Here are a few more thoughts about what the Bible says in in Philippians 4 about contentment.
To be radically content we have to not only laugh (rejoice in what you have), but also learn. We can’t just sit in a church service somewhere and hope that one day we’ll be zapped from heaven with the gift of contentment. Contentment is learned.
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content" (Philippians 4:11, ESV).
OK, Paul. You say you learned to be content. How? How did you learn? What school do you go to to get contentment?
Answer? It’s the school of life – the ups and downs of life. Notice how Paul puts it:
"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" (Philippians 4:12, ESV).
There are 3 terms in verse 12 we love: Abound, plenty, and abundance.
Don’t feel like you have to hide if you have a lot. Use it for God’s glory. Enjoy it for God’s glory. And remember where the wealth comes from.
"It is [the Lord] who gives you power to get wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18b, ESV).
But if you do have abundance, be on guard! It’s safe to say that prosperity has done more damage to believers than adversity. It requires more grace to learn how to be prosperous and not be puffed up by it than to be needy and not be crushed by it. Someone said, “In order to carry a full cup, you must have a steady hand.”
If you are abounding, having plenty, and knowing abundance, then you still have to learn contentment. You have to remember that you have more than you need to help people in need. If you have plenty, you must grow in your passion to defeat materialism and greed. You must grow in your passion to increase your contentment. And let me give you one practical way to do it: Write some big checks and meet some real needs.
In fact, now would be a gogod time to write a check to some organization that is helping with the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. (You might want to check out namb.net and look for disaster relief to Haiti. That way you'll know that 100% of your dollars will go directly to Haiti.)
So, those are the 3 terms in verse 12 we love: Abound, plenty, and abundance.
And, by the way, some of us signed up to follow Jesus because we thought He would make sure we would abound, have plenty, and know abundance. That’s the good stuff. You can turn on your TV and you will find all kinds of preachers that will tell you that if you live a faithful life of following Jesus, then you’ll get all that and more. And they go on to say that if you aren’t abounding and having plenty and knowing abundance, then something’s wrong with your faith.
But look again at verse 12 and think about what is wrong with that kind of thinking.
Abounding, having plenty and knowing abundance are only half of the story. Yes, that’s part of Paul’s experience. But it’s not all of Paul’s experience.
Being brought low, facing hunger, and knowing need are the other half of the story.
Question: When do you think Paul learned the most about contentment? When he was abounding, having plenty and knowing abundance? Or when he was being brought low, facing hunger, and knowing need? In II Corinthians 11, he describes his life this way:
"Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea…, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers…, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea…, in toil and hardship…, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure" (II Corinthians 11:24-28, ESV).
That’s being brought low, facing hunger, and knowing need. God enabled Paul to turn his hard times into learning experiences. Paul’s attitude was, “Lord, what do You want to teach me in this situation? I want to be a learner.”
How do we learn contentment? We learn contentment from a right response to God’s provision. We learn contentment from life’s experiences, from having a lot and from having a little.
So, learn from your experiences in life – particularly your painful experiences. We learn contentment the best from the lean times.
Sometimes, you’ll have more than you need. Other times, you’ll have just what you need.
Some of you who are reading this blog are in tough times right now. Maybe you are without a job. Maybe some unexpected expense has drained your bank account. Maybe you can’t provide for your family like you had hoped. You know where you are? You are in God’s classroom. Be a learner. Be a student. If you complain and whine in the midst of your trouble, you’ll miss the opportunity to learn to be content.
To be radically content laugh and learn. More to come...
To be radically content we have to not only laugh (rejoice in what you have), but also learn. We can’t just sit in a church service somewhere and hope that one day we’ll be zapped from heaven with the gift of contentment. Contentment is learned.
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content" (Philippians 4:11, ESV).
OK, Paul. You say you learned to be content. How? How did you learn? What school do you go to to get contentment?
Answer? It’s the school of life – the ups and downs of life. Notice how Paul puts it:
"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" (Philippians 4:12, ESV).
There are 3 terms in verse 12 we love: Abound, plenty, and abundance.
Don’t feel like you have to hide if you have a lot. Use it for God’s glory. Enjoy it for God’s glory. And remember where the wealth comes from.
"It is [the Lord] who gives you power to get wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18b, ESV).
But if you do have abundance, be on guard! It’s safe to say that prosperity has done more damage to believers than adversity. It requires more grace to learn how to be prosperous and not be puffed up by it than to be needy and not be crushed by it. Someone said, “In order to carry a full cup, you must have a steady hand.”
If you are abounding, having plenty, and knowing abundance, then you still have to learn contentment. You have to remember that you have more than you need to help people in need. If you have plenty, you must grow in your passion to defeat materialism and greed. You must grow in your passion to increase your contentment. And let me give you one practical way to do it: Write some big checks and meet some real needs.
In fact, now would be a gogod time to write a check to some organization that is helping with the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. (You might want to check out namb.net and look for disaster relief to Haiti. That way you'll know that 100% of your dollars will go directly to Haiti.)
So, those are the 3 terms in verse 12 we love: Abound, plenty, and abundance.
And, by the way, some of us signed up to follow Jesus because we thought He would make sure we would abound, have plenty, and know abundance. That’s the good stuff. You can turn on your TV and you will find all kinds of preachers that will tell you that if you live a faithful life of following Jesus, then you’ll get all that and more. And they go on to say that if you aren’t abounding and having plenty and knowing abundance, then something’s wrong with your faith.
But look again at verse 12 and think about what is wrong with that kind of thinking.
Abounding, having plenty and knowing abundance are only half of the story. Yes, that’s part of Paul’s experience. But it’s not all of Paul’s experience.
Being brought low, facing hunger, and knowing need are the other half of the story.
Question: When do you think Paul learned the most about contentment? When he was abounding, having plenty and knowing abundance? Or when he was being brought low, facing hunger, and knowing need? In II Corinthians 11, he describes his life this way:
"Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea…, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers…, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea…, in toil and hardship…, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure" (II Corinthians 11:24-28, ESV).
That’s being brought low, facing hunger, and knowing need. God enabled Paul to turn his hard times into learning experiences. Paul’s attitude was, “Lord, what do You want to teach me in this situation? I want to be a learner.”
How do we learn contentment? We learn contentment from a right response to God’s provision. We learn contentment from life’s experiences, from having a lot and from having a little.
So, learn from your experiences in life – particularly your painful experiences. We learn contentment the best from the lean times.
Sometimes, you’ll have more than you need. Other times, you’ll have just what you need.
Some of you who are reading this blog are in tough times right now. Maybe you are without a job. Maybe some unexpected expense has drained your bank account. Maybe you can’t provide for your family like you had hoped. You know where you are? You are in God’s classroom. Be a learner. Be a student. If you complain and whine in the midst of your trouble, you’ll miss the opportunity to learn to be content.
To be radically content laugh and learn. More to come...
3 comments:
thanks for sharing this...it was a helpful reminder to me about the importance of being a learner...how wonderful to learn the secret of the 'sweet, inward, quiet, gracious attitute of heart that freely submits and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.'
I loved this post, we don't see grace on bad experiences in life, but we can lear with Paul. Can I translate a part of this text to Portuguese and post on my personal blog?
Sure, deuseamenia, post away. Thanks.
Post a Comment