Philippians 4:11, 12 - The Secret of Contentment.
Philippians 4:11, 12 (NIV) I am not saying
this because I am in need, for I have learned to
be content whatever the circumstances. 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.
COMMENTARY PEARLS
Contented In Christ
We live in a society permeated by
discontent. Commercials condition us to be envious. The
real issue, though, is not so much the society we
live in but the state of our own hearts and
minds. We're drawn away from contentment by so much
which clamors for our attention: titles,
possessions, influence, or fame. Yet all of these and
more seek to rob us of any sense of joy in what
God has given us, persuading us that it will
never be enough. The chase is never-ending.
Paul, though, could say not only that he
was content but that he could be content "in
whatever situation I am." This is what everyone is
searching for! What was the secret, then? It was to
ground his sense of self and his outlook on life in
the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul
didn't champion a stiff upper lip in the face of
hardship or offer a false gospel of self-sufficiency.
No, his contentment was the result of bowing his
heart and mind to God's will, no matter what
conditions he faced.
Not everyone has lived on both sides of
the Street. Not everyone knows how the other
half lives. But Paul did. He knew what it was to
be warm and fed, and he knew what it was to be
cold and naked. If he had derived contentment
from his circumstances, his life would have been
a constant roller-coaster ride, leaving him
intoxicated by wonderful luxuries one minute and
overwhelmed by their absence the next. Such a fickle
spirit would have neutralized Paul, making him
unable to serve Christ.
Paul was a normal man with normal needs.
In a letter to Timothy from a dungeon in Rome,
Paul wrote, "Do your best to come to me soon ...
Bring the cloak ... the books, and above all the
parchments" (2 Timothy 4:9, 13). He had been deserted by
others and lacked certain possessions. Yes, Paul
wanted things like clothing, books, and company -
but he knew he would be fine without them, for
his peace rested in something greater.
Like Paul, YOUR CONTENTMENT CAN AND
SHOULD ULTIMATELY BE GROUNDED IN YOUR UNION WITH
JESUS. Refuse any ambition other than belonging to
Him and remaining entirely at His disposal. When
you know Christ and how wonderful He is - that
He is your all in all, more precious than
silver, more costly than gold, more beautiful than
diamonds, and that nothing you have compares to Him -
the way you view your circumstances and the
measure of your contentment will be completely
transformed. [Truth for Life by Alistair Begg]
On a recent family beach vacation, we
watched hermit crabs swap shells. Several hermit
crabs were crawling around, so we lined them up
near an empty shell, biggest to smallest. Sure
enough, the largest hermit crab, first in line,
started checking out the empty shell. He must have
liked it because suddenly he popped out of his
shell and stuck his worm-like rear-end into the
new shell. He found something bigger and better.
This started a chain reaction. Each hermit crab
crept out of its current home and plopped into the
empty shell in front of it.
We're not that different from hermit
crabs. We live in a culture that encourages bigger
and better. Whether it's a job, home, vacation,
car, or mountain to climb, we spend enormous
amounts of time, money, and energy looking for
what's bigger and better. I have. We moved from a
small apartment to bigger homes. I wrote books,
hoping each one would outsell the last. We planned
vacations, seeking bigger and better experiences. It's
an exhausting, vicious cycle.
Paul wrote incredible wisdom about this
empty desire, while in a dank, dark prison. He had
learned the SECRET TO CONTENTMENT: KNOWING JESUS.
Paul experienced wealth and poverty. He knew
without a doubt that nothing brings the lasting
satisfaction we crave except knowing Jesus. He closed
this chapter in Philippians with the promise,
"And my God will meet all your needs according to
the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (v. 19,
NIV). Let's stop struggling for more and discover
true contentment found only in Jesus. Jeannie
Blackmer
Faith Step: Read Philippians 4. Meditate
on it and find contentment in Jesus. [Mornings
With Jesus 2021 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
Finding Satisfaction
God has provided us with many things to
enjoy. But too often our lives are filled with
turmoil instead of contentment. Four practices that
create dissatisfaction are
Busyness. We live in a hurry-up society,
dashing from one activity to another. Jesus did not
rush anywhere, yet He accomplished whatever God
gave Him to do. Not once did He tell His
followers to move faster. He even praised Mary for
choosing to stop her work and spend time with Him
(Luke 10:39, 42).
Earthly perspective. Too often we live
focused on our circumstances. Our minds think about
what happened earlier in the week, whats on
todays agenda, and the activities occurring next
week, month, or year. No wonder enjoyment of life
remains elusive. The solution is to have an eternal
perspective, which acknowledges that God is in charge and
our goal is to please Him.
Self-imposed pressure. We have all
experienced the unavoidable burdens of schoolwork,
employment, and relationships. But we bring needless
pressure on ourselves when we allow unnecessary
musts and shoulds to rule us. The remedy is
to turn to God, acknowledge His right to order
our days, and ask for His plan.
Unhealthy attitudes. Perfectionism, false
guilt, and apathy all undermine our enjoyment of
life.
Satisfaction is found in a life that
reflects Gods priorities - and time with Him comes
first. Reading His Word, we become mindful of the
Fathers great love, learn what He views as
important, and experience the joy of belonging to Him.
When contentment is elusive, its time to
examine our priorities. [In Touch Daily Devotional
by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]
Secret to Contentment
Paul is under house arrest in rented
quarters; he refuses to focus on that. He is far from
home, and his future is uncertain; he doesn't let
that concern him. He is bound to a Roman guard
every day; no problem. Because he has made Christ
the object of his life, contentment has replaced
frustration. He's taught himself to live above his
circumstances. The benefits?
First, the progress of the gospel is
accelerated; it's never delayed. In his letter to the
Christians in Philippi, Paul passionately confesses, "I
want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances
have turned out for the greater progress of the
gospel" (Philippians 1:12). Because of Paul's
attitude regarding his predicament, his testimony
spread like a firestorm through the ranks of the
Roman guard. Systematically, God's Spirit leveled
the towering pride of the Roman military.
Second, when you live above your
circumstances, the edge of the message is sharpened; it's
never dulled. Paul exclaimed that his chains had
become the reason the entire palace guard had come
under the hearing of the gospel. That was no
insignificant statistic. By Paul's account, the message of
Christ's love permeated the ranks of the imperial
guard, which some scholars suggest were as many as
nine thousand. Amazingly, the revival started
with one Roman soldier chained to one man - but
not just any man. That forced union became a
springtide of grace to the whole Praetorian Guard.
There's a third benefit to living above
your circumstances: the courage of others is
strengthened, never weakened. Paul's unlikely converts
were not sheepish about their newfound faith in
Christ. I take it that they didn't hold back.
Rather, they grew increasingly more courageous in
their witness. I find that so exciting!
The secret to Paul's contentment did not
emerge from a manual on how to live the Christian
life or from a workshop on positive thinking. He
didn't have access to a stack of self-help scrolls
promising to shore up his sagging self-confidence.
PAUL'S SECRET WAS NOT FOUND IN A PROGRAM, BUT IN A
PERSON. Christ made the difference. He taught His
servant to endure all situations, every
circumstance, each difficult challenge, no matter how
adverse, through His power. Paul released all rights
to His Master and, in turn, He released all the
strength Paul needed. [Chuck Swindoll
www.insight.org.]
I suffer from bouts of discontent, times
when I seem to focus on what's lacking in my life
rather than on what abounds, which, by most
standards, is plenty. Take where I am today. We
recently moved to the Florida Gulf Coast, a physical
paradise and the fulfillment of a dream for me and my
husband, Ray.
Many of our prayers have been answered.
We found a wonderful, affordable home in a
beautiful community. Our children are adjusting more
quickly than we hoped. Ray and I are also meeting
wonderful people with whom we already feel close
affinity. I have made some excellent freelance
contacts. Ray has landed a gratifying job. We found a
great church just minutes away. We can clearly see
God's hand in so many things.
Yet I find something to long for. If only
our community had basketball courts for my
ten-year-old athlete. If only my husband's job paid more.
If only we had room for a kayak This speaks to
the misguided expectation of perfection I have
that will never be, this side of heaven. Unlike
Jesus, Who lived a simple, sacrificial life, I
grumble through even the best of times.
Gratitude fills my half-empty cup. By
focusing on the many promptly answered prayers and
their virtues, I can see more clearly that my cup
overflows. by Isabella Yosuico
Faith Step: If you haven't already, start
a prayer journal, handy for noting prayers and
concerns. When prayers are answered, check them off
and make a point of thanking Jesus for those
blessings, every day. [Mornings With Jesus 2018
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
CLOSING PEARL
Everything You Need
Are you hoping that a change in
circumstances will bring a change in your attitude? If so,
you are in prison, and you need to learn a
secret of traveling light. What you have in your
Shepherd is greater than what you dont have in
life.
May I meddle for a moment? What is the
one thing separating you from joy? How do you
fill in this blank: I will be happy when
________________? When I am healed. When I am promoted. When I
am married. When I am single. When I am rich.
How would you finish that statement?
Now, with your answer firmly in mind,
answer this. If your ship never comes in, if your
dream never comes true, if the situation never
changes, could you be happy? If not, then you are
sleeping in the cold cell of discontent. You are in
prison. And you need to know what you have in your
Shepherd.
You have a God who hears you, the power
of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you,
and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the
Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for
every turn, a candle for every corner, and an
anchor for every storm. You have everything you
need. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at
maxlucado.com]
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
