In the opening verses of the ninth chapter of Luke’s Gospel we see Jesus calling, equipping and commissioning His apostles to minister to the cities and towns of Galilee (Lk. 9:1-2). After telling them to basically leave and go only with the things they had in their possession in that moment (vs.3), He told them:

“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.” (vs.4)

In Matthew’s Gospel we can see some additional caveats and instructions that Jesus gave them. He said that when they entered a city or a town they were to inquire who in it was worthy (Mt. 10:11). This likely meant that (a) they should see who in that town was known for showing kindness and hospitality, and (b) perhaps implicit in the statement of worthiness was the idea that they were to find men and women who were waiting for the kingdom of God.

Back to the text of Luke 9:4, notice, Jesus told them whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. The obvious implication of that command, when joined to Matthew 10:11, is that the disciples were not to go looking for the most comfortable arrangements. They were to take what God providentially afforded them. They were not to go from house to house within a town or a city. They were to stay at one place and depart from there.

Here, implicit in Jesus’ instruction to His apostles is a reminder for us to be content with what God has given us, as well as the providential circumstances that we find ourselves in. Therefore, in light of that, let me give you two exhortations and one quotation from Charles Spurgeon.

First: Resist the temptation to keep thinking about what you don’t have; rather, be thankful for what you do have. Satan’s temptation of Adam and Eve had that kind of strategy behind it – ‘Never mind what you have, why can’t you have that fruit?’ He not only twisted God’s Word in his temptation of them but he tried to take their eyes off everything that God had graciously provided for them and get them looking towards the one tree that was off limits. May you and I resist similar temptations and destroy discontentment with thanksgiving.

Second: Believe that God has given you everything you need to be happy in Him. You may want circumstances to change; you may be waiting for God to open a specific door in your life; you may be hoping for a breakthrough in your circumstances; and all of that may be perfectly fine, but it must not cloud the reality that, if you are a Christian, you have everything you need in any given moment to be happy in God… because, above all else, you have God. The Holy Spirit lives inside of you (1 Cor. 3:16). With Him, to say you have more-than-enough is an understatement; and without Him you have nothing. And remember, where one Person of the Trinity is, the other two Persons are ontologically. And this gets at how Jesus could tell His disciples (and us) that He would never leave usor forsake us. That’s not just meant to warm our hearts but to protect our souls. As the writer of Hebrews put it, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Heb. 13:5).”

Third: A Spurgeon quotation: “You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.”[1] Besides the practical wisdom of this quote is the underlying idea that we should not seek satisfaction in things. We must know our fallen frames well enough to say, “My real issue is not stuff; my problem is that I’m putting way too much confidence in the satisfaction that stuff might bring me when I should be looking to God for my satisfaction.” Stuff can be fine when put in its proper place. It’s when we elevate its ‘pleasure-providing potential’ to a pedestal it should not be on that we deceive ourselves and take our eyes off of where true satisfaction is to be found.
[1] Charles Spurgeon, The Bed and Its Covering. (seehttp://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0244.htm)