Philippians 4:10-13 One of the best passages for me!

Philippians 4:10-13
10I 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. 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I 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. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

The book of Philippians is my favorite book of the Bible. It fills me with so much hope. And that hope produces joy. And that joy gives me the faith to be totally free in Christ. Paul's character in Philippians is just so attractive, and I just want to strive to feel the way he feels in this book. I want to know Christ the way he knows Christ in this book. I want to have the joy he has. I want to have the humble confidence that he has. And right here I think is one of the best examples of Paul's character in the book.

Can I get an Amen that Paul is just the man here in these verses. It's like the world is secondary to him. It's not even a player in his life. He's in some other place spiritually that allows him to live more freely that I can even imagine. Now remember that Paul was in prison as he wrote this book. And yet in verse 11 he says, "I am not saying this because I am in need..." YES YOU ARE! YOU'RE IN PRISON! When was the last time someone went to a prison visit, and asked if they could help in any way, and the person was like, "no, I'm cool." Now I don't think Paul was oblivious or in denial. Logically, he knew that there were things that could be done to better his situation, and yet somehow he could live in a place in his heart where he could honestly say that he was not in need. Right now, I am in need every day! How far I am from the mind of Paul.

So why isn't he in need? How is it that he has somehow escaped his circumstances? Well, he says that he has "learned to be content whatever the circumstances." This concept is life-giving for me, and I want this to mark my life, and I think it should mark the life of any strong Christian. There should be a "godly-contentment" in Christ that is not conditioned on outward circumstances. That if Christ is the source of all life and all satisfaction in your life, and he will never dry up, then the contentment will never end. Though the waves crash around your life, your boat is safe. Your base is secure. Now on the surface this may seem like denial, and honestly, I don't know how this would look in many circumstances. I haven't experienced too many terrible trials such as death, persecution, poverty, and the like. But I don't think we're meant to know how it would look. I don't think Paul did. I don't think Paul thought to himself, "If I go to prison, this is how I will handle it." No, he just lived his life, and he dealt with things as they came. That's why he says he "learned" to be content. Contentment isn't something we can plan for, it's something that is painfully learned through years of walking with Christ. I can't predict the hardships that will come my way, and I think it's kind of pointless to try and prepare my heart for every single possible scenario. Instead, you live out this contentedness today! What does it look like to be content in Christ today? What does it look like tomorrow? How can I be more content in Christ today than I was yesterday? And through years and decades of this daily learning process, you build up to a contentment with Christ, so that when you are put in prison for the sake of the gospel, you can say with Paul that you have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

I'll tell you why for me, this concept and way of life is so freeing for me. It frees me from the responsibility to be "somebody." It frees me from the world's demand that I do things "their" way. That I find contentment in "their" outlets. I'll tell you, when you look at what the world is offering, it only leads to discontentment.

Let's look at my life outlook at this point. No future job prospects. No woman in my life. No car. No house. No this ... no that... There's a lot of things that the world has to offer, that I don't have!!! How disappointing. How discontent I should be. Right? Unfortunately many days, this is true. I fall into the snair that I need to be "somebody." I need to find the perfect wife. I need to have the most respectful job. I need to be liked and recognized by the most people. I need to be the most super Christian out there. These are things that do plague my thoughts, but they shouldn't. Who cares???????? I know other people don't care about those things for me. I know God isn't worried about me? So why should I be?

And thus, the freedom roles in. I can honestly say that in the past month, I feel that I have gotten a taste of this passage. I feel this bubble of protection around me, and that is God filling my life with his comfort and contentment. Even though life is tough, and even though I don't have all the things the world is offering me, I can honestly say I feel glimpses of this contentment that Paul speaks of. That my life is all about Christ. It's not about me. It's not about my fame or my glory. It's all about Christ's fame and his glory. I will make myself lower in order to make him higher. And to honestly desire that...that's a gift from God. But I can taste it. Really I can. I can taste this desire to make him the center, and make me an agent of glory reflection. So it doesn't matter what happens. So I can confidently say that I can "do everything through him who gives me strength." I can live for Christ, I can die for Christ. I can prosper for Christ, I can suffer for Christ. I can starve for Christ. I can be betrayed for Christ. I can love for Christ. No matter what, good or bad, sick or healthy, rich or poor, happy or sad, I live not for myself, but for the glory of Christ, and if you really take time to think about that, IT'S SO FREEING AND EMPOWERING! Take the weight off yourself, and put it on Christ. His yoke is easy. Giving your life to Christ, and really letting him take the wheel and drive for many might seem like such a sacrifice, but for me, I can't think of a better, more hopeful way to live. Now I don't deny or don't pretend to be oblivious to the real trials that Christians are called to face, but once again, it is God who is working in me, to will and to work all things for his good pleasure!

I heard John Piper talk about this passage. And he said he would ask his seminary students what they can do through Christ who strengthens them. They said the usual "good things." Then Piper said, "what about starve through him who gives me strength." All the students said, "no, no, that's not what it's talking about." But that's exactly the context of the passage. "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." How often have we heard this passage presented that way? Usually it's so fakely presented, and I think we all realize it. "I can fly to the moon through him who strengthens me!" "I can become the star basketball player through him who strengthens me." I mean you can just tell how much it's taken out of context when the passage is presented that way. But if we present it the way Paul is presenting it, then it's got some meat to it. I can "die" through him who strengthens me. That'll put some hair on your chest if you can believe that. It'll open up worlds of freedom for you to. That no matter what the circumstances, I can remain content in Christ who strengthens me. That I can press on and perservere through Christ who strengthens me. I don't know how else to live, than through the promises of God in passages like this. How else can you press on when life "happens." There's just too many bad things that happens to everyone for us to be naive enough to think that they won't happen to us as well. So we gotta have our foundation in something that is unchanging. We gotta have our faith in the one who says in Hebrews 13:5:
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."