary to what our text is teaching us today.
Many young people – and a few not so young – ring up huge debts on their credit cards and bank accounts to buy things they want, and want now! They refuse to wait until they have the money earned to make the purchase, because they are not content with such things as they have. Not only is it a bad policy financially, but it is also a bad policy spiritually. Our text makes it clear that being content with such things as we have is an indication that we believe in our Lord Who has promised to be with us. He has also promised to supply all our needs according to His riches. If we borrow money to buy something that we really can’t afford, we are stepping outside the provision of God and are embarking on our own dangerous provision. Most people need to have loans to buy such necessities as houses, cars, and equipment for our work. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as we stay within the bounds of what we can reasonably afford. But when we borrow to obtain things that are really beyond our means, we are guilty of greed, not faith. That also applies to people who seek jobs that will pay them more money but will deprive them of any time to spend on spiritual things including personal devotions and Assembly activities. Because they want more in this world, they lose out on those things that pertain to the world to come.
There are two types of rich people: those who have large amounts of money, and those who have very few needs. Our verse is speaking today about those who are trusting God, not themselves, to meet their needs. Is it speaking about you, or me? –Jim MacIntosh