“But I
rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished
again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in
regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
I know how to be
abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned
both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.” Philippians 4:10-13
NKJV
When
is the last time you saw a commercial on the television? Maybe it was an advertisement on a billboard,
or a popup on your computer? Ads on your i-phone? It would appear to me that we live in a world
seemingly driven by discontentment. What
exactly do I mean by that? Consider the
effort and expense taken by the world to convince us that we need something we
do not have, and that our life is somehow incomplete unless we do whatever we
can to fill that need. The result is a
world where everyone is consumed by the desire to acquire whatever it is that
we feel can make our life complete, rather than being content with what we
have.
Have
you ever had occasion to meet or know someone you would characterize as
discontented? If so, think for a minute
about why exactly you came to that conclusion.
Are there certain characteristics about them that cause you to believe
they fall into that category? As I
studied this passage, and the subject of contentment, it occurred to me that
there are at least three evidences of a discontented life which I believe are a
common denominator which we can look for when describing a life without
contentment. These would be unhappiness,
fearfulness, and contentiousness. Unhappy because the focus is on what they do
not have, fearful because they are afraid of losing what they already have, and
contentious because their focus is on this life and all that they feel they
must have.
As
I looked at these verses from Philippians, it also occurred to me that if
anyone had justification to be discontented with their own situation, it was
Paul. He is sitting in prison with
nothing but the clothes on his back, and a very uncertain future staring him in
the face. Yet in spite of sitting in a
prison cell, chained up, poorly fed, and wondering if he is going to live or
die, rather than complaining he shares the secret of a contented life which all
of us should strive to adopt. In just
three short verses Paul shares with the church at Philippi, and us as well, three
ways he and all other believers in the body of Christ can be content with the
life we have been given.
“But I
rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished
again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.”
Paul
had a connection with the body of Christ.
He was in touch with the church at Philippi and they were doing what
they could to support him. Although there had been a period of time where they
could not, he knew they still cared and wanted to help and support him. The
result was that Paul was in his own words, “rejoicing”. Paul was happy! He knew that rather than being alone in his
suffering, he was part of the body of Christ and his relationship with the
believers in the church was producing happiness. Do you want to live a life of contentment and
joy? Be sure you have a connection with
God’s people.
“Not
that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to
be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound.
Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry,
both to abound and to suffer need.”
As
a believer, Paul was well aware that God was in charge of the circumstances of
his life. Although appreciative of the
support he was receiving, he makes the point that he really didn’t need
anything. I think it very important to
note that he says he has “learned” to be content. Paul had lived a very eventful life up to
this point, and had experienced highs and lows that we can only imagine. Yet as he looks back, he acknowledges that
God has always been with him and provided for his needs. Are you content with what God has chosen to
give you? Have you ever considered that
as believers, if we have the idea we need something we don’t already have, we
are in effect saying God is falling down on the job? Paul is telling us to learn to be content
with what God has provided.
“I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Have you ever really thought long and hard
about this verse? How different would
the body of Christ be, how powerful would the Church be, if every believer
claimed and lived this statement Paul makes?
No matter what our shortcomings, failures, or mistakes may be, our
confidence should be in God’s power and not our own. Rather than basing contentment on what we are
able to do by our own efforts, Paul tells us that the real secret to living a
life of contentment is relying on God to provide all that we need knowing that
by His strength there is nothing that can stand in our way. Our focus in life should always be to seek
out what God would have us to do by His power and might rather than seeking to
fulfill our own desires by our own efforts.
Discontented
people are unhappy, fearful, and contentious.
All because they believe that the life they have is a result of their
own efforts, and their focus is always on protecting what they have and the
desire to have more. I think the real
question Paul asks us all in these verses is this; is Christ just a part of
your life, or is He the center of your life?
“Be
anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
A
life of contentment is one of joy and peace, and it only comes from our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Connect with
other believers, be happy with what God chooses to provide, and rely on God’s
strength to see you through.
Keep
watching.
