What Does it Take to be Content? Part 2
In the previous blog we discovered two important things about contentment. The first thing we saw was the fact that contentment does not rest or depend on the performance of others. If it did a person would be looking to mom, dad, a husband/wife, or literally anyone for the contentment they seek on any given day. Paul reveals in Phil 4:10 that even though his friends among the church at Philippi hadn't helped him in months, he was not angry or feeling betrayed but rather was very much content.
The fact is biblical contentment is the ability to be satisfied with God's provision for me today!
How could that be true? Paul demonstrates in verse 11 that he had learned to be content through a litany of life experiences he had gone through in his momentous ministry. However, the word learned here does not guarantee contentment, it simply bears out the reality of contentment. In verse 12 Paul uses yet another word in the Greek original which is also translated learned but means much more than learning something by experience that could be forgotten later. It is a word used in the mystery religions of the day and refers to being initiated into membership by a governing body. When the apostle uses it here, he is saying that not only had he learned the art of being content through his vast array of life experiences, but that he has essentially been initiated into the Contentment Club by learning the secret of it. Once you have come to know the secret you can never forget it or ignore its benefits.
But the apostle is quick to add something in verse 13 which seasons his previous statement and adds a third element to enjoying the ability to possess contentment. He says
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
In this verse Paul confirms the fact that contentment is an unreachable goal without God's unlimited power and strength. It is only possible when we rest completely on God's ability to produce contentment in us. In other words, we must be trusting Him in order to be resting in contentment!
It is interesting to note how often this verse is used completely out of context. The fact is, we can be content through Christ Who strengthens us.
However that is not the concluding element of Paul's lesson for the Philippian believers or for the rest of us. In the concluding verse of the passage Paul says in verse 14,
yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
This is an interesting ending to Paul's first three points. His first point was that his contentment did not depend on anyone else. Here in his fourth point he appears to be saying something almost contradictory. But is he? Not really. Paul is simply saying,
Contentment sometimes involves the assistance of others. vs 14
He doesn't say that Paul depended on it or demanded it. It was something graciously offered and just as graciously accepted. There is no overt pressure or expectation underlying the assistance. It is freely offered and freely accepted by the recipient.
Are you a contented person? Can you say right now that you are satisfied with God's provision for you today? Are you leveraging your contentment on what others do or don't do for you?
Remember, even with a wealth of life experience, contentment can never be totally experienced until you learn to depend completely on the God of all grace!
The fact is biblical contentment is the ability to be satisfied with God's provision for me today!
How could that be true? Paul demonstrates in verse 11 that he had learned to be content through a litany of life experiences he had gone through in his momentous ministry. However, the word learned here does not guarantee contentment, it simply bears out the reality of contentment. In verse 12 Paul uses yet another word in the Greek original which is also translated learned but means much more than learning something by experience that could be forgotten later. It is a word used in the mystery religions of the day and refers to being initiated into membership by a governing body. When the apostle uses it here, he is saying that not only had he learned the art of being content through his vast array of life experiences, but that he has essentially been initiated into the Contentment Club by learning the secret of it. Once you have come to know the secret you can never forget it or ignore its benefits.
But the apostle is quick to add something in verse 13 which seasons his previous statement and adds a third element to enjoying the ability to possess contentment. He says
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
In this verse Paul confirms the fact that contentment is an unreachable goal without God's unlimited power and strength. It is only possible when we rest completely on God's ability to produce contentment in us. In other words, we must be trusting Him in order to be resting in contentment!
It is interesting to note how often this verse is used completely out of context. The fact is, we can be content through Christ Who strengthens us.
However that is not the concluding element of Paul's lesson for the Philippian believers or for the rest of us. In the concluding verse of the passage Paul says in verse 14,
yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
This is an interesting ending to Paul's first three points. His first point was that his contentment did not depend on anyone else. Here in his fourth point he appears to be saying something almost contradictory. But is he? Not really. Paul is simply saying,
Contentment sometimes involves the assistance of others. vs 14
He doesn't say that Paul depended on it or demanded it. It was something graciously offered and just as graciously accepted. There is no overt pressure or expectation underlying the assistance. It is freely offered and freely accepted by the recipient.
Are you a contented person? Can you say right now that you are satisfied with God's provision for you today? Are you leveraging your contentment on what others do or don't do for you?
Remember, even with a wealth of life experience, contentment can never be totally experienced until you learn to depend completely on the God of all grace!
Comments
Post a Comment