Saturday, January 12: Hebrews 13- .

The writer ends his ‘letter of exhortation’ with a series of practical final thoughts. Any one of them pondered serves the Christ follower well. My heart was drawn to verses 5 & 6.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

I am a planner. I have to do lists. I make plans and check plans. I like to think things through before I do something. Many of these are good traits, at least they work for me.

I save for the future and know that someday I will retire from working for an income. And some days I question myself, “Have I stewarded my income well enough to be able to retire.” With stock market news ubiquitous on news outlets, particularly as 2018 closed out, I can easily get sucked into concern about retirement and if my stewarding of resources has been wise enough over the years to cover the years of retirement ahead.

Verses 5-6 are a great reminder for me that the Lord is my true security net. Yes, I am a steward of the resources the Lord gives me, but He is my bedrock. He is my future. He is my confidence. He is my life.

Confidence in Jesus doesn’t mean I will be healthy, wealthy and wise all of my life. The Lord’s plans can have strange twist and turns. I am reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians 4:12: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Contentment in whatever situation the Lord deals to me is the goal. And I am able to find contentment precisely because the Lord never leaves or forsakes me? He is my Helper so I need not fear what humans or life will deal to me.

Hopefully my stewarding will provide for my life when I do not earn a paycheck. This seems to be the way of wisdom, but no matter what happens, God is with me and He is all I truly need.

Thank You, Jesus, for the peace that comes knowing You are with me. Give me ears to hear Your voice so that I stay in step with You and do not stray from You. I pray in Your name Jesus. Amen.