The True Tale Of A Thoroughly Contented Man (Philippians 4:10-13)

Paul was thankful for the Philippian church. Their faith was real; it had resounded throughout their region. They loved Jesus, and their lives reflected His holiness. They were genuinely progressing in their sanctification and partnering with Paul on the mission of God.

When they heard their beloved apostle was in prison for preaching the gospel, their hearts swayed toward their founder. Their care drove them to take up a collection and send it by a minister among them called Epaphroditus. Love made them do it.

So Paul set out to thank them for their generosity, but he was sure to tell them, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content."

Wouldn't you love to be able to say "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content"? Wouldn't it be nice to feel as if you had no need? Paul, I remind you, was in prison when said it, and this gives the statement power. If someone in luxury says they're contented, we aren't impressed. But Paul was content while in pain.

The Philippians believed him, too. When he came to Philippi the first time, he and Silas were arrested and beaten — then thrown into the dungeon. From there, they prayed and sang to their good Father all night long. An earthquake shook the walls and broke the prison bars. It was a memorable moment. Paul had praised while in prison. So when he says, now, from a different jail cell, that he's content, the Philippians believed him.

This contentment made Paul wonderfully free. To need so little makes one free. Paul was not bound by things he demanded God give him.

But how did Paul reach such a level of contentment? And is there any hope for us that we might enter into such satisfaction and peace? Could we also say with Paul, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content"? What made Paul overcome dissatisfaction and enter into contentment? Here are four observations.

1. He Had Reordered Loves (10)

"I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.” (Philippians 4:10).

When he finally celebrates their financial gift, he does it in a particular way: "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me."

First, notice how Paul did not thank them for money, but the revival of their concern for him. He never directly mentions the gift, but instead celebrates what it indicated: they cared for him!

Paul, of course, cared intensely for the Philippians. He'd gone to their city at God's direction. He'd loved Lydia, the slave girl, the jailer, and everyone connected to them. He'd hated how he had to leave them so soon. He sent colaborers of his to follow up with them and develop their understanding of Scripture. And he had prayed for them over the years. He loved the Philippians.

But, now, through their gift, he saw evidence of their love for him! And he loved their love, cherished it, for it meant their relationship together was alive and flourishing. Though other churches had forgotten or challenged Paul, the Philippians had not, but had supported their apostle. And their support was evidence of their care.

Paul responded to their care by rejoicing in the Lord. He went straight to God. Thank you for these Philippians, O Lord! Thank you for their love and concern. Thank you for a beautiful group of people who think so highly of me. I owe it all to you, Lord.

So, Paul, it seems, was a man who prized his God and people above all things. The money was nice, but their friendship was better.

This reminds us of Jesus' teaching. One day he was questioned by a religious leader: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus' reply is famous. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40).

Jesus beckons us to a life of love toward God and others. And when He commissions us to this life, it isn't because He wants to bring us into a drudgerous experience, but because He's designed us for this kind of life. We aren't meant to spend our time and energy on worshipping the self. We are to love God and others.

Paul loved God. And he loved others. And this is one reason he was able to enter into contentment. As long as life has no room for loving God and others, contentment is hard to come by. We aren't designed for a life void of a relationship with Him and others.

2. He Trusted His Sovereign Father (11)

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." (Philippians 4:11).

We've already looked at the statement, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." I want you to notice here, though, Paul's confession: "Not that I am speaking of being in need." Immediately after thanking them for reviving their care for him, he sought to set the record straight. He hadn't felt he was a man in need.

I remind you, Paul wrote this letter from prison. Called by God to bring the gospel to the nations, to kings and all in authority, and his Jewish brethren, freedom might have been beneficial to Paul. But instead of feeling he needed anything, he thought himself well supplied by God. We sing about our "good, good Father," but Paul believed it. He knew he hadn't escaped God's sight, and, apparently, God thought a prison cell was precisely what Paul (and the church) needed.

You see, Paul believed not only in God's love toward him but God's sovereignty. He believed God is sovereign over His creation (Colossians 1:16). He believed God directs the periods and borders of nations (Acts 17:26). He believed God is in control of governmental authorities, and that those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1). He believed God was sovereign over his life, knowing God had set him apart before he was even born (Galatians 1:15-16). And he believed God would work all things in his life for good (Romans 8:28). So, there in prison, Paul wasn't going to lose his mind and start believing God was suddenly out of control. He didn't know how, but he knew the prison cell, the rations, and the severe conditions were under the domain of Jesus Christ.

Years later, holding the book of Philippians in our hands, we can see a bit of what God was doing. Billions have benefited from Paul's letter. Paul's imprisonment was meant, by the enemy of his soul, for evil, but God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20).

If there was ever a man who sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, it was Paul. And Jesus said, if you live that way, "all these things (food, clothing) will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). Paul thought Jesus had kept His promise.

Are you able to confess God is good to you right now? Paul could. That's contentment. Though we might complain about our marriage, zipcode, finances, living situation, church, loneliness, lack of health, or other maladies, perhaps they are meant to be used for Gods' glory. Perhaps your hardships are a way for "the works of God to be displayed" in you (John 9:3).

3. He Was Initiated Into The Full Spectrum Of Human Experience (Philippians 4:12)

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." (Philippians 4:12)

In his imprisonment, but also through his years of service to Christ, Paul had learned the secret of contentment. He felt he'd been initiated into a secret club, that God had put him into a school where he learned how to live in God's peace no matter the situation. How did he receive this initiation?

God initiated Paul by taking him through the full spectrum of human experience. Consider the categories: He'd been brought low, but had also abounded. He had faced plenty, but also hunger. He'd lived in abundance, but also need. Paul's summation of these opposing categories was that he could handle "any and every circumstance." He'd been up and down, left and right, at both ends of the spectrum. And, in all places, God had been there for him. He was content at all times.

In considering Paul's claims, it is easy for us the recall the times Paul endured hardship. His entire Christian life, it seems, was filled with difficulty. He suffered imprisonment and persecution frequently, along with hostility for the sake of the gospel. His mission was a difficult one, and traveling throughout the ancient world was no picnic. Paul routinely suffered.

One specific passage of Scripture pointedly reminds us of Paul's pain. The Corinthian church, under the sway of false-teachers, had begun to despise weakness or suffering of any kind. Their new "super-apostles" boasted of their accolades and pain-free lives. So Paul, in rebuttal, also began to boast. His consisted of a record of struggles and hurt for the cause of Christ. He recounted his beatings, shipwrecks, nights drifting on the open sea, times he was robbed, persecutions, and the like (2 Corinthians 11:16-33). Confessions like these, along with Dr. Luke's account in the second half of Acts, makes it easy for us to consider Paul's hardships.

But when did Paul live in abundance? When did he face plenty?

It's possible Paul is referring to some unknown season of life or ministry, times left unrecorded in Scripture. It's also possible his brief seasons of peace felt like living in luxury to the apostle. His definition of abundance was likely much lower than our modern definition. There, in prison, with a generous gift from the Philippians, Paul felt wealthy.

But I wonder if Paul is alluding to the fruitfulness and power God wrought through his life. People lose their minds at the slightest hint of success or power, but Paul was a conduit for God's majesty, yet he never lost his humility. He had changed the course of human history through his preaching of the gospel to the nations. He had penned Holy Scripture, often. He had worked miracles and had seen lives transformed through his preaching. He'd felt God's power so strongly that, at one point in his time in Ephesus, people stole his handkerchiefs to bring them to the sick, who were then healed when they touched them. This is amazing power, yet Paul never let it get to his head. He truly knew how to abound. He'd learned the secret of contentment in all situations.

The truth is we often handle hardship better than prosperity. In seasons of loneliness, we might cry to God and ask for His aid. In times of financial collapse, we might earnestly seek Him for wisdom and provision. In seasons of ministry, we might lean into God for His power and enabling. But once companions are found, the bills are paid, or the ministry endeavor had ended, will we continue to depend on Him? Often, hardship creates a dependency we do not carry into the everyday successes of life, but we should.

And Paul had. He had learned, as many have, how to walk with God while abased, but he'd also learned how to walk with God while abounding. Charles Spurgeon wrote, "The Christian far more often disgraces his profession in prosperity than adversity. It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous. The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the refining pot of prosperity."

4. He Received Christ's Continual Strengthening (4:13)

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

Here is the secret to the entire passage. Paul was able to do the "all things" of the full spectrum of human experience because, in every situation, he leaned on Christ to strengthen him. By the Spirit, the Lord infused Paul with the energy and mindset needed to face the day. So Paul said, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

When Paul said, "all things," he did not mean anything ridiculous, such as saying there was nothing beyond his powers. He didn't mean he could bench press 500 pounds through Christ who strengthened him. Nor work 100 hours per week without ceasing. Nor live without Christian fellowship or prayer. He did not mean "I can sin through Christ who strengthens me."

What Paul meant is found in the immediate context. To be brought low, or to abound, to face plenty or hunger, Paul could do it all through the power of Christ in him. The life of Jesus would be made manifest through Paul's life. Jesus' power would become Paul's power.

The Stoics would've said, "I can do all things." It wasn't true, but they thought their philosophy of detachment enabled them to endure anything. They didn't care, so they didn't feel. The power was in the self. They were, they thought, self-sufficient. But the secret of Paul's contentment, his independence, was his dependence upon Christ. Daily, he looked to the Lord to fill his mind and body and soul and spirit with everything needed to face that day.

Jesus came. Jesus lived. Jesus died and rose again. He then ascended to the Father's right hand, where He intercedes for us. But He also, after His ascension, poured out the gift of His Spirit upon His people. God had looked forward to this day, saying, one day, "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules" (Ezekiel 36:27).

And with the Spirit living in us, we can live by Christ's power in any situation. This was not always the predominant possibility. In the Old Testament era, there were saints like David or the prophets who followed God when prosperous and fruitful, but also despairing and persecuted. But, for the most part, the Old Testament saints did best when living in the happy middle. They even had a prayer which reflected this reality:

"Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8–9).

The prayer makes sense. I often feel this way and pray it today. The truth, though, is that our destiny as Christians isn't to walk away from God when in either adversity or prosperity. With Jesus' help, like Paul, we can do either. We must abide in Christ, and when we do, His life will flood ours, and fruit will grow (John 15:4-5).

Application

Allow me to close this article with five applicational points, along with explanations for each. My hope in writing this piece is for Philippians 4:10-13 to become a great friend to you. I know how much these verses, Paul's example in them, and the concept of contentment in Christ has meant to me over the years. I pray the enduring Word becomes part of your heart.

1. Reset Contentment as a Desirable Attribute

If asked about great Christian attributes, many of us might neglect to mention contentment. It is easier to remember character traits like love, patience, or sacrifice, but I hope contentment can rejoin your list. It has immense advantages. Paul was a free man in his prison cell, and the satisfied person is genuinely free. Healthy people are grateful, at rest, and in peace, and contentment is required for each. Content people save money by worrying less about having more or the latest. They can celebrate, rather than covet, the success and blessings of others. They embrace aging with grace. They don't worry about how to get out of debt because they don't have any. Their lives, so often, are about the right things, the things we all know we'll wish we were about on our deathbeds.

2. Reorder Your Life to the Right Loves

As I pointed out, Paul's concern was not for the gift, but the givers. He rejoiced to be in an active relationship with the Philippian church. Because he centered his life around the love of God and others, he was able to find contentment anywhere and in anything. Allow the Spirit a chance to look into your life, your daily and weekly rhythms, to see if there is any reordering needed. If there is no time for God or others, if following Christ with others is never part of your calendar, perhaps there are some ways you can reorder your life to the right loves.

3. Look up and Down the Ladder of Prosperity

Humans naturally look around and see those who have more than they do, but the compassion of Christ demands we see those who have less. This is necessary for ministry and love, but it is also essential for contentment.

4. Enjoy God

If you were alone with God, you wouldn't compare yourself to others and want as many of the superficial things we spend time and treasure on. If you are in Christ, you would feel loved and accepted, on the one hand, while on the other hand, you would want to become more like God. You'd want holiness, love, and grace to flow from your life. So spend time enjoying God personally. When you do, contentment regarding the things of this life increases, and a divine discontentment, a desire to become more like Christ, develops.

5. Say "I Can't!" Less, and "I Can!" More

He is for you. He wants to enable you. With Jesus, you can. He will build you up and energize your body and mind for the highs and lows of life. In all directions, with Him and in His strength, say, "I can."