Joyful Living Devotional - Day 38
Day 38 - Content or Discontent: Which Tent Is Yours?
Philippians 4:10-14 (NLT) 10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
As Paul nears the end of his letter to the church in Philippi, he thanks them again for their support. He praises the Lord for their concern for him, knowing they have always had him on their hearts, even when they have not always had the opportunity to show it. Nevertheless, he practices what he preaches by thanking the Lord for what they have done and are doing, as he has encouraged them to bring their needs to God and to give thanks to the Lord. Paul knows that gratitude for both the big and small things helps us stay grounded in the power of contentment.
Yes, there is power in contentment, but it is not self-manufactured or self-produced; it is a work of the Holy Spirit within the human heart, which tends to be ungrateful and discontented. This contentment that Paul talks about is learned. It cannot be bestowed, endowed, or imparted by someone else’s prayer or faith. It must be learned through the school of perspective, faithfulness, gratitude, and trust. This contentment is worked into our lives as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is learned in days of abundance and in days of lack. It is learned in plenty and in little. If you are bristling at these words, it is highly likely that your tent is still pitched toward discontentment rather than contentment.
In the culture we are surrounded by, contentment almost seems like a curse word. In fact, very few people seem to be content. We are all bombarded by a culture of continuous dissatisfaction. You know you want to sing that great spiritual song by The Rolling Stones: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” It was written in 1965, and its sentiment is even more applicable today! How is your contentment?
Before you answer that, however, you need to know that there are things we should not be content with. I call it a satisfied dissatisfaction! It means we are grateful for where we are, but we have not arrived yet. In our spiritual growth, we should always strive to go deeper. In our emotional maturity, we should always strive to grow healthier. In our knowledge and wisdom, we should always strive to grow wiser. In our love for Jesus and others, we should always strive to grow stronger in our love. In these things, we need not be content, because that hinders and stifles our growth. Paul is not talking about contentment in these kinds of things. He is talking specifically about stuff!
We work all our lives to earn money so we can buy stuff, save stuff, store stuff, use stuff, fight over stuff, wish we had stuff, look at others’ stuff, and sell some of our stuff. In the end, we will take no stuff with us, and we will be stuffed in a box! All of our stuff we will leave behind. The stuff we stress over, the stuff we have to have, all of it will be left behind. Yet our culture measures people’s value by how much stuff they accumulate and possess. You can let this worldly culture prescribe how you live, or you can learn the secret that Paul learned.
“Discontent keeps a man from enjoying what he doth possess. A drop or two of vinegar will sour a whole glass of wine. Comfort depends upon contentment. It is not trouble that troubles, but discontent. It is not the water without the ship but the water that gets within the leak which sinks it. It is not outward afflictions that can make the life of a Christian sad; a contented mind would sail above these waters. But when there is a leak of discontent open and trouble gets into the heart, then it is disquieted and sinks.”
– Thomas Watson
First and foremost, recognize that contentment is learned; it does not come naturally to us. We are born natural “wanters” and the more we see, the more we want. We have to learn the secret to living in every situation of life, whether we have a lot of stuff, a little bit of stuff, or even no stuff. How can we live a fully satisfied life even when we don’t have what the world says we have to have? Here’s the secret: “JESUS.” We find our contentment in HIM!
How can we be content whether we have a little, a lot, or nothing? How can we be satisfied whether our stomachs are empty or full? We lean on the strength that only Christ Jesus our Lord can provide.
Philippians 4:13 (NLT) says, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” The word Paul uses for content in verse 11 is the Greek word autarkēs. This word was a great word in Greek and Roman ethics and means: “sufficient or adequate in one’s self; entirely self-sufficient or contented with one’s lot.” The Stoics believed that self-sufficiency was the highest aim in ethics. They believed that a person must be completely free from all things and all people, through a certain state of mind. They proposed that a person be freed from all desire and emotion, to the point where they don’t care what happens to themselves or to someone else. To obtain this, according to the Stoics, you must do it through a deliberate act of the will. They trusted in their own self-sufficiency. Paul, however, is not self-reliant; he is Christ-dependent.
I know we use Philippians 4:13 and quote it for everything, and Jesus surely helps and strengthens us. But this verse is not a blanket statement to cover deficiencies in areas where God has not called us. The context of this verse is contentment. Paul wants the Philippians to understand that he is not advocating a Stoic response to life; he is advocating that they lean into Christ Jesus, who will enable them to learn the secret of living in any and all circumstances. We cannot do it on our own, no matter how great our willpower or self-denial. We must be empowered by Christ Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit’s strength, we can live content in all circumstances.
When you find your wants rising, press into Jesus. He will give you the strength you need! How can we do this in practice? Make every purchase decision a prayerful one. Pray that the Lord will meet your needs. Learn the difference between what you need and what you want!
Many of us want something so badly that it becomes something we need, even if we didn’t need it in the first place. Learn to be grateful for what you do have, and do not focus on what you don’t. Enjoy what the Lord has provided for you. Like the church in Philippi, have a heart and concern for other people’s welfare. The secret to breaking a spirit of wanting is a spirit of generosity! Here is the beauty of giving things away. The only things you keep for eternity are what you have given away, invested in building God’s kingdom, and done for others.
“Spiritual things truly satisfy! The more that heaven is in us—the less earth that will content us. He who has once tasted the love of God, his thirst is much quenched towards earthly things. The joys of God's Spirit are heart-filling and heart-cheering joys; he who has these, has heaven begun in him!”
– Thomas Watson
Decide today that for the rest of your life, you will find your contentment in King Jesus. That you will ask Him for the strength to face any and all circumstances. Whether you have a lot or a little, your value is not in how much or how little you possess but in who possesses you...
Prayer:
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a heart sensitive to others’ needs.
Ask the Lord to help you identify the root of your discontent. Pray honestly and be willing to change your behavior when necessary.
Pray for the needs of your fellow believers, especially those in developing nations. Pray for the poor and ask the Lord to make you a conduit of blessing.
Pray:
“Father, teach me so that I will find my contentment in You. Jesus, give me the strength whether my bank account is full or empty. Help me distinguish between what I need and what I want. I place my life before You and ask for the power to live in true contentment and satisfaction. Thank You that my value is not determined by my valuables but by the reality that I am Yours! I belong to You and draw my strength from You. Help me say no to myself when needed and graciously accept when I am overwhelmingly blessed. I pray with the deepest gratitude as I see how wonderfully You have blessed my life. Thank You for letting me enjoy what You have blessed me with! And now, Father, all I have, I have received from You, and it belongs to You! I am fully satisfied in You, through You and by You! May the rest of my life be lived only for You! In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen!”
Philippians 4:10-14 (NLT) 10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
As Paul nears the end of his letter to the church in Philippi, he thanks them again for their support. He praises the Lord for their concern for him, knowing they have always had him on their hearts, even when they have not always had the opportunity to show it. Nevertheless, he practices what he preaches by thanking the Lord for what they have done and are doing, as he has encouraged them to bring their needs to God and to give thanks to the Lord. Paul knows that gratitude for both the big and small things helps us stay grounded in the power of contentment.
Yes, there is power in contentment, but it is not self-manufactured or self-produced; it is a work of the Holy Spirit within the human heart, which tends to be ungrateful and discontented. This contentment that Paul talks about is learned. It cannot be bestowed, endowed, or imparted by someone else’s prayer or faith. It must be learned through the school of perspective, faithfulness, gratitude, and trust. This contentment is worked into our lives as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is learned in days of abundance and in days of lack. It is learned in plenty and in little. If you are bristling at these words, it is highly likely that your tent is still pitched toward discontentment rather than contentment.
In the culture we are surrounded by, contentment almost seems like a curse word. In fact, very few people seem to be content. We are all bombarded by a culture of continuous dissatisfaction. You know you want to sing that great spiritual song by The Rolling Stones: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” It was written in 1965, and its sentiment is even more applicable today! How is your contentment?
Before you answer that, however, you need to know that there are things we should not be content with. I call it a satisfied dissatisfaction! It means we are grateful for where we are, but we have not arrived yet. In our spiritual growth, we should always strive to go deeper. In our emotional maturity, we should always strive to grow healthier. In our knowledge and wisdom, we should always strive to grow wiser. In our love for Jesus and others, we should always strive to grow stronger in our love. In these things, we need not be content, because that hinders and stifles our growth. Paul is not talking about contentment in these kinds of things. He is talking specifically about stuff!
We work all our lives to earn money so we can buy stuff, save stuff, store stuff, use stuff, fight over stuff, wish we had stuff, look at others’ stuff, and sell some of our stuff. In the end, we will take no stuff with us, and we will be stuffed in a box! All of our stuff we will leave behind. The stuff we stress over, the stuff we have to have, all of it will be left behind. Yet our culture measures people’s value by how much stuff they accumulate and possess. You can let this worldly culture prescribe how you live, or you can learn the secret that Paul learned.
“Discontent keeps a man from enjoying what he doth possess. A drop or two of vinegar will sour a whole glass of wine. Comfort depends upon contentment. It is not trouble that troubles, but discontent. It is not the water without the ship but the water that gets within the leak which sinks it. It is not outward afflictions that can make the life of a Christian sad; a contented mind would sail above these waters. But when there is a leak of discontent open and trouble gets into the heart, then it is disquieted and sinks.”
– Thomas Watson
First and foremost, recognize that contentment is learned; it does not come naturally to us. We are born natural “wanters” and the more we see, the more we want. We have to learn the secret to living in every situation of life, whether we have a lot of stuff, a little bit of stuff, or even no stuff. How can we live a fully satisfied life even when we don’t have what the world says we have to have? Here’s the secret: “JESUS.” We find our contentment in HIM!
How can we be content whether we have a little, a lot, or nothing? How can we be satisfied whether our stomachs are empty or full? We lean on the strength that only Christ Jesus our Lord can provide.
Philippians 4:13 (NLT) says, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” The word Paul uses for content in verse 11 is the Greek word autarkēs. This word was a great word in Greek and Roman ethics and means: “sufficient or adequate in one’s self; entirely self-sufficient or contented with one’s lot.” The Stoics believed that self-sufficiency was the highest aim in ethics. They believed that a person must be completely free from all things and all people, through a certain state of mind. They proposed that a person be freed from all desire and emotion, to the point where they don’t care what happens to themselves or to someone else. To obtain this, according to the Stoics, you must do it through a deliberate act of the will. They trusted in their own self-sufficiency. Paul, however, is not self-reliant; he is Christ-dependent.
I know we use Philippians 4:13 and quote it for everything, and Jesus surely helps and strengthens us. But this verse is not a blanket statement to cover deficiencies in areas where God has not called us. The context of this verse is contentment. Paul wants the Philippians to understand that he is not advocating a Stoic response to life; he is advocating that they lean into Christ Jesus, who will enable them to learn the secret of living in any and all circumstances. We cannot do it on our own, no matter how great our willpower or self-denial. We must be empowered by Christ Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit’s strength, we can live content in all circumstances.
When you find your wants rising, press into Jesus. He will give you the strength you need! How can we do this in practice? Make every purchase decision a prayerful one. Pray that the Lord will meet your needs. Learn the difference between what you need and what you want!
Many of us want something so badly that it becomes something we need, even if we didn’t need it in the first place. Learn to be grateful for what you do have, and do not focus on what you don’t. Enjoy what the Lord has provided for you. Like the church in Philippi, have a heart and concern for other people’s welfare. The secret to breaking a spirit of wanting is a spirit of generosity! Here is the beauty of giving things away. The only things you keep for eternity are what you have given away, invested in building God’s kingdom, and done for others.
“Spiritual things truly satisfy! The more that heaven is in us—the less earth that will content us. He who has once tasted the love of God, his thirst is much quenched towards earthly things. The joys of God's Spirit are heart-filling and heart-cheering joys; he who has these, has heaven begun in him!”
– Thomas Watson
Decide today that for the rest of your life, you will find your contentment in King Jesus. That you will ask Him for the strength to face any and all circumstances. Whether you have a lot or a little, your value is not in how much or how little you possess but in who possesses you...
Prayer:
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a heart sensitive to others’ needs.
Ask the Lord to help you identify the root of your discontent. Pray honestly and be willing to change your behavior when necessary.
Pray for the needs of your fellow believers, especially those in developing nations. Pray for the poor and ask the Lord to make you a conduit of blessing.
Pray:
“Father, teach me so that I will find my contentment in You. Jesus, give me the strength whether my bank account is full or empty. Help me distinguish between what I need and what I want. I place my life before You and ask for the power to live in true contentment and satisfaction. Thank You that my value is not determined by my valuables but by the reality that I am Yours! I belong to You and draw my strength from You. Help me say no to myself when needed and graciously accept when I am overwhelmingly blessed. I pray with the deepest gratitude as I see how wonderfully You have blessed my life. Thank You for letting me enjoy what You have blessed me with! And now, Father, all I have, I have received from You, and it belongs to You! I am fully satisfied in You, through You and by You! May the rest of my life be lived only for You! In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen!”
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional