The Secret of Contentment

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 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. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13

From a dreary dungeon come the words of the apostle Paul to capture our hearts and imaginations. Alone and suffering a punishment that few of us can comprehend, Paul writes: “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am...in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11-3).

Is this idealistic fluff? Mere words written to pass the time of day? No. Paul had learned the most valuable of all secrets - the secret of contentment. He no longer looked to temporal values for security and peace. He looked only to Jesus for his strength and reward.

While many rushed to gain prominence, Paul sought the highest reward of all - a personal relationship with Christ. Few people enter the sanctuary of God as Paul did. Unshackled from bonds of fear and anxiety, Paul walked boldly into the presence of God, finding eternal peace and providential care.

Contentment’s greatest adversary is anxiety - fretting over things beyond the control of God. Have you learned the secret of contentment?

“There is a stillness that lets God answer the cruel blow, in His own unfailing, faithful love.” -A.B. Simpson