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From Philippians 4:10-23: Discontentment often drives us. It keeps us pursuing. It keeps us striving. But that’s a miserable way to live. In fact, it’s possible to find contentment in whatever circumstance we face.
Discontentment often drives us.
The idea that things are not the way they ought to be or that things ought to be better than they are, those ideas are what often drive us to discovery.
The thought of a better world, a better life, that’s what has led to virtually every invention and innovation in human history.
It’s why we have the ability to harness and use electricity. It’s why we can warm or cool our homes. It’s why we went to the moon (that and the Cold War). It’s why scientists took a picture of a black hole.
Discontentment is also a great sales tactic.
In fact, marketers do this all the time. It’s called building scarcity. And it’s a great way to get us to buy what they’re selling.
You’re not happy enough. This will give you the happiness you’re looking for.
If you want a better life, this is what you need.
I’ve been duped into this a time or two…
MacBook
I was on my way to becoming obsessed.
It started my first year at Cincinnati Christian University – my third year of college. It didn’t happen my freshman year and it didn’t even happen my sophomore year when I was a computer science major.
No. For some reason it happened at CCU – the school that was full of people pursuing the vocation of ministry.
It started with an occasional glance. An every-now-and-again noticing. But it grew and grew and grew. At times it would flood my thoughts. But I knew I couldn’t have it.
What was it that had my attention? A MacBook Pro. Yes.
That slick silver shell with that lit up apple with the black keyboard and all the “cool factor” that went along with it. All the exclusive apps that came along with it. The whole package had me itching for one.
The only problem was… I couldn’t afford one. Not even close.
But that didn’t keep me from researching it, thinking about it, and coming up with an internal list of all the things I could do if I had one.
Audio editing and mixing. Video editing.
They last far longer than most PCs. Their system is far more secure than PCs. Apple Care is phenomenal.
I had become an Apple fanboy before I ever owned a MacBook. Why?
Because everywhere I looked at CCU, I saw them. My friends told me how great they were.
They seemed like the Christian computers because everywhere I looked, these Christians had them.
Now, fast forward…
Now That I Have One
I realize that while it’s a great computer and it is able to do all the things I thought it could and more, it’s just a computer. It hasn’t revolutionized my life. It’s just a tool. A great tool, but just a tool.
I’ve written two books on them. I’ve prepared a lot of sermons and classes on them. But they are just a computer and I could have written those books and prepared those sermons and classes on a different computer too.
I know all this now that I have one. I can downplay it now. But when I didn’t have it? I played it up in my mind more than it should have been.
Why?
Because I have a problem with discontentment.
Anyone else never satisfied with what is and is always focused on the next thing, the next challenge, the better this, the better that, the different this, the different that, the more this, and the more that?
Discouragement
Discontentment often drives us to discouragement.
Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden, we as humans have been on a quest to find full satisfaction in a world that has been fractured.
We live in a world that offers many things that will partially satisfy.
But what if all the best things in this world were never meant to fully satisfy us? But at the same time, what if satisfaction, what if contentment really were possible?
Contentment is Weird
Here’s what I know about contentment in our day and time:
Contentment is weird. But normal ain’t working.
Always feeling angst, always feeling like there’s something more, always feeling cynical no matter how great things get or how terrible things become.
I don’t know, it just seems like normal ain’t working and maybe it’s time to get a little weird.
Can you imagine what it would be like to be content in whatever circumstances you find yourself in in the future?
Game. Changer.
And that’s what Paul dives into as he closes out his letter to the Philippian church.
Philippians 4:10-14
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. 11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship.
Rejoicing
Paul was prompted to rejoice in God because of the fact that this church was allowing God to work through them.
Paul was confident that the One who started a good work in them was going to see that work all the way through to completion!
And Paul is going to eventually get to acknowledging the financial gift they gave to him, but he is careful to let them know that no matter what, his contentment, his satisfaction, his well-being does not depend on their gift. He appreciates it, no doubt, as we will see soon.
But what does he say?
v.11 — Whatever circumstances — Lydia, Slave Girl, Prison, Whatever
In whatever circumstances I find myself, I have learned to be content. That’s powerful.
Remember when he first came to them?
It doesn’t matter if I’m living it up, being hosted at Lydia’s home. I mean, that was nice. Her cook fixed up every meal like it was a five-star restaurant. You know, something featured on the travel channel. That was nice. But I had to leave.
Then, you remember this, right? I met a demon-possessed slave girl. I freed her from bondage and then I was beaten and thrown into prison. It doesn’t matter. I’m still going to rejoice and praise God.
I’m content in a mansion or in a cell. In whatever circumstances.
Why?
vv. 11-13 — I learned… I know Christ is better
Paul had to LEARN to be content.
A flower vs a weed // nice grass vs weed-infested grass
Now that it’s getting nicer out, I’ve been giving a lot more attention to our landscaping. And given that we have a new yard, there’s plenty of land, just not much scaping. That statement is probably technically wrong, but you get what I mean. It’s pretty basic. But you know what I have begun to notice?
In order to have a nice space, I’ve gotta put a lot of attention to it.
We have a nice mulch bed on the front of our house. Nothing has been planted there. Nothing at all. We haven’t gotten to that yet. But you know, we plan on making it look nice. But you know what? Plenty of little plants are growing up through that mulch. The weeds are rising. I didn’t have to do anything and there they are.
My lawn? I talked to someone this past week and he was telling me how I NEED to get my lawn fertilized right away. He was adamant that it had to happen as soon as possible.
How many of you know that to get something other than weeds from your soil, it requires attention from the gardener?!
Charles Spurgeon pointed out that discontentment is as natural to man’s heart as weeds are to the soil.
Not only is discontentment available in abundance, not only does it grow without any attention, but it also chokes up anything good, anything positive, anything godly.
I learned to be content…
Paul learned what it’s like to be content in whatever circumstances he finds himself in. He learned what it looks like to cultivate the soil of his heart so that good would grow no matter the season.
But what did that require?
It required him to know ONE truth in TWO ways.
Paul first learned that Christ is better. He’s better than what He doesn’t have and He’s better than what He does have.
Nothing in this world is better or more satisfying than knowing Christ Jesus. Paul himself said that knowing Christ was his goal. That’s what he strives for. That’s what he is pushing toward.
But it’s one thing to know that intellectually. It’s another thing to know it experientially.
Knowing that Christ is better — beyond the laboratory
A lot of us know a lot of true things. And for a culture that is still very much shaped by the Enlightenment, we think that if we know enough right things then we’ll be fine.
So if we just read the Bible and stack up as much knowledge as we possibly can, then we’re going to be fine. We’ll become content in Christ if we KNOW that He is better.
But we know all kinds of things that we do nothing with, don’t we?
The problem is, when we know something is true, but don’t live out that truth and do that truth, then we haven’t yet learned it.
We’ve gotta get beyond the laboratory level of our faith.
Paul didn’t just test the truth of that statement—that Christ is better—in his head or in the laboratory. He tested it in life.
When he had everything he needed and a ton of what he wanted, when he was living in luxury and abundance, he learned that Christ is better than everything luxury and abundance could offer. He left it all and kept following Christ’s call on his life.
That’s where the rubber meets the road, that’s when you step out of the laboratory and find out if you’ve learned that Christ is better or not. Are you willing to leave it all behind if Christ told you to?
Would you, like Paul, count it all as loss? Would you count it as dung? That is, in comparison to knowing Jesus?
Everything you’ve worked for, everything you’ve saved for, all your investments, all your assets, all your prized possessions, all your most meaningful things, if Christ said let’s go, would you go? If Christ said give it all away, would you do it?
It’s one thing to know the truth of the statement, Christ is better. It’s another thing to LEARN that Christ really is better.
vv. 12-13 — The Secret of Contentment
I am able to be content in all situations, I am able to do all things, I am able to choose Christ every time. HOW?
In Christ who strengthens me. Through Christ who strengthens me.
He’s the bread of life.
He is where I get my strength from. While the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God gave them manna from heaven. Jesus is the never-stopping bread from heaven. He always satisfies.
He’s the light of the world.
When I’m feeling discontented, when my circumstances seem to be full of darkness and I’m feeling down and out, He’s there to shine and show me that even though this moment may be discouraging, He is my light, He is my strength. Sometimes we need to let Jesus shine His light of truth and grace over our circumstances. He’s with us. He’s the light in the dark places and dark moments of our lives.
He’s the gate.
When this side of things isn’t working well, we’ve gotta realize that Jesus Himself is the gate to the good things. He’s the gate that leads to salvation. He’s the gate that leads to wholeness. He’s the gate that leads to glory. When we’re feeling discontented and frustrated with our circumstances, it’s usually because we’re hanging out on the wrong side of the gate.
He’s the Good Shepherd.
He leads me beside still waters, he makes me lie down in green pastures, He stills my soul. He prepares a table for me before my enemies. He is with me through the valley of the shadow of death. I’m not alone!
He’s the resurrection and the life.
When I’m dissatisfied with my life, when everything around me is frustrating me, when I feel like something’s missing, I’m reminded that this is not my home, this world is passing away, and all the things that somewhat satisfy me here are simply a spotlight pointing me to the ONE who CAN satisfy. This is not our home, friends. This life isn’t the end of the story. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Our citizenship is in heaven. And while we may be waiting for Him to return and bring us to the place He’s been preparing for us, we can wait with confidence and contentment because He’s got us. He holds the keys to life. He holds every molecule, every cell together. He holds every part of you together. He holds this earth together. He holds this Universe together. Life is in His hands. Not just this life, but eternal life. So be encouraged, friend. Be content. Let Him be your strength.
He’s the way, the truth, and the life.
When you feel like there’s a different path you should be on, a path that would lead you to a better place, a plan that would be better than what God is leading you down right now, understand that He alone is the way. Christ is better. Christ is better. Christ is better.
He’s the vine.
When you feel like you don’t have the strength to go on, are you connected to the vine? Are you abiding in Jesus? Because when we abide in Him, He tells us we will abound with Him. We will produce much fruit. Our work for God must flow from our time with God. Because being with Him is what satisfies and strengthens us.
Philippians 4:15-20
15 And you Philippians know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing to your account. 18 But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Generosity — A profit that is increasing to your account
Paul is making such a big deal about contentment because he wants them to understand that the gift they gave him was bigger than a source of supply for him.
When they practiced generosity, they weren’t experiencing a loss. They were making an investment that has a great return.
Something powerful happens when we take what God has given to us and reinvest that money into His kingdom. Think about it: if you’re looking at a list of stocks or a list of mutual funds and trying to decide what to put your money in to get the best return, if God’s kingdom were on the S&P, it’d be off the charts.
Why? Because it’s always turning a profit, an eternal one.
Want to have your money work? Put it in God’s kingdom. When you practice generosity, you’re not losing money, you’re investing it and experiencing an amazing return.
Generosity is a fragrant offering, acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God
When we practice generosity, it’s like unleashing defused essential oils up to heaven. It’s a fragrant offering.
It’s like unleashing the scent of a Yankee candle store and sending it up to the throne room where God is seated. It’s taking the best candles… Bacon scented candles, coffee scented candles, leather scented candles… and sending them to heaven.
God’s got you — will supply all your needs
I can remember when Sara and I started tithing—giving 10% of our income to God. It was kind of daunting. We didn’t make a lot of money and the prospect of living on 90% of our income with an already tight budget was intimidating. But you know what? God tells us to test Him in this. And we have. We’ve been able to increase our level of generosity. We’ve never gone without. God has proven to be faithful.
So if you have never tried tithing, like actually taking your income and giving a tenth of that back to God, God is telling you to test Him.
Just recently, I was able to talk to someone who has just started tithing. The joy in her eyes was abundantly clear.
And there’s nothing more practical we can do to LEARN contentment than to trust God with our finances. Because it teaches us that He’s in charge, we are not. It teaches us that God’s got us, we don’t.
v. 20 — Glorify God, Content in Christ
Here’s what I want you to walk away with today:
We glorify God best when we are content in Christ most.
Because if we are content most in anything or anyone other than Christ, we have an idol.
God will not stop invading the depths of your being. He will go deeper and deeper until everything in us has been touched by His love and grace.
Jesus you’re better than anything this world has. Jesus, you’re better than my bank account. You’re better than my retirement plan. You’re better than my hopes. You’re better than my plans. You’re greater than my worries. Your grace is sufficient for me.
All I have, it’s all yours. I don’t need anything else, I have you and I know you’re going to provide what I need when I need it. Your timing is perfect. Your love is infinite. Your power has no end.
Christ, you’re better. You’re better. You’re better.
I think our banner, our anthem, our song on repeat has gotta be just that… Christ, you’re better.
When we’re feeling like we’re incomplete without something.
When we’re thinking that our life doesn’t measure up.
When we’re stuck in a rut and discouraged.
When we’re on top of the mountain.
When we’re walking through the valley.
Christ, you’re better.
My home is with you.
Make me content in you.
Church, we glorify God best when we are content in Christ most.
Content in Whatever Circumstance
Paul discovered the secret of being content in whatever circumstance… He can do all things through Christ who gives him strength.
When Christ is our strength, we can be content no matter what. Because His strength is greater than any and all circumstance we face, whether in abundance or in need. Whether well fed or hungry.
Can you imagine the joy, the peace, that you’d have if you were content in whatever circumstances you faced?
Things going great? Content.
In the struggle? Content.
On the mountaintop? Content.
In the valley? Content.
Paul wanted them to know what he knew. He wants us to know what he knew.
That Christ can give us contentment even in chains.
Contentment is weird. But normal ain’t working.
Always feeling angst, always feeling like there’s something more, always feeling cynical no matter how great things get or how terrible things become.
I don’t know, it just seems like normal ain’t working and maybe it’s time to get a little weird.
Can you imagine what it would be like to be content in whatever circumstances you find yourself in in the future?
Game. Changer.
Two Things
Generosity is a great teacher
If you want to learn contentment, one very practical thing you can do is practice generosity. Maybe you’ve never given a percentage of what God’s given you. You don’t have to start at 10%. Start at 5. Start at 3. Start somewhere.
And as you honor God with your finances, you’ll begin to see how He really is in charge.
And that investment has a far greater return than anything else you can put your money toward in this world.
If you’ve been rescued by Jesus, do you want that for others too?
The church is God’s vehicle for making His mission come to fruition. When we support the church, we are investing in God’s kingdom.
But…
Christ’s gotta do it—ask Him
In order to learn contentment in Christ, we’ve gotta ask Him to do it in us as we go through life.
Jesus, please make me content in you. This is what I want, this is what I yearn for. Search my heart. Find those places that aren’t surrendered to your Kingship. Find those places that I haven’t given up. Because I know that those places are going to be the source of my discontentment. Because wherever you are, there is freedom. God make me free from the bondage of always striving for more, always yearning for things other than you, always being jaded and filled with angst. Give me peace. Give me contentment. Jesus, you’re better. You’re better. Make that truth seep deep into my bones, into my heart, into my blood, make that truth reverberate in my ears, and echo in my brain for the rest of my days. You’re better, Jesus. You’re better.
Philippians 4:21-23
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you greetings. 22 All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
