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Stephen Ministry

We have come to the conclusion of our series on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. One of his later letters, written while he was in prison, Paul’s letter to the Philippians contains some amazing truths for our lives. The series has been entitled, "How to Live," and we have learned through these weeks that Paul’s keys to how we can best live this life includes—praying with joy, being ready to die, imitating Christ’s humility, cooperating, not competing or complaining, taking out the trash in our lives, and following good leaders. Today’s key—finding true contentment. Our Scripture passage for today is a loaded one. You’ll hear three or four familiar phrases that pack a lot of punch as I read the passage. (Read Philippians 4:4-23)

I think a good summary of this passage, a good summary of this letter, indeed a good summary of our faith is contained in this line, "I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength." How we’re able to pray with joy, to be ready to die, to live humbly, and all the rest is through Jesus Christ. Certainly the key to finding true contentment in life, no matter the circumstances we face, is through Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, our search for contentment takes us to a lot of different places. Our relationships, for example. We search for contentment, long to discover contentment in our friendships and in our relationships with a significant other. At an early age in life, friendships are important. Our moods swing with the fickle breeze of the current status of our friendships. Children don’t want to go to school because they’ll have to mingle with former friends with whom they’ve had a falling out. The foundation of friendship is a very shaky one and from an early age on we seek contentment in our lives from that shaky foundation.

From friendships we move toward relationships with a "significant other." Sometimes friendships get pushed aside because of a growing relationship with a significant other. Such relationships falter at first. Usually we start up several such relationships wondering if this "might be the one," only to discover it wasn’t. Any contentment found in that process is quickly lost. But, eventually…usually, we finally find that relationship with someone we believe, we hope will last a lifetime. And it draws most, if not all, of our focus.

That is the theme of a Colin Raye song I heard again recently, "One Boy, One Girl." The gist of the song is a boy and a girl meet on a blind date and, when their eyes first meet, know immediately that this is it. And, as the song goes on to say, "right there and then, everyone else disappeared…and for a moment the whole world revolved around one boy and one girl." That resonates with our experience doesn’t it? Such relationships draw a lot of our focus, as if everyone else disappears—which is why some friendships get lost in the process—and we hope upon hope we’ve finally found the relationship that will bring us true contentment.

We look for contentment in our friendships. And we look for it in our relationships with significant others. We also look for it in our careers. Much of our lives gets focused in on what we will do for a career. Our studies as a young person begin to move us in a particular direction of interest that will shape our careers. Eventually, we begin working in that career filled with much hope and promise. We envision ourselves climbing the corporate ladder, succeeding at what we do and, in the process, finding satisfaction and contentment along the way. In that journey, new friendships and new relationships are established, all with the hope of adding to our contentment. Perhaps children come along adding to our search for contentment. What were we thinking? No, actually, children can add to our contentment—the new friendships and relationships and career successes along the way also adding to our contentment. And our hobbies. Our recreation. They add to our contentment also. We find ourselves focusing on the weekend—"if I can just make it through the week and get to…the mountains, or the lake, in the garden, or wherever is the location of your relaxation and recreation. Yet, ironically, what is implied in that "if I can just make it through the week" is that some of the other sources for our hoped for contentment are failing us. Our jobs certainly being one. The hoped for contentment isn’t happening there and we find ourselves hanging on to just make it through the week. Channel 9 News has even made that their slogan for Friday morning, "Congratulations, you’ve made it through the week!" They even have a song for it. It sounds to me that our work isn’t bringing us true contentment.

The reality is we begin to quickly discover that the contentment we hoped for from those things—friendships, relationships, careers, children—don’t deliver as well as we had hoped. Certainly, if those things are the focused source for our contentment we cannot join in with Paul in saying, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." "Those things" are not bad things. They are good things. Friendships are good. A relationship with a special person is good. Diligence in our jobs, in our careers, is good. Children are good…most of the time. A hobby or recreational activity is good…as long as it is legal. All those things are good things. The problem is they are totally dependent upon current circumstances and disappointment quickly comes when we make those things the focal point, the only source for our contentment. The truth is, the reality is, absent of Christ those things are empty and hollow, bound to disappoint us, destined to rob us of our hoped for contentment.

How, then, do we find true contentment? It is found in the sum of how we should live: "I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength."

Because of Jesus Christ, I can "rejoice always." When those other things fail me—friendships dissolve, relationships stumble, careers disappoint, a child misbehaves, the fish aren’t biting, the weeds keep recurring, the Rockies lose, traffic in the mountains is horrendous, the car won’t start, the cancer has returned—when such things threaten to suck all the joy out of life, we can continue to rejoice, to rejoice always because of Jesus Christ. "Rejoice in the Lord always," Paul says. "The Lord is near." Only because of Jesus Christ can I find a reason, a source for constant rejoicing no matter the circumstances. "I can do all this, including rejoicing always, through Jesus Christ who gives me strength."

Because of Jesus Christ I can pray without anxiety and with thanksgiving. In "every situation" I find myself, I can still pray with thanksgiving because of Christ who gives me strength. In my Bible, at this place in Philippians on prayer, I wrote "worry about nothing, pray about everything." I think there are some key words in this section of Philippians: "Do not be anxious about anything." I think "anything" means anything. "But in every situation." "Every situation means every situation. "With thanksgiving." "Thanksgiving" means thanksgiving. Does your prayer life look like that? Do you find yourself not being anxious about anything, praying about everything, and always including a word of thanks to God in your prayers? That’s how Paul is encouraging us to live. And the result of doing that? "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Live like that—not worrying about anything, praying about everything, always giving thanks to God—and you will experience a peace in your life that is beyond comprehension. Circumstances might seem to dictate no peace. But God’s peace can be yours, rising above the circumstances of your life. Paul doesn’t say live like this and God might give you peace. Live like this and God will give both your heart and your mind a peace beyond all understanding. "I can do this because of Christ who gives me strength." Eugene Peterson, in his translation of the New Testament called The Message, translates this section with these words: "It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." "I can do all this, including pray with no anxiety, pray about everything, always including prayers of gratitude and thankfulness because of Jesus Christ who gives me strength."

And because of Christ, we can also set our minds on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. In fact, we are motivated to do so because of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Let’s be honest here. There are lots of negative things we can focus on, but we do a lot of damage when we do so. Focus enough thought on one of those objects of contentment that have disappointed us and we wreak a lot of havoc on ourselves and others. It eats away at you. Give too much thought and attention to the multiple temptations that come our way every day, temptations that are not right and not pure, can lead to doing damaging things. Our focus begins with Christ, which leads to letting our minds think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Do that and the "God of peace will be with you." What drives God out of our lives is when we focus our attention on that which is false, ignoble, wrong, impure, ugly, contemptible, abysmal, and unworthy of praise. To do that will eat you up, leading you to be involved in actions or activities that will ruin your life, or leading to a bitterness in your life that will rob you of any joy or contentment. We have a choice as to what we will focus our minds on. Paul encourages us to live our lives with minds focused on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. "I can do all this, including focusing my mind on righteous things, through Christ who gives me strength."

Here is what I believe to be the "secret" (Paul’s word) to finding true contentment in life, reliable and consistent contentment. First, recognize true contentment is not found in our circumstances, our relationships, our careers, or our recreation. Those things can bring us contentment and joy, but it is not true contentment, nor is it reliable and consistent. The secret to true contentment, and the key to how we should live our lives, is found only in Jesus Christ. How are we able to live in constant joy, without anxiety, continually thankful, minds focused on uplifting things, content no matter the circumstances of our lives? People just don’t live like that. But the follower of Christ can. "I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength."