THE SECRET OF BEING CONTENT

Philippians 4:10-23

Key Verse 4:12,13

“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. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul shares with the saints at Philippi the secret of being content in any and every circumstance. To be content whatever the circumstances is the key to maintaining one’s well being as well as to concentrating on the work of God. This is particularly true when we think about how tightly greed binds people so that they would seek materialistic possessions all the way until the day of their death. For example, when a person lives in a one bedroom apartment, he eventually desires to live in a two bedroom apartment. So he goes out and works until he can afford to upgrade his living conditions. Thus he earns more money, and rents a two bedroom apartment. After having lived in a two bedroom apartment, however, he next begins to look for a three bedroom apartment. When he obtains this, he starts looking for a house. Next, after buying a house, he looks for a bigger house, but this time with a swimming pool. And then he looks for a house with a swimming pool and a private tennis court. The same goes with the means of transportation. At first, a person is happy to have a simple form of transportation like Nike shoes. But after a while he grows dissatisfied and looks for a bicycle. Thus the bicycle turns into a scooter, the scooter into a Hyundai Excel, which turns into a Honda Civic, then a BMW, etc. and so forth. As a person seeks more and more after material possessions, he will never have any time to do something noble, like seeking God's kingdom or struggling to obey Jesus' command to "make disciples of all nations." Plus, as a person works for these “lifeless” materials, they become worn out and eventually perish. 

However, when we learn the Apostle Paul's secret to being content in any and every circumstance, we will stop seeking what is perishable. And, as Jesus said, we will start seeking his kingdom and righteousness first and foremost. What then is the secret? How can one be content even when circumstances are unfavorable? The Apostle Paul shares three principles, each of which is couched in the word “faith”: faith in God who provides, faith in God who strengthens, and faith in God who rewards. 

I. God provides (10-12) 

(1) For external needs such as financial needs (10)

A clue to what Paul's secret is, is found in v. 10. Look at v. 10. "I 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." 

Here, the expression "renewed your concern for me," especially the word "concern," refers to material offerings coming from the church of Philippi. Paul rejoiced greatly in the Lord for the material provisions coming from the church of Philippi. His rejoicing was truly great. Normally, when Paul uses the word "rejoice," he just says something like, "Brothers, rejoice!" But this time he said, "I rejoice 'greatly'," indicating that his joy was so great that it was beyond description. 

Upon careful examination of the passage, we learn that Paul's great rejoicing was different in nature than the joy of a man winning the lottery because, in Paul’s case, winning the Lord's provision was based on a win-win situation whereas, in the lottery’s case, it is a win-lose situation at best. In the lottery’s case, there is a certain “unwillingness” on the part of the giver. Suppose you win a million dollars. And suppose the average lottery ticket costs one dollar. This means that, theoretically speaking, 999,999 people are crying because they each lost their dollar to you! But this is not so with the Lord’s provision. The brothers and sisters in the Lord at the church of Philippi joyfully, willingly, lovingly, and prayerfully supported Paul. So Paul saw this provision as the work of God. 

Knowing the Lord God as the one who provides for his servant's material needs is the key to remaining content. The Apostle Paul learned about the God of provision through his obedience to the Lord's world mission command. We find this to be the case from the expression "renewed." In the book of Acts we see how the Lord provided for Paul from day one of his world mission journey onto European soil. Acts 16:12 says that Philippi was a Roman colony and the leading city of the district of Macedonia. It was at this very city that the Lord God provided Paul with his first “European” sheep: her name was Lydia. Each time I think about Lydia, her life reminds me of the Lord who provides. Who was Lydia? Acts 16:14 says, "One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message." This passage is loaded with information on the way in which the Lord provided for Paul. Her occupation as a dealer in purple cloth indicates that she was very wealthy or, at the very least, comfortable financially. In those days, dying techniques remained rather primitive. The fact that a person was a dealer in purple cloth meant that he was in a high-tech industry. Thus, Lydia was on the cutting edge of 1^st century technology. She was the CEO of a very lucrative money-making venture business. According to a scholar who investigated the way purple cloth was made in the 1^st century Roman province of Judea, in order to make one gram of purple dye, one needed to kill more than 8,500 sea snails, since the purple color comes out of special gland called the "hypobranchial gland" which is found in sea snails. In fact, in Lydia's day, because of the rarity of this snail, wearing purple cloth itself was reserved for and oftentimes signified "royalty." Indeed, this was such a costly process that only the wealthy – aristocrats, kings, or the emperor himself – could afford to purchase cloth dyed in purple. As a matter of fact, historians say that Nero decreed that only the emperor had the right to wear purple garments. At any rate, Lydia was in this specialized, lucrative business. We don't know why Lydia first met Paul, together with a few other women of the city, nearby a river. One Bible scholar conjectures that perhaps Lydia owned and managed a dyeing factory next to the river, since the dyeing process required an abundant supply of water and, moreover, workers would need to wash themselves often in order to remain clean. Anyway, as Paul mentions in Philippians 4:15-16, the Lord filled Paul's financial needs again and again through the church of Philippi where Lydia was the first sheep. 

When you think about Paul's life, the Lord God provided for Paul in many other ways. For example, the Lord God gave him one life to live. The Lord also provided him with an excellent education under Rabbi Gamaliel (who was the grandson of Rabbi Hillel, founder of the School of Hillel). The Lord's provision then included a lot more: Paul's job skill as a tent maker; his Roman citizenship; 24 hour security guards; room and board at government hotels across the Roman Empire, all at the government’s own expense; quality sheep who never failed to show up at the Bible center in Rome; the easy-to-travel system of roads built by Roman civil engineers; synagogues that the Lord spread throughout the villages and towns located around the Mediterranean sea, so that Paul could preach the good news there; persecutions so that each time the Apostle Paul tried to preach the gospel, some Jewish or Gentile leaders would harden their hearts, persecute Paul, and cause Paul to not stay in one place, but rather continue to move on to new frontiers. In addition to all these things, the Lord God arranged tons of angels in the heavenly realms, to ensure that Paul be kept safe, and his life would never be finished until the mission the Lord God had in mind was completed (Heb 1:14; Luke 20:36)! 

(2) For internal needs such as the spirit of deep satisfaction in the Lord (11-12)

Of all a person needs, a person's internal needs – like the sense of deep satisfaction – counts for the most. Look at vs. 11-12. "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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." Here, Paul says that he mastered the secret of being content regardless of circumstances. In other words, even if he did not have any money in his pocket, he was still deeply satisfied. In the eyes of worldly people, he should have been grumpy all the time, for he did not have a wife, he did not have children, he did not have a stable job, he did not own reliable transportation, and he did not even own a studio apartment. And his future was totally precarious. Yet, he says, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances!" This statement already sounds satisfactory enough, but Paul further says, "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!" These statements indicate that, to Paul, the sense of deep satisfaction was totally independent of external circumstances. His sense of happiness depended not on what he had or did not have; rather, it depended on something else entirely. What did his happiness depend upon? He says it is a "secret." What is a secret? A secret is a secret. And a secret has the meaning of "something undisclosed or unrevealed." It is something hidden to “normal” eyes. He had his own internal resources which were hidden to many yet known to him. But now, we too know what the source of Paul’s internal resources was since he wrote it down for believers to know. That is, the expression "in the Lord" suggests that the Lord is the source of Paul’s internal resources. Because Paul sunk his spiritual roots deep in the Lord, like a tree taking deep root in rich soil near flowing water, the Lord who fills all of his needs, particularly his spiritual needs such as having a deep sense of happiness, Paul could rejoice regardless of the circumstances encompassing him! 

(3) In this way, faith in the Lord who provides us with what we need, be they external or internal needs, is the key to remaining content all the time. 

Here, Paul uses the word "learned" twice and the word "know" twice. The word "learned" refers to practical experience. The word "know" means “effective knowledge which one acquires through experience in life.” Once upon a time I used to live as an apartment manager for a 20 unit apartment complex located in the mid-Wilshire area. This apartment complex still exists. So each time I pass by it, even though I do not go inside, I know every, single detail of the apartment complex. And I know what it is to manage apartments. And I know what it is to be in want, for it was out of my extremely needy condition that I secured this position in order to secure free rent for a small studio apartment. And I know what it is for four family members to live in a tiny studio apartment, living together with tons of cockroaches. Yesterday Missionary Sarah Lee called me saying that, upon coming back to her two bedroom apartment from the children's conference site, she found more than fifty maggots crawling everywhere in the apartment. So she now "knows" what it is to live in a run-down apartment. 

Likewise, the Apostle Paul knew what it was to have plenty and what it was to be in want. And through these practical experiences, he learned to be content whatever the circumstances, for in all circumstances, he learned about the Lord who provided him with what he needed. Although Paul calls it a secret, this secret was not Paul's own discovery alone, but had been known among many descendants of Abraham. In Genesis, for example, we see two examples: the example of Abraham and the example of Joseph. 

In Abraham’s case, because he had faith in the Lord who provides, he stayed out of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of this faith, he lived a life that gave what was best to his neighbors. But Lot did not have this faith. So he was constantly attracted by the attractive looking things of this world. Eventually, he got sucked into Sodom and Gomorrah. And when the fire rained down from above, his life was barely saved, and this only because of Abraham's prayer. 

Joseph in Genesis had the same faith in the Lord. In Genesis 45:5-8, Joseph expressed to his brothers his faith in the Lord's provision in this way: "And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt." The last sentence shows the zenith of a life of faith in the Lord who provides. It tells us how much God can provide for those who put their faith in the Lord. Think about the expression, "he made me father to Pharaoh!" Pharaoh was like 12 Bill Gates rolled into one. And guess what? The Lord provided for Joseph even to the point of making him a father of 12 Bill Gates combined! 

Because Joseph had this faith, he remained content whatever the circumstances – in his father's house, in Potiphar's house, in a prison cell, etc. This faith also kept him from sinning. Because he knew that the Lord would give him what is best, he kept rejecting sexual advances from Mrs. Potiphar. Nowadays, many teenagers do not believe in God who provides for them, especially with a marriage partner. So they commit all kinds of sexually immoral sins. But Joseph was different.  May the Lord be with each of us, so we would be confident in the Lord who knows what we need and provides us with what is best for us, all in his right time.

II. God strengthens (13)

In v. 13, Paul expands his discussions in two ways: first, by expanding the areas of application, and second, by specifying the way the Lord helps his children. Look at v. 13. "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." The Lord God provided material provision through the church of Philippi. So Paul talked about it. And then he said that he learned how to be content even when he was in want. Now here he says, "I can do everything [including remaining content even in extreme poverty] through him who gives me strength!" Here everything means everything especially impossible looking things. And strength refers to all kinds of strengths especially the power to resist temptations. 

Here "everything" includes the ability to overcome the corruption of this generation, for the Lord's will for his children is to let them overcome the environment rather than to be overcome by the environment. Nowadays many are worried about the laxity of such moral or ethical standards as human sexuality. Nowadays a lot of religious leaders in the Christian community are worried about the strange phenomena known as “same sex marriage.” But this is not new to our own generation. It was no different in the days of Abraham. Just one reading of Genesis 19 will easily make you understand what I am saying. The situation was no different in Paul's day. Although Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees, he too suffered from the corruption of his generation. And one reading of Romans 7:7-24 suggests that, once upon a time, he too suffered from lust. But in Jesus, he overcame this problem. How did he overcome? Romans 8:13 offers the answer: "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." Here "misdeeds" includes lust. Once upon a time, a brother said to me, "You are married, but I am single. So you must not understand my problem of lust." By this statement, he suggested that a married person has an easier time of overcoming the problem of lust than a bachelor, like most of the brothers and sisters in our ministry. But Paul's example indicated that this was not at all true. In fact, according to my own experience as well, the problem of lust is common among all, both young and old, Christians and non-Christians, clergy and laity! And this is particularly widespread among those who are in their fifties! See how many people stay married for a while, but after a husband starts to make some good money and becomes financially secure, he starts flirting with other women, and then see how many people end up divorcing this way!

But the Lord always provides his children with the strength to overcome all kinds of temptations especially the temptation of sexual immorality, such as getting into pornography or adultery. Look at v. 13 again. "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." 

Paul's conviction here is again the key to remaining fully satisfied and therefore fully sufficient in the Lord in our own generation, where there are so many people who, after trying all kinds of sinful lifestyles, remain totally unhappy and who, in order to smother their sense of insufficiency (like low self-esteem), rely on such undesirable things as drugs or excessive and compulsive eating or gambling or video games, and thereby become like zombies. 

In v. 13, the Apostle Paul offers a complete solution to problems like these. In what respect is it a complete solution? When we think about the meaning of the word "strength" we can have a better understanding. Strength has many different meanings. Let me list just a few meanings: energy, vigor, vitality, effectiveness, potency, power, concentration, fervor, intensity, foundation, durability, resilience, stamina, ability, toughness, forte, and talent. Its antonyms will also help us to understand it a little better: frailty, timidity, vulnerability, and flaw. Does this give you an idea? 

Paul's faith in the Lord who strengthens him to do everything that is glorious reminds us of a tall tree which takes its roots deep down in the soil, so that no matter what the circumstances, it thrives (Psalm 1:3). Let us pray that, despite the ever increasing wickedness of our own generation, as we take our deep spiritual root in our relationship with the Lord, the Lord who strengthens us would enable us to overcome the temptations of this generation and do his work fully. 

III. God rewards (14-19)

In vs. 14-19, Paul introduces us to another principle, that is, the Lord's principle of rewarding those who give sacrificially for the Lord's name's sake. Let us read this passage altogether. "Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;  For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." 

Here, two things stand out: first, Paul says that it was good of them to make sacrificial offerings and, second, the reason for his saying so is because, as they made offerings like this, the Lord who keeps his books in the heavenly realms ensures that they would see dividends for their act of giving. 

Paul couches his teaching here based on the principle called the principle of sowing and reaping, taught in many places of the Bible: for example, Psalms 126:5 reads, "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy"; Hosea 10:12 reads, "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you"; and Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again." 

One thing which deserves our special attention in securing a life that is content all the time is the overwhelming abundance of return for every act of giving, such as through material offerings. In v. 19, Paul says, "[M]y God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." All means all, including one’s physical needs as well as one’s spiritual needs. This teaches us another principle in securing true happiness: that is, living a life that gives sacrificially to others, particularly for the Lord's world mission purposes. 

In conclusion, let us read vs. 20-23. Here we have two “amens,” one amen is for the Lord's glory and the next amen is for the grace of our Lord Jesus. In between the two amens we see the members of the church greeting each other with holy kisses. This draws a beautiful picture of the kingdom of God growing inside of the context of the church. Here, we have the abundance of God's loving grace that enables us to experience the greatness of the Lord God, the Father of all. 

One word: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

---