How to Learn the Secret of Contentment | Content Ambition
Contentment in Christ is learned through focusing on His teachings and practicing His ways, regardless of circumstances. True joy and peace come from relying on God's provision and strength.
In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) works for women's magazine Composure as the subject-matter expert for a series of "How to" articles such as “How to Use the Best Pick-up Lines” and “Do Blondes, Do They, Like, Really Have More Fun?” She eventually writes the titular “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” after her dating escapades in trying to wreck
So when you read a “how to” regarding contentment, you may have the same skepticism Andie had about her own articles. Even I have internal hesitation because I myself am trying to learn how to be content, but the Bible illustrates someone who has learned the secret of contentment and the replicable process for it.
Philippians 4:4–13 (ESV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
The apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, the first church he helped plant. In this letter, Paul writes about his joy in the faithfulness of the Philippians, the proclamation of Christ, the example of humility in the incarnation, the unity of the church, the sacrificial sufferings of the believers, and the Lord himself. He pleads for them to have this same mind and joy among themselves—to follow in the footsteps of Christ’s rejection of selfish ambition and embrace of his humiliation.
He wants them to have joy in the Lord, in serving the Lord, in striving toward the Lord, in submitting themselves to the Lord, and in suffering for the Lord.
What matters about Paul writing this kind of joy in this context is that he's in prison. He is recovering from his ministry partner Epaphroditus' near-death experience. He is awaiting his release, uncertain if he will be able to get out and visit his friends in the faith.
This is not a typical setting for writing about joy.
Yet, when we get to our passage, he emphasizes not only joy but contentment as well. He doesn't know when they are going to read it or who’s going to hear it. He doesn't know their exact circumstances. He doesn’t know what they are going through. But he writes it anyway.
Why?
Because he knows that if we are so focused on our conditions and discontent about where we are, then we are actively resisting the joy of the Lord and cannot live in a manner worthy of the Gospel. If we do, we cannot be content.
This is why Paul alludes to the fact that he had to learn the secret of being content in all circumstances.
We only learn to be content in all circumstances by thinking and practicing the things of Jesus Christ through his strengthening grace.
Contentment in Christ Cannot Cower to Circumstances
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
After encouraging, exhorting, and praying for the Philippian church to have the mindset of Christ, he begins a new thought. Paul rejoiced greatly that the church at Philippi had revived their concern for him while he was in prison—that as a church, they wanted to send gifts and resources to help their spiritual father. He was thankful that they cared about him and wanted to care for him, but he assures them that he has no ill will toward them here because he understood that, even though they were indeed concerned for him, they had no opportunity. It was not due to a lack of desire. We don’t know exactly why they could not. Maybe it was a logistical issue. Maybe they could not find a trusted person to carry it. Maybe it was because his prison would not allow support. No matter what, he knows that it wasn’t because they did not care for him. It was about a lack of opportunity.
But he then explains that even if it was so, he was not in need in the sense that he was desperate and hopeless without their support, nor was he so fixated on the need that he lost contentment in Christ, for he had learned to be content in whatever situation he faced.
Paul says he knows how to be brought low and how to abound—in the low times and high times, starving and filled, having everything he needs in his prison pantry, having nothing and needing someone to send him something. Even when the variables change, contentment in Christ stays constant. He says he has learned “the secret” in any and every circumstance.
What is the secret?
It is the secret that contentment in Christ cannot cower to circumstances.
Contentment is an important part of the Christian life because contentment refers to more than our feelings of satisfaction with our possessions, status, or situation. That’s the world’s definition.
This phrase was meant to catch the Philippians off guard because the word came from Stoic philosophy.
The Stoics, such as Epictetus and Seneca, were philosophers promoting contentment as the essence of all virtues, the peak of the human experience. They believed they could gain contentment from themselves—one that could be sought after and found when one could control their emotions and accept what was going to happen fatalistically.
They believed “man should be sufficient to himself for all things, and able, by the power of his will, to resist the force of circumstances.”
Epictetus said,
“Fortify yourself with contentment, for this is an impregnable fortress. You will have power over your own life.”
Seneca said, “The happy man is content with his present lot, no matter what it is, and is reconciled to his circumstances.”
They treated contentment as something you could muster up and find within yourself—like when the football coach tells you to play just one more play. It was like in the upcoming Superman movie—who, despite the pressure and problems, had sufficient power in himself.
The world tells us that we can find inner peace and happiness in ourselves through our decisions. It tells us to believe in ourselves. To be the best. To rise to the top. To get the perfect family. To win the lottery. It says, “You choose your own way. That is how you are content.” Do you want to be content? Get an abortion. Do you want to be content? Please yourself no matter the cost to others. Do you want to be content? Create your own purpose and then fulfill it.
But Paul is redefining the term because he knows that we cannot be sufficient in ourselves, which is why he is pointing to Christ-centered contentment.
For the Christian, contentment does not come from ourselves, because we know that we have as much contentment and everlasting joy and peace in our bodies as much water counts as being in coffee. How many of you say, “I drink enough water. It just has caffeinated bean juice poured over it first”?
Even if there is some water in it, its power is outweighed by the caffeine, taste, and aroma. Even though it may hydrate us some, alone it cannot do the job. You will die if you only drink coffee.
Contentment from the world works the same way. Paul knew that contentment in Christ points to our joy and satisfaction in the Lord despite our circumstances. It was not found in sufficiency in ourselves but in God. Our contentment must be independent of the situation and have its sufficiency not in ourselves but in God. We are not sufficient to provide our own contentment. Paul was not sufficient sitting in jail to provide his own contentment.
Paul says he knows how to be brought low and how to abound—in the low times and high times, starving and filled, having everything he needs in his prison pantry, having nothing and needing someone to send him something. Even when the variables change, contentment in Christ stays constant.
Paul knew both. He knew how to be content in suffering and humiliation, like Christ did in Philippians 2:8 as he humbled himself to the point of death. Yet Paul even wants to share in his sufferings.
Paul says in Philippians 3:10, "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
No Stoic would do this.
He says he has learned “the secret” in any and every circumstance.
What is the secret? Even if we acknowledge this truth ourselves, we can easily be discontented by our circumstances. Maybe you’re not happy with your job because you aspired to do something great. Maybe you became a mom or a dad and there are times where you aren’t satisfied with your family. Maybe you aren’t content with your body, how you look. Maybe your marriage isn’t fulfilling you emotionally or physically. Maybe you aren’t content because that thing you’ve always wanted to do has been sacrificed because you don’t have the time, or you’re tired, or you have other responsibilities. Maybe your ambitions are being put on a major hold or you’re frustrated that things aren’t going according to your plan.
Whatever it is, there is probably a reason that you are discontent right now.
How did Paul learn to be content in whatever situation he faced? How could he endure?
We can only learn to be content in all situations by thinking and practicing the things of Jesus Christ through him.
We Must Think about the Things of Christ
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Paul says that he can do all things in Christ because he has learned to be content in all circumstances. What has he learned? What does he know?
He knows the things of Christ, and he prays for us to think about the things of Christ. He pulls up a list and says, “Finally,” as in, “pay attention to what I’m about to say.”
This begs the question: what are the things of Christ?
He says whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable—if there is any excellence, anything worthy of praise—think about these things.
True – Sincere, worthy of credit, genuine, reliable
Honorable – Dignified in action, noble
Just – Right toward others
Pure – Chaste, innocent, aligned with God’s Word, without guilt or infection
Lovely – Worthy, lovable, deserving, pleasing, acceptable
Commendable – Good, admirable, praiseworthy
What are the things of Christ? It is those things with excellence and worthy of praise.
If There is Any Excellence – Goodness, virtue—but not like the Stoics wanted virtue. It’s virtue rooted in God.
1 Peter 2:9 – "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
2 Peter 1:3-5 – "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence."
If There Is Anything Worthy of Praise –
22 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my[a] God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies." —2 Sam. 22:1-4
What is worthy of praise? Only God is worthy of our praise. Only Jesus Christ is true, honorable, just, commendable, pure, and lovely.
Contentment only comes when we think about the excellencies of the Lord and his worthiness of praise. The true. The honorable. The just. The commendable. The pure. The lovely.
This is the otherness of God. The fact that he is the only one who fits the bill here shows us that contentment comes from the righteousness and goodness of God. If there is any goodness, if it has any of this kind of excellence, the excellence from the God who has zero competition, then we can have contentment. This is what Paul is pointing to. We need to think about these things because anxiety, worrying about tomorrow, selfish ambition—they draw us away from the excellencies of Christ and toward the extinction of our minds.
I love the song by Shane & Shane, “When I Think About the Lord.” Here is what it says:
When I think about the Lord, how he raised me, filled me, cleansed us to the uttermost. How he picked us up and turned us around, and placed our feet on solid ground. What is the response? “It makes me want to shout, hallelujah, thank you Jesus, Lord you’re worthy of all the honor and all the praise.”
When we think about the things of Christ, our contentment increases and our stress decreases because we are thinking about the Lamb that was slain for the sins of the world, the Messiah who fulfilled the prophecies, the Savior who would die on the cross and rise again, and the God who loved us and gave himself for us.
Do you think about the things of the Lord? When the stresses of your daily life come up, does your mind run to excellency or into the pit of despair?
Let me say this—It can be very easy to say, “Just think about it.” Like Peter Pan when he tells Wendy to fly with pixie dust, “Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts.” But thinking about the things of Christ is more than simply head knowledge. It is more than an informational transfer.
How do we think about the things of the Lord?
We have to know what the Lord says. We have to know his Word and the Word that he says speaks about him and the work his Father does.
We have to know what the Lord did. We have to know that the Lord is more than just our Lord, but he is our Savior. He is the Christ.
We have to know the Lord. We must fix our gaze on Christ and desire to be in his presence. We cannot think about the things of Christ if our heads are elsewhere. When we know him and fix our eyes, when we think about the things above and not the things below, then we can pursue what is good and excellent.
We must turn our eyes upon Jesus, and look full in his wonderful face, for the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. When we think about the Lord, we can think about the things of Christ and also practice the things of Christ.
We Must Practice the Things of Christ
We must not only think about the things of Christ like a lazy philosopher who does nothing with his knowledge, but we must practice the things of Christ and be like the philosopher who gains insight and turns the knowledge into wisdom. We cannot be hearers and listeners only of the things of Christ but also doers (James 1:22-25). Contentment comes from the practice that leads to the presence of God.
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. —Philippians 4:9
What have they learned, received, heard, and seen? They are to do these things. Paul is using this language of a student who has sat under the teachings of a great Rabbi and must now put the lessons into action.
What are the things of Christ that we must practice?
Joy—Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” We must have the joy of Christ. Joy is a reality we live in and an action we have to take.
Let Our Reasonableness Be Known—We act in humility and self-control. Right before this, he calls out two sisters in Christ, Euodia and Syntyche, to agree in the Lord. The Lord does not call us to be above ourselves. We need to maintain unity and community with our fellow servants in Christ, to seek what is best for everyone and not just oneself.
Not Be Anxious—While we are not a sovereign Lord controlling all the layers of all things, we can control how we run away from anxiety and toward contentment. Paul commands us to not be anxious through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We should not be anxious about anything, but we must entrust ourselves to our Father in heaven who cares for us. Paul echoes Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:25-34 when he talks about not being anxious about what we eat or wear, for if God cares for little lilies and sparrows that are nearly worthless monetarily, then why should we worry when our heavenly Father knows we need all these things?
Letting Requests Be Made Known to God:
Prayer—Normal conversation with God.
Supplication—Petition
With Thanksgiving—This is where the joy comes in.
This is where the Lord can help rid us of our anxiety—through joy-filled reasonableness and prayer that focuses on his peace. He says that he will “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” This is a promise from the Lord. If we do this, then God will act in this way. His peace surpasses all understanding. It doesn’t make sense to be content in all circumstances. But God can do it.
His thoughts drove his actions, which drove his feelings.
Our feelings cannot drive the bus. We can think about the things of the Lord, but there will be times when we feel discontent or sad. Rather, we must practice the things of Christ because the Lord uses them as sanctification to build us into who He wants us to be, especially as content Christians. We read the Bible, even when we don't want to, because the truth speaks to us and because it says that if we practice these things, God will be with us.
The peace that guards our hearts, minds, and contentment in Christ comes with the presence of God.
Do you practice the things of the Lord? Do you actually follow Jesus, or do you say you do when you are really doing your own thing? Do you bring your worries to him in prayer, or do you try to handle them yourselves? Do you let your reasonableness be known, or are you a jerk in Jesus’ name? Do you rejoice always, or do you reject the peace of God that surpasses understanding because it requires you to depend on him and do the things of Christ rather than trying to muster up your own happiness?
Contentment is not going to be found in only thinking about Christ but doing nothing about it. It is also not going to be found in doing good things for ourselves.
Contentment is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have often lived in discontentment. Discontentment is funny because it is often clothed by good things, and even if our lips say, “I know this won’t bring me fulfillment,” our hearts do not believe it.
When I was in high school, I thought, “If only I could become the valedictorian, make a 34 on my ACT, and get $1 million in scholarship offers, then I will be happy.” I got it. I wasn’t happy.
When I was in college, I thought, “If only I find some friends, begin my journey to medical school, get really good grades, and figure out what I want to do, then I’ll be fulfilled.” I did all of that, eventually rerouting to a call to ministry, and I still wasn’t fulfilled.
When I joined a church, I said, “If only I become full-time or begin dating this girl, then I’ll be fulfilled.” I did both. The girlfriend was a disaster, and I got a full-time position. It didn’t do it.
I then said, “If only I become a missions director, then I’ll have it finally.” Nope. I got it, yet it was there.
I said, “If I get officially named pastor, then it’ll happen.” Nope.
I said, “If I get a wife, then I’ll be content.” I love my wife, but she is not my contentment.
I said, “If I get into the Ph.D. program and we move to New Orleans, then I’ll be content.” Both happened.
I said, “If I get a good job on campus, then I’ll be content.” Nope.
I said, “If I get to preach more, then I’ll be content.” I bet you can guess.
Friends, trying to find contentment in ourselves is pointless. Vanity of vanities. Because we are like Pac-Man. We can eat and eat and eat, and never be filled. We can do and do and do, and never be content.
This is why we must find contentment in Christ and Christ alone.
We Must Find Contentment in Christ
We cannot find contentment by thinking good thoughts or doing good things. We cannot find contentment in our jobs, our families, our friends, our hobbies, our possessions, even our church.
We cannot even find contentment in thinking or doing good things “in Jesus’ name.” There are many who think and do good things even in Jesus’ name, but it still doesn’t work.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" — Matthew 7:21–23
We can only find contentment in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rejoice in the Lord
The Lord is at hand
Let your requests be made known to God
Guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
The God of peace will be with you
It is all from the Lord. This contentment is only from Christ.
Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Paul cannot do any of these things apart from Christ. Jesus even says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” The entirety of our existence is impossible without Jesus.
The Great Commission is impossible without Jesus. Consider the legacy of Paul, the missionary church planter who wrote a large chunk of the New Testament and preached the Gospel where Christ was not named yet. The one who was imprisoned, beaten, whipped, falsely accused, and shipwrecked. Could he have done this without Christ? No. He would have been dead early on.
How could we think we are any different? I have friends who are missionaries in the Middle East, Rome, and Central Asia. Do you know what they have told me? “We would have already been home had it not been for the Lord.” It is only through Christ’s strength that we are here. We must be content with Christ and Christ alone.
The strength that we have to face tomorrow is a Christological fact—we can only be content in all circumstances and endure with His empowering presence. We need Christ in us, the hope of glory.
John Calvin says, “The Lord always supplies His people with what is necessary for them. True happiness lies in piety, but this sufficiency [supplied by God, with which moreover His people are content] is thrown into the scale as a kind of overweight” [Calvin] (1 Ki 17:1–16; Ps 37:19; Is 33:6, 16; Je 37:21).
This is the Lord, the One Who Reigns. This is the One Who Died. This is the One Who Defeated Death. This is the One who Lives. This is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was really God and really man, who really lived the life we could not live, really died the death we were condemned to die, really rose again, and really is the only one who can provide us everlasting contentment.
I can do all these things through Christ who strengthens me with His strength.
I can be content through all things through Christ who gives me strength, encouragement, and endurance to face them.
Is your source of contentment in Christ? Is it really in Him?
Is your salvation in Christ? There is no everlasting contentment without believing and trusting in Him. You cannot gain contentment in Christ until you have gained Christ. Everything the world says brings contentment and peace is garbage compared to Him. He can bring you peace and contentment and purpose. He can lift you up from the depths.
This is how Paul was able to be content in all circumstances.
This is how we are able to be content in all circumstances.
Contentment cannot cower to circumstances.
Think the things of Christ.
Practice the things of Christ.
Find Contentment in Christ.
How To Learn The Secret of Contentment? We can only learn to be content in all situations by thinking and practicing the things of Jesus Christ through Him.