The Art of Divine Contentment

(Yes, I took the title from one of my favorite Puritan books by Thomas Watson)

Michael Douglas, as ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street, said it best:  Greed — for lack of a better word — is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms — greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge — has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed — you mark my words — will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.  While this movie was made in 1987, it defines our times today. 

Greed drives American culture.  All of the advertising and marketing tells us that we want something, we need something, we deserve something, and we will not be happy or satisfied unless we get what we want right now.  The stock market is driven by greed.  Over the past several years, the business world has been rocked by corporate scandals in which CEO’s and other high level officers have devised illegal and often very risky schemes to simply make more money.  Enron, Worldcom, Martha Stewart, and others have all been in the news over the past several years because of illegal activities that were designed only to look more profitable.  Why?  So their stock would go up?  Why?  Greed.

Someone asked the eccentric yet incredibly rich Howard Hughes (I think) how much more money he needed to have to be happy and satisfied.  His reply was, “Just a little more.” 

This is the American mantra today – just a little more.

We are greedy because we are not contented.  We as Americans are the richest people in the world.  Even the poorest person in America is more well-off than a vast majority of the rest of the world.  We have nice houses, nice cars, and more stuff than we can fit in our house.  That is why self-storage facilities are nowadays a big business!  And we always want more.  That is why shopping is our favorite past time, and the mall is the most visited location in this country! 

However, Paul learned the Art of Divine Contentment.  Let’s look at Philippians 4:10-13.

¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I 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. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Before we jump into the text this morning, we need to look at the context.  So many times we jump into a text or verse in the Bible without looking at the surrounding context in which the author, in this case Paul, is writing.  Paul is discussing his joy in this entire letter, and especially in this section, he is overjoyed as the Philippians have sent him and his ministry a gift.  Verse 10 states, ¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  Paul is greatly overjoyed.  Greatly is the word megalos, so Paul is saying that he is mega-rejoicing!  Why?  Because the Philippian church had supported him in the past, but had recently not been able to provide resources for Paul due to some unforeseen reasons.  Perhaps it was because they had lost track of Paul in his travels and missionary journeys, or perhaps it was due to the Philippian church’s desperate poverty.  2 Corinthians 8:1 – 5 explains their plights:  And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. ⁵ And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. 

For whatever reason, and for some period of time, they no longer had the opportunity to show their support to Paul and his ministry.  Now, however, the opportunity had presented itself and they took advantage of it.  The term you have renewed is a botanical metaphor, meaning to “blossom again.”  Like perennials blossoming again in the spring.  The church was once again able to show their concern for Paul and Paul was extremely joyful at their renewal of their support. 

Paul’s gracious attitude reflects his patience and confidence in God’s sovereign providence.  Paul knew and was contented with the idea and belief that God would provide for him when the time and need arose.  Paul did not feel the need to manipulate, beg, borrow, or steal, because he knew that God would provide in God’s own time and in His own way.  A confident trust in God’s providence is foundational to contentment. 

However, while Paul wanted to make it clear to the Philippians that he was grateful for their gift and renewal of their concern and friendship for him and his ministry, he also wanted to make it clear to them that he was not in need and that he was not dependent upon them and their generosity.  He wants to put things in perspective.  He wants to make sure that the Philippians understand that he is not overjoyed because of their gift per se, but he is overjoyed over their renewed friendship and concern for him.  One commentator states, “His is not the joy of one who considers himself to be in dire financial straits and whose poverty is alleviated by the timely arrival of Epaphroditus with the money!” Their friendship is not utilitarian, in other words, their friendship is not related to what Paul can get from them.  ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

This begins Paul’s aside in the middle of his thanksgiving for their gift.  But these are some of the most meaningful words in his letters, as they have both a far-reaching doctrine and deep application to lives in the first century and the 21^st century. 

Look at what Paul says again here to put things in perspective:

¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I 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.

I will comment on this word “content’ in a little bit, but this word essentially means “self-sufficient,” one who is not oblivious to circumstances, but one who is not determined by them.  One is “independent” of others and circumstances in the sense of being free from their either causing distress or serenity.  Paul is using language similar to the Greek philosophers and Stoics, which the Philippians would recognize, but will later show that the source of his contentment is Divine, not human.  It is outside of himself, rather than within himself.

Paul has learned to be content whatever the circumstances, most likely throughout his life from the school of hard knocks.  Paul says that he knows what it means to be fat and happy, and he knows what it means to literally starve.  Look at 2 Corinthians 11 beginning with the last half of verse 21:

What anyone else dares to boast about-I am speaking as a fool-I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 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. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

Paul obviously knows from experience what it is like to know all extremes of life.  And I am not certainly comparing myself to Paul, but I too have lived through enough experiences to be able to put life in perspective.  I am sure you all have too.  When someone at work is losing their mind and ranting and raving about not meeting the bottom line or stressed out due to some issue, I think back to Desert Storm and ask myself, is anyone going to be hurt over this?  Is anyone going to die over this?  I have known what it is like to eat MRE’s three times a day (even once or twice a day because there was no time or opportunity to eat), and I even learned to enjoy them.  And when I see my kids or someone else complain about their potatoes running into their corn on their plate, I have to encourage my kids with perspective. 

Paul then sums up this aside with one of the most famous, yet misused and abused, verses in the Bible. 

¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

With this summation, Paul transforms the very Stoic-sounding sentences that have preceded from a self-sufficiency, and independence from people and things because the power to overcome is within me, to one that is Christ-sufficiency and a reliance on a power that is completely outside of Paul and in the person and work of Jesus. 

How do we find Divine Contentment?

Paul found divine contentment through his union with Christ.  Let me step aside for a minute and explain how this verse has been used and abused by the church as a whole.  In our American culture, we believe that poor is bad, and rich is good.  We believe that being needy is bad, and having plenty is good.  We believe that being in want, not having everything we want, or not having our needs met is bad, and living in abundance, having everything we want or having the means or opportunity of obtaining everything we want is good.  When we read a verse like Phil 4:13, we as Americans tend to make this verse say something it doesn’t say.  So now, we usually emphasize the “everything” or “all things” and the “I can” and make the verse mean something like I can do anything and everything I want with the help of Christ who gives me the power and strength to do it.  In fact, this appropriation of this verse turns the meaning on its head!  Paul is not saying that he can do anything.  Paul was not emphasizing the “I can” and the “everything,” but was making a bold statement that his contentment did not depend on getting something or in his situation or circumstances.  Paul was in fact, deemphasizing the material aspect of the Philippians’ gift and emphasizing the fact that his contentment was by the power and strength and ability of Christ. 

We as Americans because we believe poor is bad and rich is good, emphasize the “all things.” Paul, on the other hand, emphasizes his complete dependence and subservience to Christ.  Paul clearly states that it doesn’t matter whether he lives in abundance or want, humble means or abundant means, he is content whatever the situation because the power and ability Christ gives him allows him to rise above his circumstances and live as a servant of Christ. 

Paul does not depend on himself in any way, shape, or form. 

How do we obtain this divine contentment?

We go to the source of Divine Contentment.

We go o the creator rather than to the created things. 

We go the source of pure joy.

We find contentment in our ultimate unfelt but most important need, our reconciliation with God through His son Jesus. 

Doing without things we think we need is beneficial to us. It teaches us to deny ourselves and to discipline our bodies. It provides us with the opportunity to learn and to demonstrate contentment in circumstances that would cause others to complain and grumble. Unmet needs are often a test of our faith and obedience. God uses unmet needs to call our attention to deeper, spiritual, needs so that we will learn to rely upon God for all our needs, material and otherwise.

Satan sought to create an “unmet need” in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve’s greatest need was to trust and obey God, but they chose to disobey God in order to meet their perceived need of the knowledge that came from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the wilderness, God allowed the Israelites to be in need, so that their hearts would be tested, and so that they could learn to trust God and obey Him”

Our Lord’s temptation is closely related to the needs of the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:1-4).

Satan implied that “doing without” was inconsistent with being the Son of God. He questioned or ignored the fact that the Spirit of God had led our Lord into the wilderness, and that our Lord’s hunger was also God’s will. It was a test. Satan maintained that if Jesus were the Messiah He would end His hunger by using His power to transform stones into bread. The truth was that Jesus was to prove He was the true Messiah by trusting God with His life and obeying God’s Word no matter what the outcome might be. It was Satan who maintained that unmet needs are evil; it was our Lord who insisted that when God leads us into circumstances where we must do without, we must trust Him, rather than to meet our unmet needs.

Why is it, then, that some Christians seek to convince us that any unmet need in our life is the result of our lack of faith? Why is it that they seek to assure us that we need not have any unmet needs? Why do they think that they are different from the Israelites of old, or from our Lord, or from Paul? I believe it is because they fail to see the good and gracious hand of God in our trials and tribulations, in our unmet needs. Paul was content with his unmet needs, once he had made his requests known to God in prayer and it was clear that God had said, “No.” Our unmet needs humble us, and they test our faith and obedience to God. This is why Paul did not wish the Philippians to think that he was asking them for money. Paul was not seeking to change his circumstances, but to rejoice in them, and in so doing to encourage the Philippians to have this same outlook in the midst of their adversities.

Do you now see why I said that the promise of Philippians 4:13 might look different to us when we viewed it in the light of its context? Paul is not saying here that whatever we want to do, we can be assured God will most certainly accomplish it for us. When Paul says that he “can do all things through the one who strengthens him,” he is saying that he can endure doing without when it is for the sake of Christ, and it will result in the strengthening of his faith. We want to claim God’s strength and power to do the things we wish. Most often we wish to lay hold of God’s power to indulge ourselves. Paul says that God gives us the ability to do without some things we think are needs.