Contentment in every situation comes from a relationship with Christ that comes from daily communing with God in and through His word, prayer and worship so that you can stand firm in your faith through any situation you might be facing — good or bad.
Webster’s Dictionary defines contentment as “a longing for something better than the present situation.” In Philippians, we see Paul, while being imprisoned, giving thanks to God in every situation and finding contentment in every situation.
Growing up, I remember a magnet that my mom kept on the fridge that said, “I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet”.
Contentment comes from a mindset and a perspective.
While focusing on Christ and having a daily walk with Him, we find that we can rely on Him in the good times and the not so good times. Then we realize that sometimes He allows us to go through the hard times to refine and strengthen us. When Paul states that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, he isn’t saying that we can accomplish whatever we set our minds to, but he is saying that we can endure the good and bad times with Christ, expecting an eternal result.
We shouldn’t use this passage as a “magic pill” or a “genie in a bottle” to expect everything to go our way. In Isaiah 55:8, God tells us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord.”
Like Paul, who states in Philippians 4:8-9, “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious, — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; thing to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies.”
Contentment in every situation comes from a relationship with Christ that comes from daily communing with God in and through His word, prayer and worship so that you can stand firm in your faith through any situation you might be facing — good or bad.
