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I KNOW HOW
TO GET ALONG WITH HUMBLE MEANS AND I ALSO KNOW HOW TO LIVE IN
PROSPERITY: oida (1SRAI) kai tapeinousthai (PPN) oida (1SRAI) kai
perisseuein (PAN):
(1Cor 4:9, 10, 11, 12, 13; 2 Co 6:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10;
10:1,10; 11:7,27; 12:7, 8, 9, 10) (Macarthur
on Php 4:10-12 Secret of Contentment)
"I have
experienced times of need and times of abundance" (NET)
"I know
how to live on almost nothing or with everything" (TLB)
"I know
how to live modestly, and I know how to live luxuriously too"
(NJB)
"I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened
circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in
abundance" (AMP)
I know how to
be abased (KJV) - Spurgeon writes...
Notice first, that the apostle said
he knew how to be abased. A wonderful knowledge this. When all men
honour us, then we may very well be content; but when the finger of
scorn is pointed, at us, when our character is held in ill repute, and
men hiss us by the wayside, it requires much gospel knowledge to be
able to endure that with patience and with cheerfulness. When we are
increasing, and growing in rank, and honour, and human esteem, it is
easy work to be contented; but when we have to say with John the
Baptist, "I must decrease," or when we see some other servant advanced
to our place, and another man bearing the palm we all had longed to
hold, it is not easy to sit still, and without an envious feeling cry
with Moses, "Would to God that all the Lord's servants were prophets."
To hear another man praised at your own expense, to find your own
virtues made as a foil to set forth the superior excellence of some
new rival—this, I say, is beyond human nature, to be able to bear it
with joy and thankfulness, and to bless God. There must be something
noble in the heart of the man who is able to lay all his honours down
as willingly as he took them up, when he can as cheerfully submit
himself to Christ to humble him, as to lift him up and seat him upon a
throne. And yet, my brethren, we have not any one of us learned what
the apostle knew, if we are not as ready to glorify Christ by shame,
by ignominy and by reproach, as by honour and by esteem among men. We
must be ready to give up everything for him. We must be willing to go
downwards, in order that Christ's name may ascend upwards, and be the
better known and glorified among men. "I know how to be abased,"
says the apostle...
...I have to counsel the POOR.
"I have learned," says the apostle, "in whatever state I am, therewith
to be content."
A very large number of my present congregation belong to those who
labour hard, and who, perhaps, without any unkindly reflection, may be
put down in this catalogue of the poor. They have enough—barely
enough, and sometimes they are even reduced to straitness. Now
remember, my dear friends, you who are poor, there are two sorts of
poor people in the world. There are the Lord's poor, and there are the
devil's poor. As for the devil's poor: they become pauperized by their
own idleness, their own vice, their own extravagance. I have nothing
to say to them to-night. There is another class, the Lord's poor. They
are poor through trying providences, poor, but industrious,—labouring
to find all things honest in the sight of all men, but yet they still
continue through an inscrutable providence to be numbered with the
poor and needy. You will excuse me, brothers and sisters, in exhorting
you to be contented; and yet why should I ask excuse, since it is but
a part of my office to stir you up to everything that is pure and
lovely, and of good report? I beseech you, in your humble sphere,
cultivate contentment. Be not idle. Seek, if you can, by superior
skill, steady perseverance, and temperate thriftiness, to raise your
position. Be not so extravagant as to live entirely without care or
carefulness; for he that provideth not for his own household with
careful fore-thought, is worse than a heathen man and a publican; but
at the same time, be contented; and where God has placed you, strive
to adorn that position, be thankful to him, and bless his name. And
shall I give you some reasons for so doing?
Remember, that if you are poor in this world so was your Lord. A
Christian is a believer who hath fellowship with Christ; but a poor
Christian hath in his poverty a special vein of fellowship with Christ
opened up to him. Your Master wore a peasant's garb, and spoke a
peasant's brogue. His companions were the toiling fishermen. He was
not one who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day. He knew what it was to be hungry and thirsty,
nay, he was poorer than you, for he had not where to lay his head. Let
this console you. Why should a disciple be above his Master, or a
servant above his Lord? In your poverty, moreover, you are capable of
communion with Christ. You can say, "Was Christ poor? Now can I
sympathize with him in his poverty. Was he weary, and did he sit thus
on the well? I am weary too, and I can have fellowship with Christ in
that sweat which he wiped from his brow." Some of you brethren cannot
go the length you can; it were wrong of them to attempt to do it, for
voluntary poverty is voluntary wickedness. But inasmuch as God hath
made you poor, you have a facility for walking with Christ, where
others cannot. You can go with him through all the depths of care and
woe, and follow him almost into the wilderness of temptation, when you
are in your straits and difficulties for lack of bread. Let this
always cheer and comfort you, and make you happy in your poverty,
because your Lord and Master is able to sympathize as well as to
succour.
Permit me to remind you again, that you should be contented, because
otherwise you will belie your own prayers. You kneel down in the
morning, and you say, "Thy will be done!" Suppose you get up and want
your own will, and rebel against the dispensation of your heavenly
Father, have you not made yourself out to be a hypocrite? The language
of your prayer is at variance with the feeling of your heart. Let it
always be sufficient for you to think that you are where God put you.
Have you not heard the story of the heroic boy on board the burning
ship? When his father told him to stand in a certain part of the
vessel, he would not move till his father bade him, but stood still
when the ship was on fire. Though warned of his danger he held his
ground. Until his father told him to move, there would he stay. The
ship was blown up, and he perished in his fidelity. And shall a child
be more faithful to an earthly parent than we are to our Father, who
is in heaven? He has ordered everything for our good, and can he be
forgetful of us? Let us believe that whatever he appoints is best; let
us choose rather his will than our own. If there were two places, one
a place of poverty, and another a place of riches and honour, if I
could have my choice, it should be my privilege to say, "Nevertheless,
not as I will, but as thou wilt."
Another reflection suggests itself. If you are poor you should be well
content with your position, because, depend upon it, it is the fittest
for you. Unerring wisdom cast your lot. If you were rich, you would
not have so much grace as you have now. Perhaps God knew, that did he
not make you poor, he would never get you to heaven at all; and so he
has kept you where you are, that he may conduct you thither. Suppose
there is a ship of large tonnage to be brought up a river, and in one
part of the river there is a shallow, should some one ask, "Why does
the captain steer his vessel through the deep part of the channel?"
His answer would be, "Because I should not get it into harbour at all
if I did not take it by this course." So, it may be, you would remain
aground and suffer shipwreck, if your Divine Captain did not always
make you trace the deepest part of the water, and make you go where
the current ran with the greatest speed. Some plants die if they are
too much exposed; it may be that you are planted in some sheltered
part of the garden where you do not get so much sun as you would like,
but you are put there as a plant of his own righteous planting, that
you may bring forth fruit unto perfection. Remember this, had any
other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, God
would have put you there. You are put by him in the most suitable
place, and if you had had the picking of your lot half-an-hour
afterwards, you would have come back and said, "Lord, choose for me,
for I have not chosen the best after all." You have heard, perhaps,
the old fable in Aesop, of the men that complained to Jupiter, of
their burdens, and the god in anger bade them every one get rid of his
burden, and take the one he would like best. They all came and
proposed to do so. There was a man who had a lame leg, and he thought
he could do better if he had a blind eye; the man who had a blind eye
thought he could do better if he had to bear poverty and not
blindness, while the man who was poor thought poverty the worst of
ills; he would not mind taking the sickness of the rich man if he
could but have his riches. So they all made a change. But the fable
saith that within an hour they were all back again, asking that they
might have their own burdens, they found the original burdens so much
lighter than the one that was taken by their own selection. So would
you find it. Then be content; you cannot better your lot. Take up your
cross; you could not have a better trial than you have got; it is the
best for you; it sifts you the most; it will do you the most good, and
prove the most effective means of making you perfect in every good
word and work to the glory of God.
And surely, my dear brethren, if I need to add another argument why
you should be content, it were this: whatever your trouble, it is not
for long; you may have no estate on earth, but you have a large one in
heaven, and perhaps that estate in heaven will be all the larger by
reason of the poverty you have had to endure here below. You may have
scarcely a house to cover your head, but you have a mansion in
heaven,—a house not made with hands. Your head may often lie without a
pillow, but it shall one day wear a crown. Your hands may be blistered
with toil, but they shall sweep the strings of golden harps. You may
have to go home often to dinner of herbs, but there you shall eat
bread in the kingdom of God, and sit down at the marriage supper of
the Lamb.
The way may be rough, but it cannot
be long,
So we'll smooth it with hope and cheer it with song
Yet a little while, the painful
conflict will be over. Courage, comrades, courage,—glittering robes
for conquerors. Courage, my brother, courage, thou mayest sooner
become rich than thou dreamest of; perhaps there is e'en now, but a
step between thee and thine inheritance. Thou mayest go home,
peradventure, shivering in the cold March wind; but ere morning
dawneth thou mayest be in thy Master's bosom. Bear up with thy lot
then, bear up with it. Let not the child of a king, who has an estate
beyond the stars, murmur as others. You are not so poor after all, as
they are who have no hope; though you may seem poor, you are rich. Do
not let your poor neighbours see you disconsolate, but let them see in
you that holy calmness, that sweet resignation, that gracious
submission, which makes the poor man more glorious than he that wears
a coronet, and lifts the son of the soil up from his rustic
habitation, and sets him among the princes of the blood-royal of
heaven. Be happy, brethren, be satisfied and content. God will have
you to learn, in whatever state you may be, therewith to be content. (Contentment)
I
know
(1492)
(eido, oida - eido is used only in the
perfect tense
= oida) literally means perception by sight (perceive, see) as in Mt
2:2 where the wise men "saw His star". The meaning of eido is
somewhat difficult to convey but in general this type of "knowing" is
distinguished from ginosko (and epiginosko, epignosis), the
other major NT word for knowing, because ginosko refers to knowledge
obtained by experience or "experiential knowledge" whereas eido
often refers to more intuitive knowledge, although the distinction is
not always crystal clear.
Eido (oida) then is not so much by experience as an
intuitive insight that is "drilled into your heart". In spiritual
terms, eido is that perception, that being aware of, that
understanding, that intuitive knowledge that only the Holy Spirit of
God can give. It is an absolute knowledge, a knowledge that is without
a doubt. Oida describes absolute, positive, beyond a
peradventure of a doubt, knowledge.
Oida
suggests fullness of knowledge, rather than progress in knowledge,
which is expressed by ginosko, a distinction illustrated in John 8:55,
(Jesus said "you have not come to know {ginosko} Him, but I
know {oida} Him). Here Jesus says in essence "I know God perfectly
(oida)". In John 13:7 Jesus addresses Peter (Jesus answered and said
to him, "What I do you do not realize {oida} now, but you shall
understand {ginosko} hereafter.")
Know (oida)
then carries the idea of having the "know how" , the knowledge or
skill necessary to accomplish a desired goal. Every Christian needs to
know himself or herself well, so as to understand their
weaknesses and evil propensities and, thereby, know how
to possess or “gain mastery over” their own vessel.
Ro 6:19 I am speaking in
human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you
presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness,
resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as
slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
How
to get along with humble means
(5013)
(tapeinoo - see study of related word
tapeinos
= humble) which literally means
“to lower,” as one would lower the level of water behind a dam, or the
height of a mountain or hill (Luke 3:5
records "every mountain and hill shall be brought low"
= tapeinoo).
Tapeinoo figuratively means to be
brought low or to be abased - a going down into deprivation. The
English word "humble" is derived from the Latin "humilis"
which in turn is derived from "humus" meaning "earth"!
The Greeks saw humility as shameful, whereas the NT sees humility as
condition bringing man to right relation to God!
Tapeinoo
- 14x in NT - Matt. 18:4; 23:12; Lk. 3:5; 14:11; 18:14; 2 Co. 11:7;
12:21; Phil. 2:8; 4:12; Jas. 4:10; 1 Pet. 5:6. The NAS renders
tapeinoo as brought low(1), get along(1), humble(2), humble means(1),
humbled(4), humbles(4),humbling(1), humiliate(1).
Note Paul's repetition of the verb know
(eido, oida) which Eadie comments reflects
the earnest fulness of his heart; and the rhetoric is even a proof of
his uniform satisfaction and complacency, for he writes as equably of
the one condition as of the other. He does not curse his poverty, nor
sting with satirical epithets... (The Epistle to the
Philippians)
To live in prosperity
(how to abound)
(4052) (perisseuo
from perissos = abundant,
exceeding some number, measure, rank or need, over and above) means
to cause to superabound, to be superfluous, to overflow, to be in
affluence, to excel or to be in abundance with the implication of
being considerably more than what would be expected.
Perisseuo
- 39x in NT - Matt. 5:20; 13:12; 14:20; 15:37; 25:29; Mk. 12:44; Lk.
9:17; 12:15; 15:17; 21:4; Jn. 6:12f; Acts 16:5; Rom. 3:7; 5:15; 15:13;
1 Co. 8:8; 14:12; 15:58; 2 Co. 1:5; 3:9; 4:15; 8:2, 7; 9:8, 12; Eph.
1:8; Phil. 1:9, 26; 4:12, 18; Col. 2:7; 1 Thess. 3:12; 4:1, 10.
The NAS
renders perisseuo as abound(8), abounded(1),
abounding(1), abundance(3), abundant(1), better(1), cause to
abound(1), cause to abound*(1), excel(2), have an abundance(3), have
more than enough(1), having abundance(1),
increasing(1),lavished(m)(1), left over(4), leftover(1), live in
prosperity(1), make abound(1), overflowed(1),
overflowing(2),surpasses(1), surplus(2).
Perisseuo
carries the idea of
exceeding the requirements, of overflowing or overdoing. It means to
exceed a fixed number of measure, to be left over and above a certain
number or measure. It means to have or to be more than enough, to be
extremely rich or abundant. To exceed or remain over (as used in
loaves left over after feeding the 5000 [Mt 14:20]! When Jesus
supplies there is more than enough so that some is even left over! How
quick we are to forget this basic principle!) The idea is to overflow
like a river out of its banks!
In short,
perisseuo means to exceed a fixed number or measure,
to exist in superfluity and so to superabound. Paul knew that grace was needed to handle
prosperity properly as well as penury. But there is no indication that
he favored one state over the other. The idea is to have enough and
some to
spare in order to meet the needs of daily life. This phrase may be rendered as “to have more
than I need” or “to have more than what is necessary for me.”
Spurgeon
comments...
These are both hard lessons to
learn; I do not know which is the more difficult of the two. Probably
it is easier to know how to go down than to know how to go up. How
many Christians have I seen grandly glorifying God in sickness and
poverty when they have come down in the world; and ah! how often have
I seen other Christians dishonoring God when they have grown rich, or
when they have risen to a position of influence among their
fellow-men! These two lessons grace alone can fully teach us.
Someone has well said
If you can't be happy with what you already have, why should God trust
you with anything else?
Good question.
Far too many people go through life chronically unhappy with their
circumstances. Yet in every situation those who are in Christ have
whatever they need to be content (contentment is independent of what
happens, while happiness is dependent upon what happens). When we
focus on material things, we will often feel frustrated, but when we
focus on the Lord, we can rejoice that what we have can never be taken
from us.
Spurgeon
in his sermon on
Contentment writes that Paul's...
second piece of knowledge is
equally valuable, I know how to abound. There are a great many
men that know a little how to be abased, that do not know at all how
to abound. When they are put down in the pit with Joseph, they look up
and see the starry promise, and the hope for an escape. But when they
are put on the top of a pinnacle, their heads grow dizzy, and they are
ready to fall. When they were poor they used to battle it, as one of
our great national poets has said—
"Yet many things, impossible to
thought,
Have been by Need to full perfection brought.
The daring of the soul proceeds from thence,
Sharpness of Wit, and active Diligence;
Prudence at once and Fortitude it gives;
And, if in patience taken, mends our lives."
But mark the same men after success
has crowned their struggles. Their troubles are over; they are rich
and increased with goods. And have you not often seen a man who has
sprung up from nothing to wealth, how purse-proud he becomes, how
vain, how intolerant? Nobody would have thought that man ever kept a
shop; you would not believe that man at any time ever used to sell a
pound of candles, would you? He is so great in his own eyes, that one
would have thought the blood of all the Caesars must flow in his
veins. He does not know his old acquaintances. The familiar friend of
other days he now passes by with scarce a nod of recognition. The man
does not know how to abound; he has grown proud; he is exalted above
measure. There have been men who have been lifted up for a season to
popularity in the Church. They have preached successfully, and done
some mighty work. For this the people have honoured them, and rightly
so. But then they have become tyrants; they have lusted after
authority; they have looked down contemptuously upon everybody else,
as if other men were small pigmies, and they were huge giants. Their
conduct has been intolerable, and they have soon been cast down from
their high places, because they did not know how to abound. There was
once a square piece of paper put up into George Whitfield's pulpit, by
way of a notice, to this effect:—"A young man who has lately inherited
a large fortune, requests the prayers of the congregation." Right well
was the prayer asked, for when we go up the hill we need prayer that
we may be kept steady. Going down the hill of fortune there is not
half the fear of stumbling. The Christian far oftener disgraces his
profession in prosperity than when he is being abased. There is
another danger—the danger of growing worldly. When a man finds that
his wealth increases, it is wonderful how gold will stick to the
fingers. The man who had just enough, thought if he had more than he
required he would be exceedingly liberal. With a shilling purse he had
a guinea heart, but now with a guinea purse he has a shilling heart.
He finds that the money adheres, and he cannot get it off. You have
heard of the spider that is called a "money spinner," I do not know
why it is called so, except that it is one of the sort of spiders you
cannot get off your fingers; it gets on one hand, then on the other
hand, then on your sleeve; it is here and there; you cannot get rid of
it unless you crush it outright: so it is with many who abound. Gold
is a good thing when put to use—the strength, the sinews of commerce
and of charity—but it is a bad thing in the heart, and begets
"foul-cankering rust." Gold is a good thing to stand on, but a bad
thing to have about one's loins, or over one's head. It matters not,
though it be precious earth with which a man is buried alive. Oh, how
many Christians have there been who seemed as if they were destroyed
by their wealth! What leanness of soul and neglect of spiritual things
have been brought on through the very mercies and bounties of God! Yet
this is not a matter of necessity, for the apostle Paul tells us that
he knew how to abound. When he had much, he knew how to use it. He had
asked of God that he might be kept humble—that when he had a full sail
he might have plenty of ballast—that when his cup ran over he might
not let it run to waste—that in his time of plenty he might be ready
to give to those that needed—and that as a faithful steward he might
hold all he had at the disposal of his Lord. This is divine learning.
"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound." The apostle
goes on to say, "everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to
be full and to be hungry." It is a divine lesson, let me say, to know
how to be full; for the Israelites were full once, and while the flesh
was yet in heir mouth the wrath of God came upon them. And there have
been many that have asked for mercies, that they might satisfy their
own heart's lust; as it is written, "the people sat down to eat and
drink, and rose up to play." Fulness of bread has often made fulness
of blood, and that has brought on wantonness of spirit. When men have
too much of God's mercies—strange that we should have to say this, and
yet it is a great fact—when men have much of God's providential
mercies, it often happens that they have but little of God's grace,
and little gratitude for the bounties they have received. They are
full, and they forget God; satisfied with earth, they are content to
do without heaven. Rest assured, my dear hearers, it is harder to know
how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry. To know how to be
hungry is a sharp lesson, but to know how to be full is the harder
lesson after all. So desperate is the tendency of human nature to
pride and forgetfulness of God! As soon as ever we have a double stock
of manna, and begin to hoard it, it breeds worms and becomes a stench
in the nostrils of God. Take care that you ask in your prayers that
God would teach you how to be full...
...to the RICH. The apostle Paul
says, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content." Now some of you have, as far as your circumstances are
concerned, all that the heart can wish. God has placed you in such a
position that you have not to toil with your hands, and in the sweat
of your face gain a livelihood. You will perhaps think that any
exhortation to you to be contented is needless. Alas! my brethren, a
man may be very discontented though he be very rich. It is quite as
possible for discontent to sit on the throne, as it is to sit on a
chair—a poor broken-backed chair in a hovel. Remember that a man's
contentment is in his mind, not in the extent of his possessions.
Alexander, with all the world at his feet, cries for another world to
conquer. He is sorry because there are not other countries into which
he may carry his victorious arms, and wade up to his loins in the
blood of his fellow man, to slake the thirst of his insatiable
ambition. To you who are rich, it is necessary that we give the same
exhortation as to the poor: "learn to be content." Many a rich man who
has an estate is not satisfied, because there is a little corner-piece
of ground that belongs to his neighbour, like Naboth's vineyard that
the king of Israel needed that he might make a garden of herbs hard by
his palace. "What matters it," says he, "though I have all these
acres, unless I can have Naboth's vineyard?" Surely a king should have
been ashamed to crave that paltry half-acre of a poor man's patrimony.
But yet so it is; men with vast estates, which they are scarcely able
to ride over, may have that old horse-leech in their hearts, which
always cries, "Give, give! More, more!" They thought when they had but
little, that if they had ten thousand pounds it would be enough. They
have it: they want twenty thousand pounds. When they have that, they
still want more. Yes, and if you had it, it would be "A trifle more!"
So would it continually be. As your possessions increased, so would
the lust of acquiring property increase. We must, then, press upon the
rich this exhortation: "Learn in your state, therewith to be content."
Besides, there is another danger that frequently awaits the rich man.
When he has enough wealth and property, he has not always enough
honour. If the queen would but make him a justice of the peace for the
country, how glorious would my lord become! That done, he will never
be satisfied till he is a knight; and if he were a knight, he would
never be content until he became a baron; and my lord would never be
satisfied till he was an earl; nor would he even then be quite content
unless he could be a duke; nor would he be quite satisfied I trow
then, unless there were a kingdom for him somewhere. Men are not
easily satisfied with honour. The world may bow down at a man's feet;
then he will ask he world to get up and bow again, and so keep on
bowing for ever, for the lust of honour is insatiate. Man must be
honoured, and though king Ahasuerus make Haman the first man in the
empire, yet all this availeth nothing, so long as Mordecai in the gate
doth not bow down to my lord Haman. Oh! Learn, brethren, in whatever
state you are, therewith to be content.
And here let me speak to the elders and deacons of this church.
Brethren, learn to be content with the office you hold, not envious of
any superior honour to exalt yourselves. I turn to myself, I turn to
the ministry, I turn to all of us in our ranks and degrees in Christ's
Church; we must be content with the honour, but to content to give it
all up, knowing that it is but a puff of breath after all. Let us be
willing to be the servants of the Church, and to serve them for nought,
if need be even without the reward of their thanks, may we but receive
at last the right good sentence from the lips of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We must learn, in whatever state we are, therewith to be
content. (Contentment)
IN ANY AND
EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET: en panti kai en pasin
memuemai (1SRPI): (Dt 32:10;
Neh 9:20;
Isa 8:11;
Jer 31:19;
Mt 11:29;
13:52;
Ep 4:20,21)
I have been very thoroughly initiated into the human lot with all of
its ups and downs (NEB)
I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every
situation (Amp)
I am fully initiated into all the mysteries" (Weymouth) "I have
learned the secret of living in every situation (NLT)
In
any and every circumstance
(literally "in everything and in all things I have been initiated")
is a sweeping assertion that shows the universality of his
"initiation". Phillips paraphrases it as "In general and in
particular". There were no exceptions.
Learned
the secret
is one word (3453) (mueo
= root word for mustes meaning "one initiated"
which in turn is the source of "mystery" or musterion) means to be initiated.
It was used by the pagan religions with reference to their “inner
secrets.” Paul is saying in essence “I have been initiated, I possess the
secret”.
Mueo was the
common term used to describe the initiation rites required of anyone
seeking to enter into the secrets of the ancient mystery religions.
Mueo means to learn the secret of something through
personal experience or as the result of initiation. In those
mysteries, it was only the “initiated” who were made acquainted with
the lessons that were taught there. Paul’s initiation was not a secret
affair for he learned from the hard experiences in life.
Eadie adds that mueo
is borrowed from the nomenclature of the Grecian mysteries, and
signifies the learning of something with preparatory toil and
discipline...There is no idea of secret training. (The Epistle to the
Philippians)
Paul says that
he had been initiated into the lessons taught by trials and by
prosperity. The secret and important lessons which these schools of
adversity are most suited to teach, Paul had had ample opportunity to
learn from and he had faithfully embraced the doctrines he had been
taught. Are trials your teachers or your tormentors? Let us not miss
the opportunities God provides us to grow in grace and in
understanding of the sweet "secret of contentment".
Once again Paul borrows from the
vocabulary of his pagan environment just the right word that would be
readily understood by his readers and which expresses accurately the
idea he wished to impart. Paul is not saying that he automatically or
instantaneously entered into the secret of a contented life, but that
he came to know this secret through a process that would be analogous
to the rites of an initiation. Paul was saying that he had been "initiated"
through disciplining circumstances into the "mystery" of Christ in Him
the hope of Glory. When he was born again he was possessed all of
Jesus he would ever possess but it was through the variegated trials
and circumstances of his subsequent life that the Spirit taught him
that Christ was his very life and his continual source of power and
contentment.
Spurgeon
commenting on how Paul learned the secret says...
You may now ask by what course of
study did he acquire this peaceful frame of mind? And of one thing we
may be quite certain, it was by no stoic process of self-government,
but simply and exclusively by faith in the Son of God.
You may easily imagine a nobleman
whose home is the abode of luxury, traveling through foreign parts for
purposes of scientific discovery, or going forth to command some
military expedition in the service of his country. In either case he
may be well content with his fare, and feel that there is nothing to
repine at. And why? Because he had no right to expect anything better;
not because it bore any comparison with his rank, his fortune, or his
social position at home. So our apostle. He had said "Our conversation
or citizenship is in heaven." (see note
Philippians 3:20)
Traveling through earth as a pilgrim and stranger he was content to
take travellers fare. Or entering the battle field, he had no ground
of complaint that perils and distresses should sometimes encircle his
path, while at other times a truce gave him some peaceful and pleasing
intervals (Contentment)
Vine
adds that learned
the secret is
in
the passive voice, (which speaks of action exerted on one
from without or from an outside force, in this case of course the
Spirit of God taking Paul from glory to glory) “I have been
initiated,” and the perfect tense (past completed action
with present ongoing result or effect) conveys the thought of the
abiding effects of the initiation. Paul’s use of this word indicates
that this constant and complete contentment, whilst possible to all
believers, involves many and varied testings, costing self-denial,
demanding fervent prayer and abstention from many a thing which might
be considered not only legitimate but consistent with improved
circumstances. Such contentment brings present peace and future
reward." The effort called for to learn the secret
reminds one of Paul's instruction to Timothy to "have nothing to do
with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand,
discipline (gymnazo -command to make this a habit of your
life, literally to train in the gym stripped of all clothes which
would encumber one's training!) yourself for the purpose of
godliness (train yourself, keeping yourself spiritually fit)
for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness
(spiritual training) is profitable for all things (in
everything and in every way), since it holds promise for the
present life (life that now is, literally "the now life") and
also for the life to come ("of the coming future life"). (see
notes
1Timothy 4:7;
1Timothy 4:8)
(Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
Clarke
notes that Paul is saying
I
have passed through all these states; I know how to conduct myself in
each, and how to extract good from all. And he had passed through
these things, especially the hardships, so that he had learned the
lesson perfectly, as the word memuemai (initiate) implies; he
was thoroughly instructed; fully initiated into all the mysteries of
poverty and want, and of the supporting hand of God in the whole. See
here the state to which God permitted his chief apostle to be reduced!
And see how powerfully the grace of Christ supported him under the
whole! How few of those who are called Christian ministers or
Christian men have learned this important lesson! When want or
affliction comes, their complaints are loud and frequent; and they are
soon at the end of their patience.
OF BEING
FILLED AND GOING HUNGRY: kai chortazesthai (PPN)
kai peinan (PAN):
Filled
(5526) (chortazo from chortos =grass, hay) was
used of force-feeding animals for the purpose of fattening them, of
birds gorging themselves on their prey (Rev 19:21), of satisfying the needs of a hungry crowd (Mt
14:20) Paul's point here is that he had times in which he
had plenty of food.
Chortazo
- 16x in the NT - Matt. 5:6; 14:20; 15:33, 37; Mk. 6:42; 7:27; 8:4, 8;
Lk. 6:21; 9:17; 15:16; 16:21; Jn. 6:26; Phil. 4:12; Jas. 2:16; Rev.
19:21. The NAS translates chortazo as fed(1), filled(4), satisfied(8),
satisfy(2).
Eadie adds that
The apostle's experience had led him to touch both extremes. It was
not uniform penury under which he was content. The scene was
checkered—shadow and sunshine—no unmanly depression in the one, no
undue elation in the other. Equable, contented, patient, and hopeful
was he in every condition. (The Epistle to the
Philippians)
Going hungry
(3983) (peinao from peina =hunger which is
related to penes the poor man who has to work for his
living) means famished, starved. Paul is saying he at times was
continually in circumstances of want without murmuring or
complaining. Instead he learned to bear all this without discontent,
which is no easy lesson to learn.
Peinao -
23x in the NT - Matt. 4:2; 5:6; 12:1, 3; 21:18; 25:35, 37, 42, 44; Mk.
2:25; 11:12; Lk. 1:53; 4:2; 6:3, 21, 25; Jn. 6:35; Rom. 12:20; 1 Co.
4:11; 11:21, 34; Phil. 4:12; Rev. 7:16. The NAS translates peinao as
going hungry(1), hunger(4), hungry(18).
Barnes
comments that
when one goes suddenly from one state to another, from high to low or
filled to empty, that
"it is in these sudden reverses that grace is
most needed, and in these rapid changes of life that it is most
difficult to learn the lessons of calm contentment. People get
accustomed to an even tenor of life, no matter what it is, and learn
to shape their temper and their calculations according to it. But
these lessons of philosophy vanish when they pass suddenly from one
extreme to another, and find their condition in life suddenly changed.
The garment that was adapted to weather of an uniform temperature,
whether of heat or cold, fails to be suited to our needs when these
transitions rapidly succeed each other. Such changes are constantly
occurring in life. God tries his people, not by a steady course of
prosperity, or by long-continued and uniform adversity, but by
transition from the one to the other; and it often happens that the
grace which would have been sufficient for either continued prosperity
or adversity, would fail in the transition from the one to the other.
Hence, new grace is imparted for this new form of trial, and new
traits of Christian character are developed in these rapid transitions
in life, as some of the most beautiful exhibitions of the laws of
matter are brought out in the transitions produced in chemistry. The
rapid changes from heat to cold, or from a solid to a gaseous state,
develop properties before unknown, and acquaint us much more
intimately with the wonderful works of God. The gold or the diamond,
unsubjected to the action of intense heat, and to the changes produced
by the powerful agents brought to bear on them, might have continued
to shine with steady beauty and brilliancy; but we should never have
witnessed the special beauty and brilliancy which may be produced in
rapid chemical changes. And so there is many a beautiful trait of
character which would never have been known by either continued
prosperity or adversity. There might have been always a beautiful
exhibition of virtue and piety, but not tidal special manifestation
which is produced in the transitions from the one to the other. (Notes)
Spurgeon
in his sermon on
Contentment writes that...
The apostle knew still further how
to experience the two extremes of fulness and hunger.
What a trial that is! To have one day a path strewn with mercies, and
the next day to find the soil beneath you barren of ever comfort. I
can readily imagine the poor man being contented in his poverty, for
he has been inured to it. He is like a bird that has been born in a
cage, and does not know what liberty means. But for a man who has had
much of this world's goods, and thus has been full, to be brought to
absolute penury, he is like the bird that once soared on highest wing
but is now encaged. Those poor larks you sometimes see in the shops,
always seem as if they would be looking up, and they are constantly
pecking at the wires, fluttering their wings, and wanting to fly away.
So will it be with you unless grace prevent it. If you have been rich
and are brought down to be poor, you will find it hard to know "how to
be hungry." Indeed, my brethren, it must be a sharp lesson. We
complain sometimes of the poor, that they murmur. Ah! We should murmur
a great deal more than they do, if their lot fell to us. To sit down
at the table, where there is nothing to eat, and five or six little
children crying for bread, were enough to break the father's heart. Or
for the mother, when her husband has been carried to the tomb, to gaze
round on the gloom-stricken home, press her new-born infant to her
bosom, and look upon the others, with widowed heart remembering that
they are without a father to seek their livelihood. Oh! It must need
much grace to know how to be hungry. And for the man who has lost a
situation, and has been walking all over London—perhaps a thousand
miles—to get a place, and he cannot get one, to come home, and know
that when he faces his wife, her first question will be "Have you
brought home any bread?" "Have you found anything to do?" and to have
to tell her "No; there have been no doors open to me." It is hard to
prove hunger, and bear it patiently. I have had to admire, and look
with a sort of reverence on some of the members of this Church, when I
have happened to hear afterwards of their privations. They would not
tell anyone, and they would not come to me; but they endured their
pangs in secret, struggled heroically through all their difficulties
and dangers, and came out more than conquerors. Ah! Brothers and
sisters, it looks an easy lesson when you come to see it in a book,
but it is not quite so easy when you come to put it in practice. It is
hard to know how to be full, but it is a sharp thing to know how to be
hungry. Our apostle had learned both—both how to abound, and to suffer
need." (Contentment)
BOTH OF
HAVING ABUNDANCE AND SUFFERING NEED: kai perisseuein (PAN) kai
hustereisthai (PPN):
Having abundance
(4052) (perisseuo
from perissos = abundant, exceeding some number, measure, rank
or need, over and above) means to
superabound (quantitatively or qualitatively) and so to be in excess.
Suffering need (5302)
(hustereo
from hústeros
= last, latter, terminal,
hindmost) has the basic meaning of come to late (in time) or to come
after (in terms of space) and thus it means to fail in something, come
short of, miss, not to reach. Hustereo has the basic meaning of
being last or inferior. It means to be left behind in the race and so
fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end, to lack. It means to
come late or too tardily. Figuratively as used in this verse
hustereo
means to lack or be in need of. This word pictures someone in a
company marching together with others who march faster than he can. He
cannot keep up, so he falls behind.
Hustereo - 16x in the NT - Matt. 19:20; Mk. 10:21; Lk. 15:14;
22:35; Jn. 2:3; Rom. 3:23; 1 Co. 1:7; 8:8; 12:24; 2 Co. 11:5, 9;
12:11; Phil. 4:12; Heb. 4:1; 11:37; 12:15.
The
NAS translates hustereo as am lacking(1), come short(1),
comes short(1), destitute(1), fall short(1), gave out(1),inferior(2),
lack(2), lacked(1), lacking(1), need(3), suffering(1), worse(1).
Paul
is saying
whether I have too many things or I do not have enough to fill my
need, that makes no difference
What a
great secret this is to learn! And this should be the goal of every
believer, seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness so that we
come to the place where we experientially are allowing Christ to
satisfy us independently of circumstances. It is true what Paul said
godliness with contentment is great gain! (1Ti 6:6)
Discontentment is a manifestation of unbelief.
Thomas Fuller wrote
Contentment consists not in
adding more fuel, but in taking away some fire; not in multiplying
wealth, but in subtracting men’s desires.
Puritan Thomas Watson said
Discontent keeps a man from
enjoying what he doth possess. A drop or two of vinegar will sour a
whole glass of wine.
C H
Spurgeon on the other hand said
A little sprig of the herb called
content put into the poorest soup will make it taste as rich as the
Lord Mayor’s turtle.
It
isn’t what we have, but what we enjoy that makes for a rich life, and
the wise person understands that contentment is not having everything
we want, but enjoying everything we have.
As
Calvin
notes
Prosperity is wont to puff up the mind beyond measure, and adversity,
on the other hand, to depress. From both faults he declares himself to
be free...If a man knows to make use of present abundance in a sober
and temperate manner, with thanksgiving, prepared to part with
everything whenever it may be the good pleasure of the Lord, giving
also a share to his brother, according to the measure of his ability,
and is also not puffed up, that man has learned to excel, and to
abound. This is a peculiarly excellent and rare virtue, and much
superior to the endurance of poverty. Let all who wish to be Christ's
disciples exercise themselves in acquiring this knowledge which was
possessed by Paul, but in the mean time let them accustom themselves
to the endurance of poverty in such a manner that it will not be
grievous and burdensome to them when they come to be deprived of their
riches. (Philippians 4)
J Vernon McGee tells a story
illustrating on living with abundance:
It was the custom of Dr. Harry
Ironside to go every year to Grand Rapids for a Bible conference at
Mel Trotter’s mission. Mel Trotter had been an alcoholic, and after he
had come to Christ, he opened a mission to reach other men who were in
his former condition. The owner of a hotel which had just been built
in Grand Rapids had been an alcoholic and had been led to Christ by
Mel Trotter. He told Mel, “When you have a speaker or visitor come to
your mission, you send him over to the hotel. We will keep him here
free of charge.” When Dr. Ironside arrived at that hotel, the man
ushered him up to the presidential suite. He had the best apartment in
the hotel. Dr. Ironside had never been in a place like that before. He
called Mel on the phone and said, “Listen, Mel, you don’t have to put
me up like this. I don’t need all this luxury. All I want is a room
with a comfortable bed, and a desk and a lamp where I can study.” Mel
assured him that the room was not costing him or the mission anything;
it was being provided free of charge. He said, “Harry, Paul said he
knew how to abound and he knew how to be abased. Now you learn to
abound this week, will you? (McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
Spurgeon draws one more
practical application this section of Philippians 4 declaring...
Before I dismiss you there is this
one other sentence. You that love not Christ, recollect that you are
the most miserable people in the world. Though you may think
yourselves happy, there is no one of us that would change places with
the best of you. When we are very sick, very poor, and on the borders
of the grave, if you were to step in and say to us "Come, I will
change places with you; you shall have my gold, and my silver, my
riches, and my health," and the like, there is not one living
Christian that would change places with you. We would not stop to
deliberate, we would give you at once our answer—"No, go your way, and
delight in what you have; but all your treasures are transient, they
will soon pass away. We will keep our sufferings, and you shall keep
your gaudy toys." Saints have no hell but what they suffer here on
earth; sinners will have no heaven but what they have here in his poor
troublesome world. We have our sufferings here and our glory
afterwards; you may have your glory here, but you will have your
sufferings for ever and ever. God grant you new hearts, and right
spirits, a living faith in a living Jesus, and then I would say to you
as I have said to the rest—man, in whatsoever state you are, be
content. Amen. (Contentment)
Spurgeon in Morning and Evening writes the following
devotional related to Philippians 4:12
There are many who know “how to be
abased” who have not learned “how to abound.” When they are set upon
the top of a pinnacle their heads grow dizzy, and they are ready to
fall. The Christian far oftener disgraces his profession in prosperity
than in adversity. It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous. The
crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the
refining pot of prosperity. Oh, what leanness of soul and neglect of
spiritual things have been brought on through the very mercies and
bounties of God! Yet this is not a matter of necessity, for the
apostle tells us that he knew how to abound. When he had much he knew
how to use it. Abundant grace enabled him to bear abundant prosperity.
When he had a full sail he was loaded with much ballast, and so
floated safely. It needs more than human skill to carry the brimming
cup of mortal joy with a steady hand, yet Paul had learned that skill,
for he declares, “In all things I am instructed both to be full and to
be hungry.” It is a divine lesson to know how to be full, for the
Israelites were full once, but while the flesh was yet in their mouth,
the wrath of God came upon them. Many have asked for mercies that they
might satisfy their own hearts’ lust. Fulness of bread has often made
fulness of blood, and that has brought on wantonness of spirit. When
we have much of God’s providential mercies, it often happens that we
have but little of God’s grace, and little gratitude for the bounties
we have received. We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth,
we are content to do without heaven. Rest assured it is harder to know
how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry—so desperate is the
tendency of human nature to pride and forgetfulness of God. Take care
that you ask in your prayers that God would teach you “how to be
full.”
Let not the gifts thy love bestows
Estrange our hearts from thee.
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><> ><>
A GOOD SURRENDER - Surrender is not
a very popular word. We use it in reference to the humiliation that
accompanies defeat. When a nation loses a war, it may be forced to
surrender unconditionally, and has no say in the terms of defeat.
Yet there is a type of surrender that is dignified and appropriate.
Paul understood it in two aspects. First, it means surrendering our
desires and will to the heavenly Father. Jesus is our example, for He
did the Father's will in everything (Jn. 6:38).
The second aspect is our acceptance of God's supreme sovereignty. This
is marked by our realization that things do not always go our way as
God works out His will on earth. Our business goes through good times
and bad. Our health may suffer. Loved ones will hurt us, or leave us,
or even die. Our fondest dreams may never be realized.
In the spiritual sense, to surrender means that we trust God to do
what is best. It is, as Paul said, choosing to be content "in whatever
state I am" (Phil. 4:11-12), and knowing by faith that God will take
care of our needs (v.19). That kind of faith isn't easy. But it's the
only way to overcome dissatisfaction and anger about uncontrollable
circumstances.
Perhaps it's time to say "I surrender" to the Lord and to His perfect
will and plan. --D C Egner (Copyright
RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights
reserved)
Take my love--my God, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself--and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee. --Havergal
Surrender is victory when we yield to God.
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Steven Cole asks...
WHAT IS CONTENTMENT?
The word content (Php 4:11) comes
from a Greek word that means self-sufficient or independent. The
Stoics elevated this word, the ability to be free from all want or
needs, as the chief of all virtues. But the Stoic philosophy was
marked by detachment from one’s emotions and indifference to the
vicissitudes of life. This clearly is not the sense in which Paul
meant the word, since in Php 4:10-note
he shows that he rejoiced in the Lord greatly when he received the
gift, not because of the money, but because it showed the Philippians’
heartfelt love and concern for him. Paul was not detached from people
nor from his feelings. He loved people dearly and was not afraid to
show it. And, Php 4:13-note
clearly shows that Paul did not mean the word in the pagan sense of
self-sufficiency, since he affirms that his sufficiency is in Christ.
Neither does contentment mean complacency. As Christians we can work
to better our circumstances as we have opportunity.
The Bible extols hard work and the
rewards that come from it, as long as we are free from greed. Paul
tells slaves not to give undue concern to gaining their freedom, but
if they are able to do so, they should (1Co 7:21). If you’re single
and feel lonely, there is nothing wrong with seeking a godly mate, as
long as you’re not so consumed with the quest that you lack the sound
judgment that comes from waiting patiently on the Lord. If you’re in
an unpleasant job, there is nothing wrong with going back to school to
train for a better job or from making a change to another job, as long
as you do so in submission to the will of God.
So what does contentment mean?
It is an inner sense of rest or peace that comes from being right with
God and knowing that He is in control of all that happens to us. It
means having our focus on the kingdom of God and serving Him, not on
the love of money and things. If God grants us material comforts, we
can thankfully enjoy them, knowing that it all comes from His loving
hand. But, also, we seek to use it for His purpose by being generous.
If He takes our riches, our joy remains steady, because we are fixed
on Him (see 1Ti 6:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19). Contentment also means
not being battered around by difficult circumstances or people, and
not being wrongly seduced by prosperity, because our life is centered
on a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. So no matter what
happens to us or what others do to us, we have the steady assurance
that the Lord is for us and He will not forsake us.
HOW DO WE ACQUIRE CONTENTMENT?
The world goes about the quest for
contentment in all the wrong ways, so we must studiously avoid its
ways. Paul’s words show ...
The secret for contentment in every
situation is to focus on the Lord--as Sovereign, as Savior, and as the
Sufficient One. He is the Sovereign One to whom I must submit; He is
the Savior whom I must serve; He is the Sufficient One whom I must
trust. If I know Him in these ways as Paul did, I will know
contentment.
1. Contentment comes from
focusing on the Lord as the Sovereign One to whom I must submit.
Paul mentions that the Philippians
had revived their concern for him. The word was used of flowers
blossoming again or of trees leafing out in the springtime. He is
quick to add that they always had been concerned, but they lacked
opportunity. We do not know what had prohibited their sending a gift
sooner, whether it was a lack of funds, not having a reliable
messenger to take the gift, not knowing about Paul’s circumstances, or
some other reason. But whatever the reason, Paul knew that God was in
control, God knew his need, and God would supply or not supply as He
saw fit. Paul was subject to the Sovereign God in this most practical
area of his financial support.
I will develop this more next week,
but I believe that Paul had a policy of not making his financial needs
known to anyone except the Lord. Here he was in prison, unable to
pursue his tent-making trade, and he was in a tight spot (“affliction”
in Php 4:14-note
literally means “pressure”). He wrote a number of letters during this
time to various churches and individuals (Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, Philemon), and he asks for prayer in those letters. But
never once does he mention his financial needs. Rather, he asks for
prayer for boldness and faithfulness in his witness. He trusted in and
submitted to the sovereignty of God to provide for his needs.
Sometimes God supplied abundantly,
and so Paul had learned how to live in prosperity. Most of us would
like to learn that lesson! But sometimes God withheld support, and so
Paul had to learn to get along with humble means. At those times, he
did not grumble or panic, but submitted to the sovereign hand of God,
trusting that God knew what was best for him and that He always cared
for His children (1Pe 5:6, 7-note).
But notice, Paul learned to be
content in all conditions. It didn’t come naturally to him, and it
wasn’t an instantaneous transformation. It is a process, something
that we learn from walking with God each day. Key to this process is
understanding that everything, major and minor, is under God’s
sovereignty. He uses all our circumstances to train us in godliness if
we submit to Him and trust Him. Our attitude in trials and our
deliberate submission to His sovereignty in the trial is crucial.
George Muller proved the sovereign faithfulness of God in
the matter of finances. He lived in 19th century Bristol, England,
where he founded an orphanage. He and his wife had taken literally
Jesus’ command to give away all their possessions (Luke 14:33), so
they had no personal resources. Also, he was firmly committed to the
principle of not making his financial needs known to anyone, except to
God in prayer. He was extremely careful not even to give hints about
his own needs or the needs of the orphanage. The children never knew
about any financial difficulties, nor did they ever lack good food,
clothes, or warmth.
But there were times when Muller’s
faith was tried, when the Lord took them down to the wire before
supplying the need. On February 8, 1842, they had enough food in all
the orphan houses for that day’s meals, but no money to buy the usual
stock of bread or milk for the following morning, and two houses
needed coal. Muller noted in his journal that if God did not send help
before nine the next morning, His name would be dishonored. The next
morning Muller walked to the orphanage early to see how God would meet
their need, only to discover that the need had already been met. A
Christian businessman had walked about a half mile past the orphanages
toward his place of work when the thought occurred to him that
Muller’s children might be in need. He decided not to retrace his
steps then, but to drop off something that evening. But he couldn’t go
any further and felt constrained to go back. He gave a gift that met
their need for the next two days (George Muller: Delighted in God! by
Roger Steer [Harold Shaw Publishers], pp. 115-116).
Muller knew many instances like
that where God tried his faith. If you are walking with God and you
find yourself in a desperate situation, you can know that you are not
there by chance. The sovereign God has put you there for your training
in faith, that you might share His holiness. It may be a small crisis
or a major, life-threatening crisis. Submit to and trust the Sovereign
God and you will know the contentment that comes from Him.
2. Contentment comes from
focusing on the Lord as the Savior whom I must serve.
The reason Paul knew that God would
meet his basic needs was that Jesus had promised, “Seek first His
kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you” (Mt 6:33-note).
All these things refers to what you shall eat, what you shall drink,
what you shall wear (Mt 6:25-note).
Jesus was teaching that if we will put our focus on serving Him and
growing in righteousness, God will take care of our basic material
needs. In the context He is talking about how to be free from anxiety,
or how to be content in our soul. Paul taught the same thing (see 1Ti
6:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11). If our focus is on our Savior and on doing what
He has called us to do for His kingdom, which includes growing in
personal holiness, then we can be content with what He provides.
Please take note that He promises
to supply our needs, not our greed. Most of us living in
America have far, far more than our needs. We live in relative luxury,
even if we live in a house that is too small or only have one car.
Sometimes we need to remember that people in other countries squeeze
ten family members into a one-room, dirt-floored shanty.
I read a story about a Jewish man
in Hungary who went to his rabbi and complained, “Life is unbearable.
There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?” The rabbi
answered, “Take your goat into the room with you.” The man was
incredulous, but the rabbi insisted, “Do as I say and come back in a
week.” A week later the man returned looking more distraught than
before. “We can’t stand it,” he told the rabbi. “The goat is filthy.”
The rabbi said, “Go home and let the goat out, and come back in a
week.” A week later the man returned, radiant, exclaiming, “Life is
beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat-- only
the nine of us.” (Reader’s Digest [12/81].)
Perspective helps, doesn’t it!
But the point is, if you live for
yourself and your own pleasure, you will not know God’s contentment.
But if you follow Paul in living to serve the Savior, you will be
content, whether you have little or much. Part of seeking first God’s
kingdom means serving Him with your money and possessions, which are
not really yours, but His, entrusted to you as manager. We mistakenly
think that we will be content when we accumulate enough money in the
bank
and enough possessions to make us secure. The truth is, you will know
contentment when you give generously to the Lord’s work, whether to
world missions, to the local church, or to meeting the needs of the
poor through Christian ministries. “Where your treasure is, your heart
will be” (Matt. 6:21-note).
If your treasure is in this world, your heart will be in this world,
which isn’t the most secure environment! If your treasure is in the
kingdom of God, your heart will be there, and it is a secure, certain
realm.
3. Contentment comes from
focusing on the Lord as the Sufficient One whom I must trust.
Paul says that he had “learned the
secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and
suffering need” (Php 4:12). That secret is stated in Php 4:13-note,
“I can do all things in Him who continually infuses me with strength”
(literal rendering).
The all-sufficient, indwelling
Christ was Paul’s source of strength and contentment. Since Christ
cannot be taken from the believer, we can lean on Him in every
situation, no matter how trying. Notice that there is a need to learn
not only how to get along in times of need, but also how to live with
abundance. In times of need, we’re tempted to get our eyes off the
Lord and grow worried. That’s when we need a trusting heart. In times
of abundance we’re
tempted to forget our need for the Lord and trust in our supplies
rather than in Him. That’s when we need a thankful heart that daily
acknowledges gratitude for His provision. Thanking God for our daily
bread, even when we’ve got enough in the bank for many days’ bread,
keeps us humbly trusting in Him in times of abundance. By “all
things,” Paul means that he can do everything that God has called him
to do in his service for His kingdom. He can obey God, he can live in
holiness in thought, word, and deed. He can ask for the provisions
needed to carry out the work and expect God to answer. If God has
called you to get up in public and speak, He will give you the power
to do it. If He has called you to serve behind the scenes, He will
equip you with the endurance you need (1Pe 4:11-note).
If He has called you to give large amounts to further His work, He
will provide you with those funds. As Paul says (2Co 9:8), “God is
able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all
sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good
deed.”
Notice the balance between God’s
part and our part. Some Christians put too much emphasis on “I can
do all things,” on the human responsibility. You end up burning
out, because I cannot do all things in my own strength.
Others put too much emphasis on “through
Him who strengthens me.” These folks sit around passively not
doing anything, because they don’t want to be accused of acting in the
flesh.
The correct biblical balance is
that I do it, but I do it by constant dependence on the power of
Christ who indwells me.
As Paul expressed it (1Co 15:10),
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did
not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I,
but the grace of God with me.”
In Philippians 4:13-note,
the verb is present tense, meaning, God’s continual, day-by-day
infusing me with strength as I serve Him. The Greek preposition is
“in,” not “through.” It points to that vital, personal union with
Christ that we have seen repeatedly throughout Philippians. Paul is
saying that because of his living relationship of union with the
living, all-sufficient Christ, he can do whatever the Lord calls him
to do for His kingdom.
This verse is one of many which
affirm the sufficiency of Christ for the believer’s every need. But
this doctrine is under attack by the “Christian” psychology movement,
which claims that Christ is sufficient for your “spiritual” needs
(whatever that means!), but not for your emotional needs. But look at
the list of the fruit of the Spirit (Ga 5:22-note,
Ga 5:23-note),
look at the qualities of the godly person as described throughout the
New Testament, and you’ll find an emotionally stable person. You are
not equipped for every good deed (2Ti 3:16,17-note)
if you’re an emotional wreck. The living Christ and His Word are
powerful to strengthen you to serve Him, which includes emotional
well-being. But the church today is selling out the joy of trusting
in the all-sufficient Christ for a mess of worldly pottage that does
not satisfy.
Whatever your needs, learn to
trust daily in the sufficient Savior and you will know His contentment
in your soul.
Conclusion
Legend has it that a wealthy
merchant during Paul’s day had heard about the apostle and had become
so fascinated that he determined to visit him. So when passing through
Rome, he got in touch with Timothy and arranged an interview with Paul
the prisoner. Stepping inside his cell, the merchant was surprised to
find the apostle looking rather old and physically frail, but he felt
at once the strength, the serenity, and the magnetism of this man who
relied on Christ as his all in all. They talked for some time, and
finally the merchant left. Outside the cell, he asked Timothy, “What’s
the secret of this man’s power? I’ve never seen anything like it
before.” “Did you not guess?” replied Timothy. “Paul is in love.” The
merchant looked puzzled. “In love?” he asked. “Yes,” said Timothy,
“Paul is in love with Jesus Christ.” The merchant looked even more
bewildered. “Is that all?” he asked. Timothy smiled and replied, “That
is everything.” (Adapted from Leonard Griffith, This is Living
[Abingdon], p. 149.)
That’s the secret of
contentment--to be captivated by Christ--as the Sovereign to whom I
submit; as the Savior whom I serve; as the Sufficient One whom I trust
in every situation. (Read
His full message on The Secret of Contentment)
><>><>><>
F B Meyer writes...
ALL
THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
TO HIM THAT BELIEVES
Phil 4:10-13
FOR ten years the Philippian Church had been unable to send material
aid to its beloved founder. It was not because his love for them, or
theirs to him had cooled, but they had lacked opportunity. Previously,
his friends had contributed, even beyond their power, to aid him in
relieving the need of their poorer brethren in Judea. In addition to
this, they had sent, "once and again," to relieve his personal wants.
Then for some time their help had ceased; but just recently, in his
sore destitution during his Roman imprisonment, their love for him had
flamed out in generous bounty, and they had sent by Epaphroditus,
substantial proof that their care for him had flourished again.
Bound: Received with Joy. This was a matter of great satisfaction to
the much-tried Apostle. It touched his generous nature; it was an
evidence that the love he so greatly prized was as fresh and strong as
ever. It seemed to him that the Master Himself was gratified with the
sacrifices they had made; but he hastened to add that they must not
for a moment suppose that he was dependent upon outward gifts for
contentment and peace. His secret of happiness was not in
circumstances, but in his peace of heart; he would not admit that his
joy was lessened when his circumstances were more straitened, and
enhanced when they brimmed with comfort. His serenity lay beyond the
range of storms, in Christ. The secret of the Lord was with him, the
high mountains of God's protection defended from ruffling alarm the
lake of the inner life, he possessed the white stone, with the name
written on it. He wanted them to understand that he did not for a
moment reflect on their long silence, or speak in respect of want, for
he had "learned in whatsoever state he was, therewith to be content."
Contentment Desirable in this World of Fluctuation. It has been said
that contentment produces in some measure all the effects which the
alchemist usually ascribes to the philosopher's stone; and if it does
not bring riches, it achieves the same object by banishing the desire
for them. How true this is. We become rich either by possessing the
abundance of this world, or by losing our desire for it, by abounding
in everything, or by being content to have nothing; and surely of the
two conditions, in such a changeful world as this, the latter is both
safer and happier.
The world is constantly compared to the sea, with its fluctuation of
tide, its alternation of storm and calm. We are reminded by Isaiah of
"the troubled sea which cannot rest," and unhappy are they whose all
is embarked upon this troublous scene, having no fixity of tenure, no
stability of possession, but driven by the wild winds of change, and
often of panic. To have little and to be content with it, is better
far than to have great riches invested in the Stock Exchange, where a
man may be a millionaire to-day and a pauper to-morrow. Well may the
Apostle, in another and later Epistle, speak of "uncertain riches,"
and urge the disciples not to trust in them, but in the Living God
"who gives richly all things to enjoy." Often, in human experience,
the mountains are carried into the heart of the seas, the waters roar
and are troubled, and the rocks are shaken by the swelling waters; but
how good it is at such times to frequent the banks of the river, whose
streams make glad the city of God, and whose placid upper waters
reflect the jasper of God's throne! To be independent of
circumstances, to set them at defiance, to be as happy when hungry as
when filled, to be at rest when suffering need as when abounding, to
resemble the compass which is so swung as to be unaffected by the
motion of the ship, to have the jewel of a Divine peace which the
thieving hands of anxiety and care cannot touch, surely only thus can
we discover the gleam of a life which is no longer at the mercy of the
elements, but resembles the shaft of light which penetrates the murky
cloud, and strikes through the storm itself, but is too ethereal to be
disturbed by the rush of wind or the dash of the foaming breaker.
Such Contentment is Oftenest Found where Least Expected. Where shall
we find it? Where barns are full of grain, and the sheds of cattle?
Where mansions overlook miles of parkland and landscape? Where the
feet sink ankle-deep in the rich piles of the carpets, and
upholsterers have done their utmost to furnish the rooms with dazzling
elegance; where the murmur of the outer world hardly enters, and where
distracting care has no twig on which to perch? Not there. When human
life is surrounded by every circumstance of comfort and luxury, it is
very often fullest of ennui, complaining and discontent!
The causes for it may be ignoble and superficial--that some other
beauty outshines, that some other house is more splendidly furnished,
that some other life attracts more notoriety, that there is a touch of
frost in the air to-day, or a degree or two more of heat.
If we would find content, let us go to homes where women are crippled
with rheumatism, or dying of cancer, where comforts are few, where
long hours of loneliness are not broken by the intrusion of friendly
faces, where the pittance of public charity hardly suffices for
necessary need, to say nothing of comfort, it is there that
contentment reveals itself like a shy flower. How often in the homes
of the wealthy one has missed it, to find it in the homes of the poor!
How often it is wanting where health is buoyant, to be discovered
where disease is wearing out the strength! So it was with the Apostle,
who was in the saddest part of his career. Bound to the Roman soldier,
enclosed in some narrow apartment, in touch with only a few friends
who made an effort to discover him, away from the happy scenes of
earlier years, and anticipating Nero's bar, he breaks out into these
glorious expressions of equanimity. He had learned how to be abased in
the valley of shadow, he wore the flower heartsease in his buttonhole.
Contentment Pre-eminently a Christian Grace. The idea of it has been
always present to the minds of men, but the power by which the ideal
could be realised has been lacking. For instance, Cicero who wrote
volumes of incitement to courage and manly virtue, when he was driven
into exile, though it was by no means onerous, wearied his friends
with puerile and unmanly murmurings. It was the same with Seneca,
whose books are full of stoic endurance and superiority to suffering,
but as soon as he was exiled from Rome, he filled the air with abject
complaints, and was not ashamed to fall at the feet of a worthless
freedman to induce him to procure a revocation of his exile and
permission to return from Sardinia to the metropolis.
How different was the great Apostle! Though deprived of every comfort,
and east as a lonely man on the shores of the great strange
metropolis, with every movement of his hand clanking a fetter, and
nothing before him but the lion's mouth or the sword, he speaks
serenely of contentment.
Paul's Contentment was not Complacency with Himself. In the previous
chapter, he tells us that he had not attained, but was following
after. He refused to be content with what he had already accomplished
for himself or others, his whole soul was on fire to apprehend more
absolutely that for which Christ had apprehended him, but whilst he
could not be content with the spiritual attainment or service, he was
absolutely content with the circumstances of his lot. Looking up into
the face of Jesus, he confessed his discontent; looking around at the
prison, the gaoler, and the future, since these were all contained in
the will of God for him, he was absolutely satisfied, because infinite
love had permitted them.
He longed that men might be turned from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan to God. He could never be content until his Master
was the enthroned King of the world; and strove with unabating
determination, according to the working of the mighty Spirit of God,
"to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." His eager spirit
participated in the very travail of Christ for His body's sake, the
Church. He was willing to be accursed for his brethren, the
unbelieving Jews. But amid all this, he was content with the poor raft
on which he was navigating the stormy seas. It was enough for him that
God had willed his circumstances, and that Christ was his partner and
friend. His was the spirit of the Psalmist, when he said, "Whom have I
in heaven but Thee, and there is none on earth beside Thee? My heart
and flesh faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion
for ever."
Paul had Learned the Art. Just as our Lord "learned obedience by the
things that He suffered," so the Apostle acquired the habit of
contentment by practising it. He had schooled himself, by constantly
applying the Cross of Jesus to his ambitions, his murmurings, his
tendency to complain. He had accustomed himself to dwell upon the
bright side of things, to lay more stress upon what he had than upon
what he lacked. It was the habit of his life to take his lot from God,
to look upon it as illumined by perfect wisdom and perfect love. He
refused to listen to the dark and sinister suggestions flung into his
soul by the tempter. Yes, we can do a great deal to elaborate the
faculty of contentment; the germ of it is in our hearts by the grace
of God, but the flower and fruit demand our constant heed. (From F. B.
Meyer. The Epistle to the Philippians)
THREE
CONDITIONS FOR
THE GRACE OF CONTENTMENT
(1) We Must Live in the Will of God.
All is of God and God is good. Every wind blows from the quarter of
His love, every storm wafts us nearer the harbour, every cup, though
presented by the hand of Judas, is mixed by the Father of our spirits.
It is not possible for a man to be thrust by his brethren in the pit,
unless God permit it, and therefore we may say with Joseph, "It was
not you that sent me hither, but God." Habituate yourself, oh
Christian soul, to believe that not only what God appoints but what He
permits, is in the sphere of His will! It is His will for you to be
full to-day or to be empty to-morrow; to abound to-day or to be abased
to-morrow; He has a reason, though He may not tell it, and because you
know that the reason satisfies Him, you may be content.
(2) We must turn to Christ.
The Complement of Our Need. Jesus Christ is sufficient. The greater
our lack, the larger our supply. "To them that have no might He
increases strength." To the ignorant He is wisdom, to the unholy
sanctification, to the enslaved redemption. His miracles manifested
the supply of His royal nature to the need around Him; His purity
cleansed the polluted flesh of the leper; His life poured into the
arteries of death; His strength made good the helplessness of the
paralysed. Receive from Christ "grace upon grace", and look upon the
emptiness and need of your spirit as the greater reason why you should
claim all from Him.
(3) We must Do all Things in Christ's Strength.
The prophet Isaiah says, that "they that wait upon the Lord change
their strength" (Isa. 40:31, A.V. margin). They begin life with the
strength of young manhood, which boasts that it is well able to
realise its dreams with its natural vigour, but as life goes on they
tire and faint, the youths faint and are weary, the young men utterly
fall. Then it is that they learn to avail themselves of the strength
of the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, "Who
faints not, neither is weary." Moses no longer trusts in the blow of
his mailed fists, but by faith feeds his soul from the fountains of
omnipotence; Peter no longer vaunts his ability to follow Christ even
to death, but receives the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost, and
becomes bold as a lion; Paul no longer speaks of his Pharisaic
ancestry, and all the qualities which he had counted so much gain, but
is content to be weak with Christ, that with Christ he may receive and
depend upon the power of God. This change must come to us all.
Whatever our need, we must turn for its supply to the fulness of God
in Christ. As we keep open the avenue of our soul to our Lord, He will
pour His strength into our nerveless and helpless nature. Nay, He will
not merely give us His strength, but will be in us the power of God
unto salvation. We need not simply the strength of Christ, but Christ
who gives strength, that we may be able to say with the Apostle, "I
can do all things"--whether it is to live or die, whether it is to be
abased or abound, whether it is to be full or empty--"through Christ
that strengthens me."
Practice these three conditions, and you will learn, perhaps in dark
hours of trial, and on the hard benches of the school of affliction,
the art of contentment which shall enrich your life more than if the
mines of Ophir were unlocked for your wealth. (F.
B. Meyer. The Epistle to the Philippians - A Devotional Commentary) |
