The Secret of Contentment

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.
—Philippians 4:10-11

In Philippians 4:10, Paul thanked the Philippians for the way they gave to supply his needs. They had desired to give for a long time, but hadn’t had the opportunity. When Paul was arrested and taken to Rome, it took awhile for the Philippians to hear about it, but once they did, they cared for him. Their giving was one of the things that made the Philippians special to Paul. They weren’t like some he had ministered to who only took from him. The Philippians gave.

Paul didn’t rejoice because of the physical gifts he received from the Philippians; he had learned to be content without things (Philippians 4:11). It was the Philippians’ love behind their gifts that touched Paul’s heart and blessed him. He rejoiced because their giving revealed their great love for him, and he knew their giving would produce fruit that would abound to their account (Philippians 4:17).

Paul knew the source of his contentment: it was finding all of himself in Christ (Hebrews 13:5).

Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 2:24, “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?” 

Solomon was saying that no one could satisfy their desires as he had. He was the richest man who had ever lived (2 Chronicles 1:12), yet he had determined that people had to make themselves find happiness in life.

Things and circumstances didn’t satisfy Solomon, and they won’t satisfy us either. It’s a choice. Every one of us has the capacity to be content, but just like we have the capacity to read and write, reading and writing don’t come naturally. We must learn to read and write. Neither does contentment come naturally or as a result of circumstances: we must learn to be content no matter what happens. Just as someone learns to read and write more easily than another, some people find it easier to learn contentment.

Paul certainly had to learn to be content. He was in prison in Rome and facing possible execution. The secret to Paul’s contentment was that he had died to himself and was living totally for God (Philippians 1:21, Galatians 2:20). 

A person who is dead has no needs. Paul was dead to himself so he didn’t regard himself as having any needs. Jesus had fulfilled his life. Needs are about us. Discontent and depression arise out of selfishness. If we continually die to self and live to Christ, we can rid ourselves of selfishness and be content.

One of the best ways to learn contentment is to be thankful for what you have and quit dwelling on what you don’t have. Most people in prison focus on all the things they can’t do. Paul was most likely thinking about all the things he could do. He preached the Gospel to the Jewish leaders in Rome (Acts 28:17-29), something that would have been impossible without being arrested and taken to Rome. Everyone in Caesar’s palace heard the Gospel (Philippians 1:12-18). He had earned the favor of his guards, and they granted him his own house, allowing him to have his friends visit him without restriction (Acts 28:30). Paul had complete freedom to preach the Gospel in Rome (Acts 28:31).  Promoting Jesus Christ was all that mattered to him.

We can be content in anything because godly contentment doesn’t depend upon our circumstances. This is completely opposite to the way most people think. No one really wants to be depressed, but very few feel any personal responsibility or authority to control their feelings during trying circumstances. Emotions don’t follow circumstances; emotions follow the way we think. Regardless of our circumstances, we can choose to think on things that are lovely, true, and good (Philippians 4:8). As we think, so our feelings will follow (Proverbs 23:7, Isaiah 26:3, Romans 8:6).

Even though God desires to prosper His children (3 John 3:2), Paul’s focus wasn’t on what he was given but upon Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Lord wishes for us to prosper, but it’s not His will for us to gripe when we are experiencing difficult situations. We can be content whether we are in need or whether we abound in life (Philippians 4:12). We, too, can know the secret of contentment—we can find “all of our life” in Christ. Just as Paul, we, too, can die to self and live totally for God.