The Apostle Paul was well acquainted with adversity and poverty. In I Corinthians 4:11-12 he explains his plight, “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” So is it surprising to see Paul write here, ” I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…”? Contentment in our life can be as simple as looking at the glass as half full, rather than half empty during trials and tests. It can be expressing gratitude to God for the rain, (the blessings) in the midst of the raging storm in our life. For the secret to personal contentment for anyone can only be found in the deep and abiding relationship with God the Father.
Tag: contentment
Philippians 4:11 ” I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
It’s our decision to be happy…for only we can decide how circumstances will impact us. In this verse, Paul is saying that during his Christian walk he had gained insight by study and experience to then be able to grasp the concept of contentment. To be content is not a usual human emotion…for we are most times anything but content with things! But we do spend millions of dollars a year looking for contentment…in the way of lavish vacations, or countless relationships. But Paul is telling us that true contentment comes from within and that only we have the determination whether we’ll be happy and satisfied…or not
Philippians 4:11 ” For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. “
One of my favorite times of day is early in the morning watching the sun come up… with a cat in my lap and a hot cup of coffee in my hands. It’s a chance before the world invades my mind to chat quietly with the Lord. For me it’s a time of total contentment…a chance to bask in the delight of knowing my Lord and Savior…and an opportunity to take pleasure in praying for others. I’ve discovered over the years that being content doesn’t depend on only favorable conditions around me…or that being satisfied with life can only be measured by huge accomplishments and miracles of God. No, true contentment is enjoying simple pleasures…those little blessings that only the Lord and I know about.
I Timothy 6: 6-7 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
One of my very first jobs as a Nurse was working Labor and Delivery at a county hospital…and through those countless deliveries of babies, I can never recall a newborn bringing anything with them! Conversely, I’ve never seen a U-Haul trailer hitched to a hearse headed towards the cemetery. The Lord wants us to be satisfied with whatever we have here on earth… that it’s not about the “things”, but what we do with those things God gives us. If I may paraphrase Job… “I came with nothing, I will leave with nothing…the Lord gives and He takes away…but regardless of it all…I will praise His name.”
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