Discipleship Week 23: Don't give up...be content!

Philippians 4:10-13

^“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. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

I am becoming convinced that one of the greatest weapons that Satan uses to derail the Christian life in our culture today is planting seeds of discontent in our hearts and minds. Discontentment runs rampant in our culture today, and it is seen in how people view their jobs, their cars, their studies, their relationship status, their socio-economic status, and so much more. And discontentment is not reserved for those who are poor or in difficult situations. Even those in seemingly wonderful positions are not content with what they have. John D. Rockefeller, certainly one of the richest men in history, was once asked how much money was “enough.” His famous answer: “Just a little bit more.” Regardless of our circumstances, discontentment with our circumstances leaves us wanting something more, something different, or something better. And nothing is ever enough.

Clearly the impact of this discontentment on the Christian life can be devastating. If we are constantly in a state of wanting something more, something different, or something better, then we will never be satisfied with what God has called us to and given us for today. And we will certainly not be ready or equipped to endure periods of hardship that God calls us to as we follow him. The result of discontentment is that we begin to look for satisfaction outside of God, we look for solutions on our own, and we often settle for something that is not in line with God’s will for us that causes us great harm down the road. The Israelites in their forty years of desert wanderings are an excellent example of where discontentment leads us. All because we want something more, something different, or something better.

Thankfully Paul gives us the secret to true contentment in these verses, and they hold a powerful key to persevering in the Christian life. And the secret is this: Contentment is found by trusting in God for strength to do anything he calls you to do, regardless of circumstances. And this secret is so wonderful, it deserves a little more reflection:

I. Trusting in God for strength

One of the keys to contentment is trusting in God for strength. Now it is important to remember that Paul is discussing this strength from God not to do anything he wants, but to be content in whatever circumstance God leads him to as he continues his gospel ministry. So we must add an important qualification that God will not give us strength to do things that are outside of his will for us. We cannot use this verse to think that we will have the strength to fly if we jump off a cliff, nor should we think that we will be content if we do jump off a cliff. The result of us jumping off a cliff will be that gravity will do its work, and we will not feel contentment as we fall!

So we cannot use verse 13 as a justification for doing whatever we want, or for convincing others to do whatever we want them to do. Nor can we look at verse 13 as a kind of Superman, self-sufficient kind of strength. No amount of personal self-will brings about contentment. But when we trust in God for strength, we can persevere through any situation that God calls us to, because it is God’s strength, and not our own. When we trust in our own strength, we end up only wanting something more, something different, or something better. But God’s strength enables us, just as it enabled Paul, to be content.

II. Regardless of circumstances

Another key to contentment is that contentment that comes through God’s strength has nothing to do with our circumstances. Paul is clear that he has experienced joys and trials, ease and hardship, riches and poverty. But none of that impacts his contentment as a Christ follower. I think it is easy to only focus on the need for contentment when our circumstances are difficult, or different than what we desire. But there are two problems with this approach. One, if we only work on contentment when our circumstances are not what we desire, then our efforts for contentment invariably gets focused on improving our circumstances, and not looking for God for strength regardless of the circumstances. And two, this approach usually results in us not seeking contentment when our circumstances are by most standards good or desirable. So instead of being content with the blessings God has given us, we still follow Rockefeller and want “a little bit more.” Something more, something different, or something better.

But when we look to God and trust God for strength regardless of our circumstances, then our contentment truly is not based on our circumstances, but based on trust in our sovereign God who sustains and governs all things. And that contentment can be sustained regardless of what circumstances we face in life. And one of the overall keys to standing firm in the Christian faith, this theme that Paul has been developing in these verses, is that we should not focus on our circumstances. We can rejoice in the Lord regardless of our circumstances. We can stop worrying, regardless of our circumstances. We can think holy thoughts, regardless of our circumstances. When we allow our circumstances to dictate our trust in God, then we will struggle in the Christian life, because our trust will change daily with our circumstances. But if all of our circumstances are simply opportunities to trust God more and more, then we will thrive in the Christian life, because we are trusting more and more in an unchanging God who loves and sustains us and is working all things together for good for us.

I confess that far too often my contentment rests on my circumstances, and not in trusting in God’s strength. Most of us have been taught that contentment is based on our circumstances, whether we know it or not. But when I am tempted to be content based on my circumstances, my mind comes back to a well known hymn:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul. 

Refrain:

It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.

What are some circumstances where you are not content? Why are you not experiencing contentment? Are you focused too much on the circumstances, not looking to God for strength to go through those circumstances, not trusting in the strength God gives you, or all of the above? Don’t give up…be content! For when our contentment rests in God alone, trusting in his strength regardless of circumstances, we will never need anything more, anything different, or anything better.