Never having had the opportunity to inspect the quality of a stone through a jeweler’s loupe, I can only imagine how exquisite it must be to see the detail of a Rare Jewel. Admittedly, without the small magnifying glass, I likely could not identify the difference between the Diamond-Z4 available for “only $29.95” and a stone worth $30,000! Jewelry has never held much interest to me; however, that doesn’t get any future husband off the hook for a quality stone! But I do find it fascinating that God still manages to use illustrations containing diamonds or other Rare Jewels to garner my attention, especially on the topic of discontentment.  

Jentezen Franklin’s book Acre of Diamonds, which I have referenced several times in this blog, truly is a jewel of a find for its many nuggets of wisdom related to the concept of not overlooking the place where God is currently using you in this particular Season of Life. And when you combine Franklin’s knowledge with the insights of Andrew Davis’s The Power of Christian Contentment, it seems a pattern arises related to what we value in life, all connected to illustrations related to diamonds. Davis shares about a rare, red diamond found in Brazil, which last sold for $8 million in 2001.

Not being a diamond aficionado nor a wealthy individual, it might be a bit of a stretch for me to fathom the value of $80,000, much less $8 million; however, I can relate to the description of restless discontentment that Davis warns Christians about. “This amazing red diamond is exceedingly precious. An immeasurably more precious jewel to the Christian is contentment…Unfortunately, many Christians in the twenty-first century have never delved into the topic of contentment. Like the muddy rock scooped up from the bank of a Brazilian river, its true worth has been hidden from many eyes for centuries. I desire that more and more Christians would experience the kind of Christian contentment that Paul discovered.”

The Rare Jewel of Christian contentment is Davis’s thesis for his book as he desires that we “find delight in God’s wise plan” for our lives and that we would “humbly allow” him to direct us in His plan. Davis’s narrative of Christian contentment, like the experience Paul describes in the New Testament, is a restfulness, a peace, irrelevant to the circumstances that might be occurring in our life. Davis portrays a contented Christian as one who allows God to be glorified in our daily living, resulting in a more joyful life which permits us to be sources of inspiration to those watching us to see how a Christ-follower’s life can find contentment in any circumstance.

If you imagine my Struggle With Singleness to be a difficult obstacle to overcome, perhaps we shouldn’t examine my struggle with contentment; however, God doesn’t typically let me off that easily. So, my hope is to share with you some of Davis’s insights that resonated with me as I read through his book.

The Rare, but obtainable, Jewel of Christian Contentment is…

• Not passively accepting afflicting circumstances, making no effort to improve our situation.
• “That sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition” – Jeremiah Burroughs
• An attitude, disposition, or mindset – a way of looking at everything, a perspective.
• Sweetly fragrant.
• Inward- it is heart work, deep, and interior.
• Not tumultuous, roiling, churning, noise, angry, raucous, riotous, murmuring, complaining, or stormy. It is quiet.
• A supernatural state that can only be achieved by sovereign grace working in cooperation with the human heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The list continues, demonstrating why it is such a Rare Jewel and why few arrive at this level of contentment in their lives, me included. It is unlikely that I will ever comprehend the suffering that exists in our world, but through the “ongoing salvation by grace through faith,” I am able to believe that God will use it to bring me closer to Him, so I leave us with a comprehensive definition of Christian Contentment, that at least in my mind, describes a flourishing life: “…Christian contentment is a mindset produced by the sovereign grace of God in Christ, characterized by sweetness (not bitterness or sourness), genuineness from the heart (not acting or hypocrisy), and quietness (not murmuring or contentiousness).”

Davis best summarizes this in a way that is actionable for me and in a way that I can pray earnestly to experience the Rare Jewel of Christian contentment. My hope is that you will consider joining me in committing this prayer today: Lord, I pray that I will find delight in Your wise plan for my life and humbly allow You to direct me in it. I may not understand that plan, but I can choose to follow it. Are there ways you have discovered that assist you in reaching Christian contentment? Will you please consider sharing in the comments below?

References:

Davis, A.M. (2019). The power of Christian contentment: Finding deeper, richer Christ-centered joy. Baker Books.

Franklin, J. (2020). Acres of diamonds: Discovering God’s best right where you are. Chosen Books.