# Better the little that the righteous have.



## Blueridge Believer (Jun 12, 2007)

Oh how sweet is!

(Thomas Brooks, "London's Lamentations" 1670)

"Better the little that the righteous have, than
the wealth of many wicked." Psalm 37:16

The righteous man's mite, is better than the wicked 
man's millions. 

The righteous man has his little, from the special love 
and favor of God. Lazarus' scraps, crusts and rags 
--are better and greater mercies than Dives' riches, 
purple robes, and dainty fare!

A godly man improves his little, to the stirring up of 
his heart to thankfulness, and to be much in admiring 
and blessing of God for his little. The least mercies 
which the righteous man has, make him humble, "I 
am not worthy of the least of all the mercies which 
You have showed unto Your servant." Genesis 32:10 

The righteous man enjoys his little, with a great deal 
of comfort, peace, quiet and contentment. Though he 
has but necessities from hand to mouth--yet seeing 
that God feeds him from heaven, as it were with 
manna--he is content, quiet and cheerful. 

All the honors, riches, pleasures, and profits of this world, 
cannot yield contentment to a worldly man--they are all 
surrounded with briers and thorns. Who can sum up the 
many grievances, fears, jealousies, disgraces, temptations 
and vexations--which men meet with in their vain pursuit 
after the things of this world! Oh how sweet is, it to 
lack these bitter-sweets! 

Riches may well be called thorns; because they pierce 
both head and heart--the one with care of getting, and 
the other with grief in parting with them. The world and 
all its enchantments, are a paradise to the eye--but 
painfulness to the soul. 

But a righteous man, with his little, enjoys both peace of 
conscience and peace of contentment; and this makes every 
bitter--sweet; and every little sweet--to be exceeding sweet. 
A dish of green herbs, with peace of conscience and peace of 
contentment, is a noble feast, a continual feast to a gracious 
soul. In every crust, crumb, drop, and sip of mercy which a 
righteous man enjoys, he sees much of the love of his God, 
and the care of his God, and the wisdom of his God, and the 
power of his God, and the faithfulness of his God, and the 
goodness of his God--in making the least provision for him. 

In contrast, wicked men are like the the mule which drinks 
from the brook--but never thinks of the spring. They are like 
the swine which eats up the fruit--but never looks up to the 
tree from whence the fruit falls. 

A little will satisfy a temperate Christian. "Give me neither 
poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." 
Proverbs 30:8. Agur asks only for daily bread, necessary 
for his life--not for his lusts. He prays for enough to satisfy 
necessity--not luxury. He asks for bread--not for delicacies. 
He begs that his body may be sustained--not pampered. 

A little will satisfy nature, and less will satisfy grace; yet 
nothing will satisfy a wicked man's lusts! Wicked men 
never have enough--they are never satisfied! Those who
are separated from the world's lusts, can live with a little.

Solomon, the wisest prince who ever sat upon a throne, 
after his most diligent, critical, and impartial search into 
all the creatures, gives this as the sum total of his inquiries, 
"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" And how then can any of 
these things, yes, all these things heaped up together, 
satisfy the soul of man!


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