Philippians 13-4:12 NIVUK
[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. [13] I can do all this through him who gives me strength. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.4.12.NIVUK
I’d like you to answer the following question:
‘I’ll be contented when...’
What did you answer?
Maybe when you have a specific job.
Or a specific amount of money.
Or a house, a car, a life partner, a child.
Or when you have no more debts.
Or when certain medical tests have a pleasing result.
Or when your pain has gone.
When will you be contented?
For genuine Christians, this should be a trick question. You see, way back in the famous Psalm 23, we read these words:
Psalms 23:1 NIVUK
[1] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
That is: present tense, right here and now, I have all I need.
In all honesty, can you say these words?
Do you believe this proverb is really true?
Proverbs 19:23 NIVUK
[23] The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. https://bible.com/bible/113/pro.19.23.NIVUK
The Bible has much to say about contentment, such as:
Hebrews 6-13:5 NIVUK
[5] Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ [6] So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’ https://bible.com/bible/113/heb.13.5.NIVUK
1 Timothy 8-6:6 NIVUK
[6] But godliness with contentment is great gain. [7] For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. [8] But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Proverbs 14:30 NIVUK
[30] A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. https://bible.com/bible/113/pro.14.30.NIVUK
So let me ask you again: are you contented?
You see, there is a simple truth taught here in Philippians and across the Word of God. It is simple, but at the same time highly challenging. And it is this:
Contentment is a choice. You choose to be contented; you choose to be discontented. Your circumstances cannot affect this choice either way. It is you who chooses.
In the midst of a situation where we would feel anything but contented, Paul tells us to choose it. He also talks about three areas in our lives where we are often discontented, and gives us the secret of how to combat this.
The first of these is Our Need for Peace:
Philippians 9-4:8 NIVUK
[8] Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. [9] Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.4.8.NIVUK
Paul here continues his argument that the responsibility for our peace lies not with God but with us. Supernatural peace despite all the odds stacked against us comes not because of some incredible miracle, but because we choose to trust in God, to set our minds in the right direction, and God blesses that choice.
There is another example of this in Isaiah:
Isaiah 26:3 NIVUK
[3] You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Do you see it? Those whose minds are steadfast on God are kept in perfect peace – not those whose minds are set adrift, victims of the merciless currents and tides.
Paul talks of a different aspect of this – that of what it is that we should set our minds upon.
Let me explain this to you by way of an illustration. I was brought up in a bad neighbourhood, so I am quite security-conscious. Before I go to bed, I check the doors are all locked. I do the same before I start work from home – I know I will be distracted at some point by work, so I take the precaution ahead of time.
This is normal. It’s not paranoia at all. It keeps our house and all the belongings in it safe.
If only we took the same precautions with our mind. If only we had the common sense not to lay out the red carpet for any passing marauder to come in, squat on our sofa and to walk away with the family silver – our sense of peace and well-being.
But we do, don’t we?
Paul here has the answer.
Think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy.
And the word means much more than just think. It means to dwell on, reckon, meditate, consider.
There’s also more. The Greek word used here talks about things that are factual and real.
This isn’t some kind of idealised ‘La-la Land’.
This isn’t some sort of thought Disneyland. We are not in any way to deceive ourselves.
These things must be true.
Paul is not telling us here to ignore the cloud and see only the silver lining. He is telling us to deal with the cloud, but dwell on the silver lining.
Or, to use my metaphor, if we are in our locked house and someone comes to the door, we don’t ignore them. We go to the door and deal with them. But we decide how far to let them into our house. Some people will be allowed in for a drink. Others for dinner. Some might even stay longer. Others won’t even get past the threshold.
We should do that with our thoughts. Life is not all sweetness and light. We will have to deal with the darkness. Paul knew about that. He was in prison after all, not a penthouse suite in a five star hotel. He would have to deal with a reality far colder than any of us will ever endure.
But Paul knew how far to let the darkness into his mind – not very far, from the looks of this letter. Paul knew that the things he allowed himself to think about determined his level of peace and contentment. He knew where to draw the line.
What about you, Christian? Are you focused on being content where you are, with what you have? Do you deal with negativity but dwell on the positive? Or do you let any passing marauder steal your peace?
The second aspect of contentment is not just peace but Our Need for Power:
Philippians 13-4:10 NIVUK
[10] I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. [11] 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. [13] I can do all this through him who gives me strength. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.4.10.NIVUK
And what power is this? Is it political power? Religious power? Purchasing power?
It's none of these. It is the power to be contented.
It is the power to resist the temptation of disappointment or despair.
It is the power to control our emotions and our frustrations.
It is the power to completely change our own perspective and shift our opinions.
And it is this power that sometimes requires God's strength.
Paul hasn’t always had this power. It wasn’t given to him when he became a Christian. Read his words carefully. He said ‘I have learned to be content’. There is but one school that can teach us to be contented, and that is the school of hard knocks.
Paul had certainly experienced his fair share of those:
2 Corinthians 27-11:24 NIVUK
[24] Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, [26] I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. [27] I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. https://bible.com/bible/113/2co.11.24.NIVUK
But do you know what caused him to be contented? Why it was that he was just as contented whether he was in plenty or in need?
It was because his grasp on material things had loosened, and his grip on God had tightened.
It’s why, no matter what situation he was in, he could, in all honesty, repeat the famous words of Psalm 23:
Psalms 23:1 NIVUK
[1] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Psalms 23:5 NIVUK
[5] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Paul’s contentment lined up with the ancient words of Job:
Job 21-1:20 NIVUK
[20] At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship [21] and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ https://bible.com/bible/113/job.1.21.NIVUK
Hence his teaching later on:
1 Timothy 8-6:6 NIVUK
[6] But godliness with contentment is great gain. [7] For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. [8] But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
True contentment comes not from possessing, but from not being possessed. It comes not from grasping, but releasing.
It is the antithesis of this:
Luke 21-12:16 NIVUK
[16] And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. [17] He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” [18] ‘Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. [19] And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ ” [20] ‘But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” [21] ‘This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God.’
True contentment is contented now. Not in the future. Not when it had all it thinks it needs. Not when it reaches a certain place or state in life. Now.
True contentment is the absolute, one hundred percent antidote to temptation. It protects us from falling for get-rich-quick schemes, criminal behaviour, adultery, immoral activity, con tricks, advertising chicanery and all manner of traps.
If you want to beat your bad habits and avoid the guilt of falling, contentment is the cure.
And that cure is only available when you become determined to not covet (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) or be envious of (Ecclesiastes 4:4; James 3:14-16) anything that anyone else has or is.
Paul learned the secret of contentment in circumstances way worse than anything any of us will ever experience.
Will we?
We move away from our needs for peace and power to Our Need for Praise:
Philippians 20-4:14 NIVUK
[14] Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. [15] Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; [16] for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. [17] Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. [18] I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. [19] And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. [20] To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. https://bible.com/bible/113/php.4.14.NIVUK
The Philippians were a generous church.
Paul highlights in his letter to the church in Corinth that some of them were in ‘extreme poverty’ (2 Corinthians 8:2). Yet even these Christians were known for their outstanding generosity towards those in Jerusalem who were in need (2 Corinthians 8), and financed Paul's ministry in Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:9).
So what do I mean about a need for praise?
Well, there is no doubt that what they did was praiseworthy, and that Paul praises them for it, both in this letter and in others.
But human beings also have an intrinsic need, and that is to praise others. It is good for our mental health to do so.
Yet Paul, very interestingly, doesn’t talk about singing here as an act of praise and worship.
Instead, their giving is their act of worship. Their willingness to sacrifice their financial resources is equated to the Jewish sacrifices in the Temple.
And so it should be. As Paul explained to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 14-9:13 NIVUK
[13] Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? [14] In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
The priests Levites did in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). Paul is simply extending a basic Old Testament principle and contemporising it.
Paul sees the Philippians – who were not Jewish – fulfilling this Jewish requirement for sacrifices as an act of praise to God.
And that is just the point. Simply participating in giving and receiving is not what turns it into an act of praise to God. It’s also a case of who gets the glory or recognition or praise from the act of giving. This is why we see Jesus teaching the following:
Matthew 4-6:1 NIVUK
[1] ‘Be careful not to practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. [2] ‘So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Giving is done as a sacrificial gift to God for Him to get the glory, not so we are seen as generous, loving people for having made the gift. It is an act of love for others and for God, not for ourselves.
It should never be a tick box exercise, or something done out of blind, or even unwilling, religious duty (see Malachi 1:6-14 for a rather stark example of this). God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7), not a dutiful one.
By being to prepared to give what they could, sacrificially, and without looking for thanks or reward, the Philippians would have found contentment.
Why?
Because if you do any religious duty at all to be noticed by God or other people then your religion is entirely superficial. Neither God nor people are ATMs of self-respect or blessing. If you keep seeking to draw their attention to how good and deserving you are, eventually you will reach the point when their recognition is not enough for you, or when you cease to receive what you are looking for. That eventually will lead to disappointment and a crisis of faith.
But if your generosity and giving come from a heart that simply wants God to get the glory and the recognition, that simply wants to be used as a vessel of blessing for another believer, then you are truly contented.
There is a phrase I often use in our house when something goes missing: ‘Look with your eyes, not with your mouth’. The reason why is that whining about something being missing almost never leads to you find it. In fact, it likely prolongs the search because you are dissipating your energy and focus by moaning!
To find something, you must be concentrated on the search and be logical, methodological and detailed.
The search for contentment is much the same. Those who complain about not being contented – the malcontents – are generally those who whinge because they believe it is someone else’s responsibility to make them contented.
Let me burst that bubble: it is not.
And the thing about complaining about being discontented is that it doesn’t make you contented. In fact, it makes you more discontented, thereby moving you further away from the goal you want to reach.
The upshot? Moaning about not being contented is absolutely counterproductive.
How do you become contented?
You choose to be contented.
It is that simple.
It is no-one else’s responsibility but yours.
In these verses, Paul touches on three desires that often drive us away from being contented.
Our desire for peace, when we rely on external circumstances to make us peaceful. They won’t. What brings us peace is us changing our our perspective.
Our desire for power, when we seek to control our circumstances and manipulate them in our favour. That is, more often than not, a fool’s game – like grasping sand in your fingers. It won’t make us contented. Instead the power we should seek is the power from God to be content in each and every circumstance.
Our desire for praise, where, like a pet dog, we seek approval from everyone around us for every little thing we do. That is also a fool’s game. Praise is a drug: the more you seek it for yourself, the more you want it, and the lesser the positive effect on us. It won’t work. We should instead seek to please God and bless others in the background, unseen.
I’m not an avid watcher of wildlife programmes, but I know you won’t find monkeys in the Arctic.
Or polar bears in the jungle.
Or rhinos on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow on a cold winter’s night.
Of course not! It would be absurd if you did.
Neither will you find contentment in this life without God, and anywhere but God.
So why look elsewhere?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, forgive when I seek to find contentment in anything or anyone else other than You. I realise this will ultimately fail. Help me to realise what it will mean for me to truly be contented in You for who You are, not what You can do for me. Amen
Questions
1. Why was contentment such an issue for Paul, given where he was when he wrote this letter. If you were in his situation, how would you feel? What would your priorities be?
2. Is the path to contentment easy? How did Paul say he learned to be contented?
3. What three things did Paul teach about that can steal our contentment unless we find them in God? How will this change your approach to life?
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