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Learning Contentment

Thirty-five years ago, Jan and I were playing Nintendo on Sunday night waiting for her to go into labor with our first child. When Laura was born she was perfect. Yes, she was colicky and cried each night from 10-12. She didn’t sleep through the night till she was 9 months old. She was an amazing baby, but we didn’t want her to stay a baby forever. We were amazed by her as a toddler, but we didn’t want her to stay as a toddler. I have loved every season in my children’s lives more than the one before. She is 35 on the 22nd, and I’m amazed and proud of the woman she is. But I can’t wait to see what is next. I have always been content with who my children are but never satisfied.

The Bible takes this conversation a step further. The Bible reminds me that God doesn’t want us to just survive; He wants us to thrive in 2025. God is calling us to lean into life; to embrace who we are and, with God’s help, press forward.

 

In Philippians 4, Paul said he had discovered the secret of contentment. The Philippians were facing some problems. Choosing to follow Jesus had resulted in some of them losing their jobs. They were being harassed by the government and some of their families weren’t supportive. Paul wanted to be personally present to encourage them, but he was in jail. So he wrote them a letter. [How many of you would say, my life is so bad, I need someone from prison to write me and encourage me?] Paul said, one of the pivotal places where we can grow forward is learning contentment.

One man said, Contentment is an attitude in my heart that says, “I will live in joy with what God has given me, while passionately pursuing where He is calling me.”

Characteristics of Contentment

Contentment isn’t laziness. It isn’t a lack of drive or initiative. Paul’s secret is the secret. When I’m depending on Jesus, I can be content but not satisfied. Paul was content in a roman jail, but he wasn’t satisfied with the progress the churches were making. He always wanted more people to know Jesus, more people growing deeper in Jesus.

1. Contentment is an Acquired Skill

Phil. 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 

Paul learned contentment.

A while back, I was corresponding with a guy in jail. At the same time, I was having some conversations with another guy who complained that his life is boring, his boss is difficult, he feels like he is stuck on a treadmill, trapped with no way out. I’m thinking, “You think you are trapped, your life is repetitive and boring, and your boss is difficult - try jail! The guy in jail is positive, growing and content. He doesn’t like jail. But he is learning contentment.

2. Contentment isn’t Dependent on My Circumstances

Phil. 4:12 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. 

Contentment is almost a secret, because most people attach contentment to their circumstances. Paul clearly says we can be content in tough circumstances or in great circumstances. Paul literally said he was content even when he didn’t have enough to eat. In Roman prisons, the government didn’t feed you. If friends didn’t bring you food, you starved. Paul was content even when he was short on food.

3. Contentment is Encouraged in Community

Phil. 4:14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 

Paul was this incredible, independent man who went around founding churches, including the one in Philippi. But he embraced this church and their support. He said he would get by without it, but he loved experiencing their emotional, spiritual, and financial support.

We need one another. Whoever I spend time with, I’m going to become more like them. I love hanging out with people who are sacrificing their time to serve Jesus: to be together learning about the Bible and worshiping Jesus together. I love spending time with people who are giving their time, talents, and money to care about others and point them to Jesus. They are learning Paul’s secret of contentment.

What is the secret to contentment?

4. Contentment Flows from Relationship with Christ

Phil. 4:13 I can do all this through the One [Christ] who gives me strength.

Even more specifically, it is about trusting Christ. Contentment isn’t dependent on what I drive or what I wear. It doesn’t matter what school I attend or what my position or title is at work. My contentment flows from my relationship with Jesus. Paul was in jail, and he knew Jesus was right there with him, so he was content. He trusted Jesus, so he was content.

How do we do that?

5. Recognize God as the Source

Phil. 4:10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.

Our natural tendency is to trust in the blessings that God has given us rather than trusting God Himself. So, we trust the job instead of realizing that God is the provider of the job. We trust our own strength and health instead of realizing that God is the source of our good health.

In Prov. 18, there is an interesting contrast between people who trust in God and people who trust in themselves or in their possessions.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. 11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.

What is he saying? He is saying that those who trust in the Lord, when they have an issue or a need, they immediately go to Him, and He is the One they trust. But those who trust their possessions make their possessions a fortress around them. They trust their stuff. It is so easy to trust all these other things and not make God my source. It’s easy to trust my job or my brains or my health and not recognize and acknowledge God as the source of every good thing in my life.

Paul says the secret of contentment is to trust God, to recognize Him as the source of everything.

Conclusion

My hope is that we all learn contentment.

Even in the church, we are captivated by competition. We are not just dissatisfied, but we struggle with burnout and disillusionment. This is so simple, but it is so difficult to learn.

I am learning the secret of being content, whatever my circumstances.

 Dr. Alan Duce serves as lead pastor for Richfield Church of the Nazarene in Otisville, Michigan and as an adjunct professor for NBC. 

Published: 01/24/2025

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