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. (Philippians 4:12 NIV)
The apostle Paul had learned true contentment in the face of unthinkable trials. In 2 Corinthians 11, he described those trials: "I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NIV)
Yet Paul had learned the secret of being content.
My contentment comes and goes with the wind. I ran out of coffee creamer on Monday, and it was gone. My iPad case keeps falling over while I'm typing this, and I almost want to throw it across the room. Zach was off from school for 2 days, and I was stressed instead of enjoying it. (In my defense, there is a limit to how many Thomas the train movies one can watch in 2 days. He passed that limit some time about hour 3 of day 1.) Stewart was 2 minutes late getting home from work, and I could have spit nails. And Evan is sick - again. Contentment gone. And, as you have noticed, this stuff is nothing compared to being beaten and being in constant danger because of my faith.
Why is it that our little "stuff" (and it is just stuff, ya'll) takes away our joy and contentment for life? I have a theory. I think it's because we're trying to find our satisfaction in this "stuff" and not in Christ. Paul made the choice to let Christ totally fill his life so that nothing else mattered. For him, Christ was it. Christ was all to him. You don't have to read too far in his letters to see that. We so often think the stuff of the world is it. We try to make it our all. And what a tragedy that is! This world is totally and completely flawed, and so is the stuff in it. So why would it make us content? Contentment only comes when we allow Christ to be all we need. It comes when we allow Him to fill us - fill our empty spaces, fill our broken places. How do we do this? By staying constantly focused on Him and not our circumstances. Because "godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6 NIV)
The apostle Paul had learned true contentment in the face of unthinkable trials. In 2 Corinthians 11, he described those trials: "I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NIV)
Yet Paul had learned the secret of being content.
My contentment comes and goes with the wind. I ran out of coffee creamer on Monday, and it was gone. My iPad case keeps falling over while I'm typing this, and I almost want to throw it across the room. Zach was off from school for 2 days, and I was stressed instead of enjoying it. (In my defense, there is a limit to how many Thomas the train movies one can watch in 2 days. He passed that limit some time about hour 3 of day 1.) Stewart was 2 minutes late getting home from work, and I could have spit nails. And Evan is sick - again. Contentment gone. And, as you have noticed, this stuff is nothing compared to being beaten and being in constant danger because of my faith.
Why is it that our little "stuff" (and it is just stuff, ya'll) takes away our joy and contentment for life? I have a theory. I think it's because we're trying to find our satisfaction in this "stuff" and not in Christ. Paul made the choice to let Christ totally fill his life so that nothing else mattered. For him, Christ was it. Christ was all to him. You don't have to read too far in his letters to see that. We so often think the stuff of the world is it. We try to make it our all. And what a tragedy that is! This world is totally and completely flawed, and so is the stuff in it. So why would it make us content? Contentment only comes when we allow Christ to be all we need. It comes when we allow Him to fill us - fill our empty spaces, fill our broken places. How do we do this? By staying constantly focused on Him and not our circumstances. Because "godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6 NIV)
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