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How the Resurrection Produces Christian Contentment
By Drew von Neida
The Christian is called to a radically different posture from the rest of a dissatisfied world: contentment. True Christian contentment is not merely passive resignation or a fleeting feeling of peace; it is a deep spiritual grace, cultivated through communion with God, trust in His providence, and humble submission to His will.
Because Christ is risen, the believer’s hope is no longer anchored to changing earthly circumstances but to the unshakable promises of God secured through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christian contentment grows where the heart learns to rest in the risen Christ, knowing that He lives, reigns, and will bring His people safely home.
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, the treasured work by Jeremiah Burroughs, describes this virtue as “that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”
In an age trained to complain, compare, and crave more, Christian contentment shines as a rare jewel indeed. It is not native to the fallen heart. It must be learned in the school of Christ.
What Is Christian Contentment?
Christian contentment is rooted in the knowledge that God is sovereign, wise, and good in all His dealings with His children. It is not the absence of desire or ambition, nor is it spiritual passivity. Rather, it is the presence of holy peace in whatever circumstances God ordains.
This must be carefully understood. Christian contentment is not stoicism, nor is it emotional numbness. Scripture never calls the believer to suppress lawful desires, godly grief, or earnest prayer. David wept and lamented in the Psalms. Paul longed to see the churches. Our Lord Himself, in the garden, expressed the deep burden of His soul.
Contentment, then, is not the absence of longing, but the sanctification of longing. It is the soul bringing every desire into submission to the will of God and resting in His answer, whether He grants or withholds.
As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11–13:
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Paul’s contentment was learned; it did not come naturally. The apostle speaks as one schooled by providence, trained through want and abundance alike. So too Burroughs emphasizes that contentment is a spiritual discipline, cultivated through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and a renewed mind.
The Foundation of Contentment: Trust in God’s Providence
Burroughs insists that discontent arises when we forget who God is. When we distrust His providence, or imagine that our wisdom exceeds His, the heart quickly falls into anxiety, grumbling, and inward unrest. Yet Scripture teaches that nothing comes to the believer by accident.
Every joy, every delay, every hardship, every unanswered prayer, every season of abundance, and every season of want passes first through the wise decree of God and the loving hand of our Father.
Romans 8:28 assures us:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
This is not shallow optimism. It is a deep theological anchor. The providence of God means that all things are governed by His eternal wisdom. He is never surprised, never hurried, never uncertain. What appears to us confused is perfectly ordered in His counsel. Contentment grows where faith confesses: my Father has chosen this portion for me.
This does not deny the pain of suffering, nor does it make light of evil. Scripture never minimizes sorrow. Rather, contentment confesses that even what men intend for evil, God overrules for holy and saving ends.
Joseph’s words remain a steadying balm:
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
Burroughs writes, “A contented heart looks to God’s disposal and submits to God’s sovereignty, knowing that His will is better than our wants.”
The Quiet Heart in a Noisy World
Jeremiah Burroughs contrasts contentment with murmuring, a sin often overlooked but deeply revealing of the heart. Lamentations 3:39 asks:
“Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?”
Murmuring is more than spoken complaint. It is the inward rising of the soul against the wisdom of God. It is the secret accusation that life would be better ordered if placed in our own hands.
This is why discontent is not merely a circumstantial issue; it is a worship issue. At its root, discontent quietly questions whether God has dealt wisely, kindly, or justly with us. The heart says, This should not be my portion. But faith replies, This is the cup my Father has measured.
In moments of trial, the contented Christian examines his heart and remembers that even in suffering, mercy far exceeds what justice would have given us. A right view of sin humbles complaint.
Burroughs exhorts believers to silence their hearts with the truth of the gospel and the character of God, rather than allowing emotions, circumstances, or worldly comparisons to govern the soul.
Learning Contentment Through the Risen Christ
Christ is not merely the supreme example of contentment; He is its fountain and ground. If we present contentment merely as imitation, we risk reducing it to moral effort. But the Christian’s contentment flows from union with Christ Himself.
Because we have Christ, we are not spiritually poor. Because we have Christ, we are not abandoned. Because we have Christ, we possess riches that cannot be diminished by earthly loss.
The resurrection of Christ assures believers that suffering, loss, disappointment, and death itself are not the final word. Because Christ lives, the Christian can rest confidently in the Father’s purposes even in seasons of hardship and uncertainty.
The believer’s contentment is not rooted in temperament, personality, or self-discipline. It is rooted in Christ-sufficiency. In the garden of Gethsemane, facing the cross, our Lord prayed:
“Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
Yet this same Christ now dwells in His people by His Spirit, strengthening them to rest in the Father’s will.
Hebrews 13:5 reminds us:
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
The ground of contentment is not first what we possess, but whom we possess. Christ Himself is enough.
Cultivating the Rare Jewel
Burroughs offers practical counsel for cultivating contentment, and these truths must be worked out in the real pressures of life.
Contentment is learned when finances tighten. It is learned when the body weakens. It is learned when ministry seems fruitless. It is learned when prayers appear unanswered. It is learned in obscurity, disappointment, and long seasons of waiting.
It is also learned in a world of constant comparison. Social media, cultural pressure, and the quiet ache of unmet expectations can easily stir discontent in the heart. Yet the risen Christ calls His people to something better than comparison: communion with Himself.
To cultivate this grace, believers must:
- Meditate on God’s attributes. His wisdom, power, sovereignty, and goodness anchor the soul.
- Submit to God’s will cheerfully. Not merely outwardly, but with a heart that delights in His choices.
- See God’s hand in every condition. Whether in health or sickness, abundance or need.
- Consider what we deserve. A right view of sin makes every mercy shine brighter.
- Delight in spiritual riches. Our union with Christ, adoption, justification, and eternal inheritance far outweigh earthly lack.
Conclusion
Christian contentment is a rare jewel because few possess it, and fewer still seek it with diligence. Yet it is a treasure of immense worth, producing peace, humility, joy, and worship.
In a culture of endless dissatisfaction, the contented Christian bears witness that Christ is better than circumstance. And this jewel shines brightest when held against eternity.
Christian contentment ultimately rests in the certainty that the risen Christ is making all things new. The believer’s future inheritance is secure because Jesus conquered sin, death, and the grave.
The sufferings of this present age are momentary. The inheritance laid up in Christ is everlasting. Romans 8:18 steadies the soul:
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
As Burroughs beautifully concludes, “A Christian comes to contentment not so much by way of addition, as by way of subtraction, not by adding more to his condition, but by subtracting from his desires.”
Let us then pursue this rare jewel, treasuring Christ above all, trusting our Father’s hand, and learning to say with Paul, “I have learned to be content.”
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