The Key to Contentment
In a word, how would you characterize the current age? (I would say) Restless. Our culture is a
restless one. We always need something to keep our minds busy. We are constantly being
bombarded with the message that we should not be happy with what we have and should
purchase this new product. One commercial I saw even showed a young man who bought a
new car and said that if he had it he would have a good life. In a restless culture the greatest
need is contentment. It is extremely illusive in our modern times thought it has always been a
great need.
Coming downstairs one morning, the man of the house heard the cook exclaim, “Oh, if I only
had $100, wouldn’t I be content!” Thinking the matter over, and anxious to see the woman
satisfied, he shortly after handed her a hundred-dollar bill. She thanked him profusely. He
paused outside the door to hear if she would express her satisfaction and thank God. As soon as
his shadow was invisible, she cried out, “Why didn’t I say $500?”
I.
The Meaning of Contentment (10-11)
A. Background- Paul rejoices in a renewed relationship between himself and the
church. He wants them to know that he understands why they they had not showed
concern for him in some time, that they had been concerned the whole time.
Though it could seem as though he is offended by not hearing from them he desires
to clarify his good feeling toward them. He rejoices that this relationship has
renewed. The word “renewed” means to “sprout or blossom again”. This renewed
relationship is like a plant that had been dormant a long time and now blossoms
again.
B. Points about Contentment (read verse 11)
1. What is contentment? This word (Autarkes) appears only here in the New
Testament. In cynic and stoic Greek philosophy it was used of one who
becomes an independent person, sufficient to themselves, and in need of no
one else. Their doctrine was explained in this quote “…man should be sufficient
unto himself for all things and able, by the power of his own will, to resist the
force of circumstances.” This definition is a virtue as much today as it was then.
Today we see the desire to be self-sufficient as an ultimate goal. We don’t need
anybody for anything.
>The biblical form of contentment means having a sufficiency above external
circumstances but only because of dependence on God. It is not self-sufficient,
it is God sufficient. This is explicit in verse 13. Therefore the Bible redefines
contentment. It is important to note that the worlds version of contentment is
drastically different than God’s version. And of course we believe God’s is better
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especially in light if the fact that the world’s promise of contentment is hollow.
It’s like the cemetery in England. There stands a grave marker with this
inscription: SHE DIED FOR WANT OF THINGS. Alongside that sign is another which
reads: HE DIED TRYING TO GIVE THEM TO HER. We die trying to attain
contentment in the word’s version or we live with it in God’s version.
2. Contentment does not come from having needs or wants met- Verse 11 “I am
not saying this because I am in need,”. Paul seems to have been in need of
financial help. But he is saying that he is not full of joy because his needs were
met. His joy is in the Lord and in their renewed relationship. His contentment
has been unaffected by his financial status. Something else is the cause of his
contentment.
3. Contentment is learned- See 11b. The word learned is a constantive aorist
which sums up all of his learning experiences all the way up to the actual
writing of this text. Learning contentment was a process that started at
conversion and was continuing until the present time. Contentment does not
come without struggling with it. It does not come without work and time. It
comes through constant perspective adjusting through life. It is like riding a bike.
None of use decided one day to ride, thought about it hard, and started riding. It
took time to get used to the balance. How to brake and to steer. So it is with
contentment. It is learned as we practice it.
II.
The Problem with Contentment (12)
A. We are not content with either struggle or success- Paul presents 3 contrasts that
provide the occasion for contentment. The first and third speak of physical needs in
general while the 2nd refers to food. The two contrasts could be summed up as
struggles and success.
>Struggle: Being in need, hungry, and in want makes it difficult to be content. One
statistic shows that the rate for divorce rises as the annual household income
decreases. Why do divorce rates rise when finances are in trouble? We are much
more likely to live in a state of discontent. Struggling to secure our needs and wants
creates much stress on us. But this is something we are familiar with.
>Success: Being successful and having all the things we struggle with go away does
not solve the problem with contentment. There are times when success is more
detrimental to our contentment than struggle. There are just as many struggles
with success as with contentment. As one quote says “If the grass looks greener on
the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.” We worry about
maintaining what we have attained. We are concerned with getting more and the
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grass being greener. Paul says he has learned how to be content in plenty, being
well fed, and living in plenty.
B. Contentment is not found in escape - Paul did not learn contentment during a
vacation or time out. He learned it in the midst of struggle. Often times we see
contentment as something we look for outside of the problem. We go on a
vacation, we go out and play on the weekend, or we simply quit the thing that is
causing us discontentment. Getting away from what causes discontent does not
create contentment. And I find contentment as I stay in those situations. There is
peace in the storm, not after it.
III.
The Key to Contentment (13)
A. The key to contentment is trusting in Christ’s power. There is a key to being
content in all circumstances (see 12b). There is a single answer to all the
questions. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
>What can I do? Some take this verse out of context and see it as a catch for
being able to do whatever I set my mind on. The context here is about our
physical and economic status. And, a caveat is that His power only comes in
tandem with His will.
>How does doing all things through Christ’s strength give me contentment?
Discontent is a weakness that we all share. It is a failure to find our lives, as they
are, sufficient. Christ’s power enables us to overcome the weakness. When we
are conscious of our own weakness we are most aware of Christ’s power resting
on us. See 2 Cor. 12:9-10.
B. This is the answer but what does it look like? If we dig deeper, we can see that
when I see Jesus as all that I truly need, I can be content anytime. I can always
be content because in Him I have the strength and security I need. This requires
something of me. It means that my physical status and things have to be
relegated to the sphere of the less important. God will continually test us on
this issue.
As we seek contentment remember-If I have Jesus I have what I need (Jesus is our safety net when everything is haywire. We
always have Him)
-If I have Jesus he will provide what I need
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