People want to be content, but what matters is that God wants us to be content. Learn the secret, and you will be content too.

Learning and Living the Secret of Contentment

Philippians 4.10-19b

(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes are throughout sermon.)

Pastor Kerry Kinchen, Bridgeway Bible Church

Please turn to Philippians 4:10-19. This is the second part of our study through Philippians 4:10-19. This is also the last sermon in our Philippians study series. God willing, next week we will begin going through 1 Thessalonians. As we are all turning to Philippians 4:10, I want to remind us that as we have worked through this beautiful epistle of Philippians, we have been learning some really great truths to apply to our lives as Christians. Humbleness has been a big theme. Having joy in times of trouble; turning our backs on thoughts of self-righteousness; living the godly life--it is the resurrection life that Paul describes in chapter 3. It is the upward call. Coming into our passage, Paul said to focus our minds on the positive mental attitude of whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute. God is telling us that,

"if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

At the beginning of the epistle, Paul thanked God for the Philippians. Now Paul continues, and he focuses upon giving thanks to the Philippians. Then he gets into some personal teaching concerning a great secret he has learned. We are also going to learn that same secret by gleaning from Paul in 4:10-13. We looked at the surrounding parts of this section last week. We identified five reasons why God wants us to give. Paul calls it, "the matter of giving and receiving." Let's read about the other matter Paul mentions in our passage now (contentment), starting in verse 10;

"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak from want, [being in need] because I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:10-13

Please prepare your heart to learn with me, and be encouraged with me from Gods' word, in this sermon titled:

Learning and Living the Secret of Contentment
[prayer]

Paul opens this section with,

"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity." Philippians 4:10

The Philippian Christians had supported Paul financially in the past. Now the church has sent out a reserve of financial support to Paul once again. Apparently, the opportunity has arisen by sending Epaphroditus with the money. Of particular note to us, as we come into this passage, is that Paul is more concerned about the Philippians, and the fact that God will keep an account of their giving, than Paul is concerned with getting the money. Paul wants to make this fact crystal clear, and so this is why Paul explains that he rejoices in the Lord about it. Paul wants to express that his needs and wants have ultimately been taken care of by the Lord as the Lord provides through people. But further, Paul wants to express that there is something that goes along with recognizing that his needs have been met in the Lord. It is something that Paul had to learn. It is something of great importance that you and I absolutely need to learn too. It is something that can not be divorced from the fact that God supplies all of our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. If we do not learn the lesson, then even though it is true that God really does supply all of our needs as a matter of fact, we may not recognize this fact, and this becomes a huge problem in our relationship with God. So Paul goes on and explains what we need to learn. Paul says,

"11 Not that I speak from want, [being in need] because I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Philippians 4:11

@1 God wants me to learn to be ____________ in whatever circumstances I am in.

This is how Paul can say that he is not speaking from want, or need. It is because Paul is truly content. He sees that he has mental, spiritual, and monetary sufficiency in all things, whether rich--(meaning whether he has money to spend on just about any plan, goal, or desire, he would want to, within reason), or poor--(meaning he has no money, or has very little). This is what you and I want to be too. We want to be truly content mentally, and spiritually, finding sufficiency in all things, whether rich, or poor.

But I want us all to notice something about this. Paul does not say that this kind of contentment comes as a natural attribute. You aren't going to get this kind of contentment that Paul is talking about based upon your selfish flesh. Our selfish flesh is what keeps us from being content. In our flesh, very little seems sufficient. This contentment has to be learned. In Stoic philosophy, this same word for content here which is used only here in the whole New Testament is autarkes. The stoic philosophers of Paul's day used this word to describe a person who accepted impassively whatever came about. Circumstances that could not be changed were regarded as the will of God, and so concern was thought to be useless. This philosophy fostered a self-sufficiency in which all the resources for coping with life were located within man himself. When Paul uses this term, he uses it in such a way as to suggest much of the same thing that the stoics were using the word for, but Paul drops in a huge contrasting point at the end. Paul is using this word to describe his acceptance of God's sovereign work in Paul's life in Christ. All Paul's circumstances are regarded as the will of God, and so part of the divine lesson is that fretting is a lack of faith and understanding of God who works in us, and with us, for His own good pleasure. This is key. Unlike the stoics, Paul locates his sufficiency in Christ as a starting point. Our sufficiency is in Christ who provides the strength to handle a life of financial abundance with all of its temptations, and to also handle poverty, with its own set of hardships and temptation to have doubt. Paul says that he had learned to be this kind of content no matter what the circumstance.

My big point at this time is that it is no different for any of us.

We think about this and we know that Paul is writing from prison. Paul was existing at below poverty level of survival. Paul relied on the gifts of outsiders that were willing to help. Think about Paul's life, and think about what you care about--are discontent about. Think about what we complain about. Our natural tendency is not to think that Paul's life is something that we are thinking we want to be content with today. Think about it in honesty;

Are you content with even just the very idea of being arrested today and taken away from everyone you know and being placed in a prison?

It hasn't happened yet, but how content would you really be to have the door kicked in while I'm preaching right now, and you are separated from everyone you love? Orders are screamed at you as if you are the worlds worst enemy. You are bound and shoved around like a thing--like a criminal that is a danger to society. You are taken away, locked away. You get just enough food to survive. Within hardly any time at all, you are instantly changed into a slave of your captors.

How content are you with having that happen to you?

Let me ask you this:

Are you naturally content with not having anything but a bare minimum level of living from the giving of the saints?

What about abundance?--

Are you naturally content with having a lot of money and spending it on God's kingdom instead of your own kingdom?

Each of us knows ourselves. We know what we are, and we know how we are according to the flesh. We are selfish, ambitious, and complaining people. In our flesh, we are greedy to satisfy our desires. In our flesh, we get scared, and we operate out of fear. We are born that way. And as we come into this world screaming and crying, we naturally think the world revolves around us. We are not content, and we grow up that way. Each day we may suppress the screams and the crying of our selfish nature, but we are still just as selfish as the day we were born. This is the lesson of life in a fallen cursed world of sin. The point is that contentment is something that must be learned. This is both the point, and it is foundational; Contentment comes through God's schooling us to get it. Part of the selfishness of humanity is that people desperately want contentment, but because they have not learned to be content in whatever circumstance they are in, in the same selfishness of humanity, they seek out other circumstances to be their teachers instead of God. This is a catch 22 that leads to more discontentment. Let me explain: What I mean is that in the flesh, we learn the wrong lessons that teach us wrong approaches to being content. Think about how this works-- In discontentment, the carnal mind will seek the very things that feed discontentment, like getting rich financially. Money is supposed to be the answer. And so here is the irony of what happens; people will begin working relentlessly in a consuming frenzy of discontentment to try to get more and more money to try and buy contentment. People will even do things like go out and spend hard earned money to buy lottery tickets hoping that they will win millions upon millions of dollars.

How many people lay awake at night, listening to the failed lessons of discontentment which attempt to teach how to be content?

They are not learning the secret of being content. They are learning something else. They say,

If only I could win the lottery, then I'd be content.

If I could only live on a bigger piece of property, then I would be content.

If I could only afford to buy this or that, or whatever it is, then I would be content.

But since they have not learned the real secret of contentment, they are believing a deception. It is like the so-called secular, Satanic Secret I used as an illustration a couple of weeks ago. It is the demonic lie that touts the magic of the Law of Attraction. Ironically, that pagan religion calls itself The Secret. It is where it is taught that you can be just like God by thinking your circumstances into existence, and once that supposedly happens you will finally be content. What I am trying to say is that the world is a seductive task master. It tries to teach these lies to us Christians every waking moment of our lives. When we believe any part of the lie, no matter how it is packaged, we struggle for the elusive dream that is never achieved. So every single day people hunger and thirst after contentment, and though they actually do keep reaching goal, after goal, after goal, they never are content with any of the goals. In fact, each goal, once reached, oddly becomes invisible, and at the same time they still see discontentment remaining with vivid displeasing clarity.

But each goal was going to be that place--right?

It was going to be that level where they were going to find their elusive contentment; and discontentment was what was supposed to become invisible. Each goal was where they were finally going to get what they had longed for. But each goal comes and goes because it disappears in the deep dark sea of discontentment, where another goal is right beyond the horizon to struggle for, and fight for, to try, once again, to reach and strain for that elusive contentment.

So what happened?

We know what happened. The failed lessons of having more possessions do not do it. You can not find it by buying the newest gadget that comes out to supposedly make life easier. You can not find it by buying the newest gadget that comes out simply because it is the newest gadget that comes out. More clothes don't do it. Always getting the latest fashionable clothing style doesn't do it. Getting the perfect physique doesn't do it. Getting a bigger house with more yard and more cars doesn't do it. When you get all of that, you just gave yourself more busy work, and headaches. Thinking that all of those things are going to bring contentment is a failed lesson from the public school called the world. The failing lessons also teach you to seek contentment in earthly kinds of power, status, or fame. You know the catch phrases: Once you are the boss, or famous, then you will finally be content. Isn't that one of the big promises? But being the boss, or famous, only means you have added more responsibility to your life--more frenzy to the rat race, and so there is more that you must manage. Status and fame feeds your pride, and pride is never satisfied. You might be famous, but make one social faux pas and you stay famous, but now you are famous for your mistakes. Contentment is not the result of more of the earthly kinds of power that you can get in this world. People seek contentment in relationships; Single people are discontent. But, relationships require maintenance, and nurturing, and dying to self, and so much more. Relationships may fill social needs, but they don't bring contentment. Every single person who gets married realizes this very quickly--about one week after the honeymoon is over. Marriage is beautiful, pure, and God ordained. But God never said anywhere that marriage was going to make anyone content. Instead of saying that marriage will make you content, God says;

Be content with your marriage.

But people will also go the opposite way. People think that if they strip down their life styles to the bare essentials, then they will finally be content. But living at the bare essentials doesn't take care of the emergencies. It doesn't take care of the daily grind that is still required to eek out a living on the bare essentials, for the bare essentials, in the bare essentials. Living simply doesn't do it because the problems of daily life do not go away just because you have less material things, and less to do, or you become a hermit, or a monastic drone, or you are wondering where your next meal is coming from because you can't afford to buy food. The point is that it doesn't matter what the world is telling us the secret is to contentment. In this fallen and cursed world of sin, it is impossible to be completely free from problems that go with everyday life. So, when we look to everyday life to bring contentment, it only leads to more discontentment. This is why learning from God to be content according to God is so important.

/1/
As a starting point in God's lesson plan, we must understand that contentment is not just merely something that we want. This is the first part of the lesson. What I mean is that

God wants you to be content.

God wants to be glorified in your contentment.

This is what matters the most. And since God wants you to be content, and He wants to be glorified in your contentment, His desire is even more important than your desire. Notice the shift. It gets you off yourself and what you want, and onto God and what He wants.

Now, I want you to get a bold picture in your mind of the past. The place is ancient Israel. John the Baptist was preaching in the hot wilderness near a river. The lost sheep of the house of Israel were there. John preached God's message to sinful Israel. He told the people to bear fruits in keeping with repentance. He meant fruits that accompany turning to God. Repentance means to turn. The context dictates what is turned from, and what is turned to. John the baptist was preaching to bear fruits that accompany turning to God. Some soldiers that are there, ask John what they are supposed to do. What did John the baptist say? He said,

"be content with your wages." Luke 3:14

This is the starting point. John does not ask them if they want to be content with their wages. He doesn't say,

"Do you want to be happy in life?; then be content with your wages."

You see, John isn't doing a self help seminar. That's not what preaching is all about. Preaching is not meant to inspire you to go on another week. Preaching is meant to be something that equips us with God's will right now, and for the rest of our lives. So, what is John doing? John gives the fundamental teaching, and he gives it as a command from God. It doesn't matter if the great overwhelming desire of the soldiers is to be content with the money they make, or not. God says, be content with your wages. It is what God wants. Paul wrote a letter to his true child in the faith. He wrote to Timothy. Paul said,

"... godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. ... 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content," 1 Timothy 6:6-8.

@2 Godliness is a means of great __________ when accompanied by contentment.

God tells us that godliness is good, right? God tells us that it is a means of great gain; but God also tells us that godliness is a means of great gain to us when it is accompanied by contentment. He's the one that is talking. We turn to Him. God does not say that it has to do with man's standards of riches, or it has to do with cultural standards of what poverty is supposed to be. God's word says that we shall be content with food and covering. He is talking to you. God does not say that food and covering bring contentment. No--what does God say? He says to be content with food and covering. It is what God wants, and so this is the beginning of the lesson. The world focuses upon what you want, and then the world teaches you from that foundation and continues to get it all messed up. The writer of Hebrews echoes the mind of God to us,

"5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have;" Hebrews 13:5

@3 God wants me to be free from the love of ________________.

When we read the command that tells us to "make sure," then we are reading what God wants, rather than some social philosophy that is supposed to make life better. So that is the first part of the lesson. God wants us to be content, and since God wants us to be content, His desire is more important than our desire to be content.

/2/
The second part of the lesson is what Paul goes into next. Paul is going to give the secret to his contentment. We want the secret. Paul says,

"12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him [the Lord] who strengthens me." Philippians 4:12-13

@4 I can be poor, or rich; full, or hungry; having a lot, or needing a lot, through the _____________ who strengthens me.

First Paul said he learned to be content. Now he says he's learned the secret to it all. The secret is what brings contentment. Learn it and you will be content when filled, and also when hungry. Learn it and you will be content in having abundance, and when you suffer need; and you will glorify God in Christ Jesus. Without this godly secret, we will be like so many who do not know how to have abundance (particularly in material possessions) without becoming selfish. Squandering money on selfish pursuits, and hoarding, are both symptoms of operating outside the secret from God. Let me ask you a question. Have you heard of the term "Redemption and Lift?" Redemption and lift is a term that is used by missiologists. Missiologists are people who study Christian missions. I took Missiology in Seminary, and it was taught by a missiologist. They study missions history, missions strategies, and they study the impact of missions. Redemption and Lift is a term that missiologists use to describe what happens to a pagan people group when the Holy Spirit brings in His harvest among them, and then Christianity takes root and grows in that culture. Redemption and Lift is an observable phenomenon when God changes people's hearts. The spiritual salvation part is the miracle part. It is where the term redemption comes in. Technically, the people that are saved were redeemed on the cross. They are saved by grace through faith--made manifest in their reception of Christ as Lord and Savior. What happens next is that the people who have been saved, begin to change their overall lifestyles for the better. When this happens in a culture, the observable result is called the lift. What happens is that people act differently. Morality increases. Crime decreases. The love of Christians affects the surrounding culture. Work ethic increases. Honesty in business dealings becomes the norm. Subsequently, what happens is that, overall, monetary prosperity increases. Redemption and lift, is really just another way of describing the blessings of God that come when people are changed from the inside out, and follow His ways. Redemption and lift, should describe a good thing. But if, in the blessing, there is squandering of money, and hoarding, and the re-adoption of sinful philosophies about contentment from the lost world culture, then the lift is easily forgotten as the blessing from God reflecting His glory and purposes. It is replaced by the curse of discontentment, selfishness, materialism, laziness, sensuality, pride, trivial pursuits, spiritual immaturity, wasted lives, and a mediocre church. A similar kind of trend has happened to our own country. We have Christian roots that go back to the Separatist Pilgrims. We can see the stark legacy going upward through the timeline through the various Pastors and other Christians who signed the Declaration of Independence. The United States had a huge influx of Christians flee Europe to start anew on these shores in religious freedom from persecution. There was a sense of energized Christian redemption in the atmosphere of this nation in the first century of its birth. The initial bountiful fruits of our Republic can be seen as the lift of the Christian culture of the time. The Secretary of Education under the Reagan administration, had this to say when comparing the Christian roots of our nation with the state of affairs today in our later generations:

"Religion begot prosperity and then the daughter grew up, and killed her mother." (1)

What the Secretary of Education meant is that our present culture is the daughter. The mother has seemingly faded. The last few wicked generations, including the one we are in now, have practically killed her off. The pattern can be described like this:

First, there is redemption.

Second, there is lift.

Third, there are selfish, materialistic pursuits to try to gain contentment based upon materialism and self oriented philosophies, which lead to being fat, filled, and floundering. From the lift up into the heavenly heights of glory, down to falling and flailing around in a selfish mire of materialism, and mediocre Christianity.

 

This identifies a huge problem with not learning God's secret of contentment and then living it out. Paul understood this as a principle. He said,

"For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10

@5 The ____________ of money is the root of all sorts of evil.

This is part of the curse of discontentment, and so we see that Paul uses the language where he says he learned the secret. The Greek word translated into the little phrase, "learned the secret" is: "Mueo." It literally means to initiate into the mysteries; to learn the secret of something through personal experience or through initiation. Paul is telling us that he had learned, through experience, how to be content in each and every circumstance. Paul learned it two ways:

1) Paul had learned by insightful revelations from God,

2) Paul learned by going through God's school of life.

In other words; Paul learned through God's sovereignly orchestrated experiences that He gave Paul, that Paul can do all things through Christ who strengthens Paul. This is the secret. You and I can do all things (all things are, humble-means, and prosperity; in any and every circumstance, of being filled and going hungry, of having abundance and suffering need) through Christ who strengthens us. Paul had times when he had plenty to eat and he was filled. He had extra money to give away. But there were other times that Paul went hungry and he was starving for food. Paul had learned (past tense) the secret of abundance, and suffering in need. The question that we need to ask, is:

How can I learn this secret?

To get the fullness of the answer, we need to take a look at Paul's life and what he said he had to learn for contentment in each and every circumstance. In looking at Paul's revelation on this, we get a clear layout of one huge part of the secret that Paul had to learn. In 2 Corinthians 11:23, Paul compares himself with false apostles. As Paul defends his apostleship, he says something that sheds light on this part of the secret;

"23 Are they servants of Christ? ... I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?" 2 Corinthians 11:23-29

These are all the things that Paul experiences. In these things, Paul has learned an important principle. Paul is going to state it in the next verse. Paul says,

"30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness."

@6 If I have to boast, I will boast about my _______________.

What we have just tasted is a brief autobiographical sketch of the typical life of Paul as an apostle. It is a tough arduous life filled with difficulties, affliction, and concern. But what I want us to notice about this is that Paul says that if he must boast, he is going to boast of what pertains to his weakness. The secret to Paul's contentment is found in those words. Either Paul is going to have faith in Paul and Paul's abilities, and circumstances, or Paul is going to have faith in God, God's abilities, God's sovereign control, and power in Paul, and over the circumstances. It is a matter of where you are putting your faith. Continuing in 2 Corinthians, we see with greater clarity what Paul's boasting about his weakness actually means. Paul goes on defending and explaining his apostleship in the following verses, and then he says concerning an affliction that he received from God:

"9 And He [that is God] has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. ...'"

God has talked to Paul. Paul has a divine revelation that illumines a great secret. Paul responds to the secret revealed. Paul says next,

"... Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Did you notice what Paul said, which reflects the same thing Paul said after listing his hard life, back in 11:23-30? Remember, Paul just said in 11:30,

"If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness." 2 Corinthians 11:30

Now what does Paul say here in 12:9? He says,

"I will rather boast about my weaknesses." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Why does Paul want to boast about his weakness? So that the power of Christ will dwell in him. This is it. Paul had to learn this. God revealed this to Paul. You and I must learn this too. God is revealing this to us. The power of Christ is manifested in weakness, and what this means is that the very Messiah Who strengthens Paul in Paul's contentment is being made manifest. Christ is strengthening Paul, and this is the point. Paul is not Paul strengthening Paul. The faith of Christ is manifested in our weakness. The testing of our faith produces endurance, and contentment, whether rich or poor. Continuing in 2 Corinthians 12 Paul goes on to contentment. Pointing back to the revelation that power is perfected in weakness, and so this is what should be boasted in, Paul says,

"10 Therefore I am well content ..." 2 Corinthians 12:10

There it is. Paul says, therefore, pointing back to what he just said and magnifying on it. Do you want the secret? The secret is to view everything in your life, whether riches or poverty, whether health or sickness--view it all in such a way as to see that God is working in you to will and to work for His own good pleasure. I ask you: Is the secret really such a mystery? The secret is the faith walk of trusting God with your life at any given moment, in any and all things through Christ who strengthens you. Let me repeat that for clarity:

The secret of being content is the faith walk of trusting God with your life at any given moment, in any and all things through Christ who strengthens you.

@7 "The secret" of being content is the faith walk of trusting God with my ___________ at any given moment, in any and all things through Christ who strengthens me.

And so, we must have faith in God to handle the good times by manifesting the mind of Christ in our riches when everything feels good, and we can say that we are well content in that. Contentment will keep us from being materialistic, hoarding, and selfish with God's abundant supply. Contentment will keep us from worshipping the dollar. Likewise, we must have faith to handle the bad times, when we don't feel very good, and so we are tempted not to be satisfied. We must believe that God is perfecting His power in us as living vessels that glorify Him as members of the body through it all. We must believe that Christ is using it to strengthen us spiritually. If not, you miss the lesson, and you will not be what God wants you to be in this godly strength that glorifies Him, which is to be content. Paul goes on in 2 Corinthians to explain what he is well content with;

"... with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; because when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10

8@ When I am weak for Christ's sake, then I am ______________.

Christ strengthens Paul in the midst of everything that seems bad and Paul recognizes it. There is real, authentic, abiding strength that occurs here. Paul says,

"because when I am weak, then I am strong."

When you know this, you know the secret to contentment that God teaches that we abide in through faith. Now, let's get our noses back in Philippians 4. Look at Philippians 4:13 with me. Let's remember again what Paul is saying. Remember, Paul was not speaking from want. Why? Because Paul had learned to be content in all circumstances, and so he knows how to get along with humble means, if that is the current state; and he knows how to get along in prosperity, if that is the current state. He says that in all circumstances he learned the secret of being filled and going hungry; both of having abundance and suffering need. Then he punctuates it all by saying,

"13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Christ is the one who strengthens us to be content when we are prosperous in the blessing of Christ. Paul could have been tempted to spend the money he had been receiving on frivolous, selfish concerns. But, Christ strengthened Paul to handle money. This is why it is so important to recognize that the secret goes beyond being poor even though poverty is just as much a principle aspect. The secret has to do with Christ teaching and strengthening you to resist temptations that come from financial abundance too. The secret has to do with Christ teaching us and strengthening us not to see money as the answer to everything. And it also has to do with Christ teaching us and strengthening us to give to those in need in the body of Christ, and give to ministry. You see, God blesses you to bless Him. With that principle in mind, we realize that when you give to bless the body you are doing something that blesses Him. The point is that Christ strengthens us to do all of these things in respect to money. God wants us to recognize that He supplies all of our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus, 4:19. The secret to contentment is to have faith that God is working all things together for your good, because you love him and are called according to His purpose; because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, Romans 8:28-29. The secret to contentment is to have faith that God is using everything in your life to perfect the power of Christ in you to conform you into the image of His son. It is only when we know this, and we grasp it, and we believe it, and we appropriate it in praise of God, that we will be content. Power is perfected in weakness. You will not be content when you are thinking that weakness is being perfected in your weakness. You will not be content when you think that you just need to be a stronger person so that you can accept your lot in life. You will never think you are strong enough (which is discontentment). Is it any wonder that this is a faith issue, where we trust God concerning the lesson he is teaching us? Trusting God brings the contentment, but trusting God, according to His word, where he actually tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, is the lesson.

My urging to all of us as we leave here is to recognize that contentment grows out of having God's perspective concerning our circumstances. Paul was content because he could see his circumstances from God's point of view. If Paul is in financial abundance, Paul knows that he must trust God with his money. If Paul is lacking in money, Paul knows that he must still trust God. You and I need to be focused on following Christ. We must recognize that Christ is the one who strengthens us to live this way each day. This is the secret to being content.

@1 God wants me to learn to be ____________ in whatever circumstances I am in.
@2 Godliness is a means of great __________ when accompanied by contentment.
@3 God wants me to be free from the love of ______________.
@4 I can be poor, or rich; full, or hungry; having a lot, or needing a lot, through the _____________ who strengthens me.
@5 The ____________ of money is the root of all sorts of evil.
@6 If I have to boast, I will boast about my _______________.
@7 "The secret" of being content is the faith walk of trusting God with my ___________ at any given moment, in any and all things through Christ who strengthens me.
8@ When I am weak for Christ's sake, then I am ______________.

(1) Concerned Women For Today, CWA, Friday 5/9/02.