"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." [Phil 4:11-13]
There is a lot packed into this lesson. It proved to be a painful reminder for me. I have not been content most of my life and for sure in most of my ministry. A friend challenged me with this truth. I spent hours praying through these verses and meditating on each significant word. Here is what I learned.
Paul said first of all he learned to be content. The word means to increase in knowledge, to be informed, to learn by practice and to be in the habit of. I take this to mean that contentment is not something you and I come by naturally. Think about it. Ever heard a child talking about what they want for their birthday or Christmas while surrounded by toys. How often do you get a new car or change your cell phone when a new model comes out. Have you ever changed your hair color or hair style.
We are bombarded with messages in this country that combat our being content. Now what does the word content mean? To be satisfied with one's lot, to be satisfied independent of external circumstances. It is one thing to be content after eating a fine meal surrounded by loved ones. It is easy to be satisfied then. Paul is not just talking about being satisfied when you are on top of the world. He is talking about being satisfied when you have a lot and when you have little. He is telling us he learned the secret of being content regardless of the circumstances surrounding his life. He wrote that in prison waiting to be executed. Remember content means to be satisfied independently of external circumstances.
Don't we do just the opposite? Don't our external circumstances dictate our contentment in life. When the business grows and the profit margins increase it is easy to be satisfied in life. When everyone in the family is experiencing good health it is easy to be satisfied. It is much harder when the business fails, or when you find someone you love with cancer. It is harder when your child rebels against the Lord. Contentment is hard to grasp when your dreams get shattered and when you wonder why God delays in answering your prayer. When you suffer for doing what is right is increasingly difficult to be satisfied. When your little girls dies and you watch helplessly it is hard to be content burying her and leaving her remains at the cemetery while you go home to tormented nights and endless tears.
How does anyone learn to be content regardless of your external circumstances? This is a truth I am determined to know. Paul said he had learned the secret of such a life. That means it is a mystery and not obvious to the understanding. I spent some fair amount of time this week praying and asking God to show me the secret of contentment.
I too have been blessed with abundance and I have also known some very lean times. At times I was not content in both set of circumstances. What is the secret? How do you and I learn this truth at the core of our being?
The secret is that Jesus strengthens us. That means he empowers us to endure and to live day in and day out. He increases our strength to overcome adversity. He enables us to remain strong and robust when life rolls over us like a freight train. He helps us endure when everything around us starts to shake and crumble like the foundation of a house in a major earthquake.
If Paul was just another self-help guru promoting his latest book I would not be interested. What gets my attention is Paul suffered. Read about it in [II Cor 11:24-29]. He suffered more than we can imagine and yet his counsel for us is to learn to be satisfied in life regardless of our external circumstance.
This truth hit me like a wrecking ball. How much of my life have I spent not living with contentment? I am ashamed to admit it has been a great deal. In the beginning I thought I would be content once I finished school. After that I thought contentment would come after getting married. Next, it was getting a ministry job. Following that I wanted to be in full time ministry. I next wanted to be a full time pastor. Following this I wanted to go into full time evangelism. Next I wanted to start a church. I wanted our own home. You get the picture. Contentment came for a season in each of those situations but so did the trials and lack of satisfaction.
I recall eating lunch with a friend a few years ago. He has worked for the same company for close to thirty years. I told him I admired him. I asked if he ever had the chance to move or thought about moving. He told me no. He simply said it never entered his mind. He had advanced and been promoted through the years but never entertained leaving the company he has worked for all these years. He is the model of contentment.
People lose contentment in their marriages. They think divorce will bring contentment and soon after they are looking for someone they can marry again. People hop from job to job hoping to find that magical place where they can be happy. People buy and sell cars, homes, and other things all in search of that elusive dream of contentment.
Learning contentment is a new commitment for me. While on my prayer retreat I wrote down several things to help me in this quest to live with contentment.
1. I must become a diligent student keeping this truth before me daily.
2. I must memorize [Phil 4:11-13] so it is readily available in my mind.
3. I must learn this truth experientially. I must live it out in my practical experience.
4. I have to submit to Christ's Lordship to be content.
5. Regardless of my circumstances Jesus strengthens me to be content.
6. Faith brings trust and trust ushers in contentment.
So lesson one for this series is learn to be content. That might start with multiple little thank you's to God each day to help us be satisfied. Contentment can be learned. That means it can also be experienced in our lives. Let's learn this together.
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