JESUS – SATISFIES!
When Christ is my life, then Christ becomes my contentment.
When Christ is not my life then I will exhibit discontentment!

 

“I have learned to be CONTENT…” – {Phil 4:11}

“I can do all things through Christ who STRENGTHENS me,”-{Phil 4:13;}

The word  “strengthen” is to be infused with power, moment by moment. Abiding in Christ, deriving all from Him, depending and drawing from Him there is always sufficient power to live moment by moment irrespective of the difficulties of the circumstances. There is NEVER a lack of power for the believer in any and all circumstances! In the context Christ had strengthened him to be “content,” which means, “satisfied.” In 2 Cor 12 the word “Sufficient,” (arkeo) means “to be enough, to be sufficient” or “to be adequate with the implication of leading to satisfaction.” In the passive sense “arkeo,” means “TO BE SATISFIED or CONTENTED with something.” While the stoics had used the word “content” to speak of a person who was independent, self sufficient from desires and feelings, Paul takes their favorite word and gives it its higher meaning is not self sufficiency  but Christ sufficiency!

Christianity does not isolate one self and seek to divest one self from desires or feelings but renews the mind to have Godly desires and feelings to love God and seek to reach out to love others for Jesus sake -{2 Cor 4:5.}

He had learned this. He writes this thirty years after his conversion in Philippians 4. He had learned to be “content” with little. He had known much hardship. He had known hunger. He had known cruelty. He writes this from a prison. He was “content,…SATISFIED,” “Enough,” why? Jesus Christ was his “sufficiency!”

“Paul was self-sufficient because he was Christ-dependent. The word “content,” therefore, in our Hebrew passage means more than “satisfied.” It refers to the ability of the Christian dependent upon the Holy Spirit, to be independent of outward circumstances.”-{Wuest}

He was “content” with plenty, he did not feel guilty over having much. He enjoyed what God had given, recognized it was from God. At one time he wrote,” what do you have that have not received,?” He realized there were no self- made men only people whom God in His own wisdom had decided what they would have. True contentment is neither found in abundance or lack of things but in the deep abiding knowledge that Jesus Christ is in control. He controls  my circumstances. Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers and forgotten there  while in prison, in God’s time He was out and when the famine came that would wipe not only his family but the nation, he was devoid of bitterness but said to his brothers,”what you meant for evil God meant for good.” Indeed, God can take the evil of the enemy and turn it around to have a great influence on others pointing to His grace!

Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians. He was there unfairly, and had preachers preaching the Gospel from “wrong motives” seeking to cause him,”harm!” Yet, his response was that he would rejoice because Christ was preached. In Philippians we can see…

Contented people are Christ converted people

Contented people are Christ Controlled people

Contented people are Christ Conscious people

Contented people are content with Christ irrespective of difficulties

Contented people rejoice that Christ is proclaimed, even when the motive is wrong!

Contented people know God is in control.

Contented people Submit to God’s control.

Contented people live to serve others for His sake.

Contented people, trust in Christ to supply all of their needs.

Contented people are dependent upon the Lord Jesus to strengthen them in any and all circumstances and in Him they find strength to be satisfied with Him. Paul had learned to be content  with Jesus Christ.

What is the key to contentment?  More “Who is the key to Contentment?” And the answer is, Christ!  The Love of Christ “… the life I live, I live by faith in the Son of God who LOVED ME and gave Himself up for me.-{Gal 2:20}. The love of Christ for him and in turn being content with such sacrificial intimate loving, saving, sustaining, satisfying friendship and love!  THE LOVE OF CHRIST  STRENGTHENS AND SATISFIES!

Over and through many sufferings which he saw as a “gift”- Phil 1:27, he had come to know independent of all but Christ Himself, who was his reservoir of “contentment,” who infused him with strength to live content, satisfied, independent of pleasant or cruel circumstances and people. Jesus Christ had increasingly become his sufficiency! It was a learning process but when he writes now he can say, ” I have learned to be content…I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Christ was his sufficiency. Is He yours? Have you learned to be content with Jesus. Are you more circumstances orientated than Christ orientated? Are you waiting for pleasant circumstances to “take a breather” or despite your circumstances, Christ is your all and all. For Paul we see in chapter 1:21 – Christ was his life. Often this is what the deficiency is! For some, He is “part” of life, but not life itself and this is where pressures and unpleasant circumstances reveal loud and clear the lack of contentment, because Jesus is not enough to us. So we complain against Him, despise our circumstances ultimately are dissatisfied with Jesus. We deem, He is not “enough” for us in the moment. We fail to find or even consider looking for His companionship and strength in them and for them.

“But God…” Who began a good work in us continues to work in us to desire and to enable us to do His will for His pleasure, so we must work out our salvation -Phil 2:12-13…looking for Him, looking TO Him in our circumstances and in submission to Him we find He is “enough,” to be “content” with Him, “satisfied” with Him. My hope is in a Person, Jesus Christ, not in circumstances to fulfill, satisfy or cause contentment.

He is our satisfaction, contentment, and we can say. “though all else be taken from me, He is my sufficiency.”

We often “cling” to things with a clenched fist when we are free to live open handed so the Lord can give or take away and whatever, we can bless His Name for my hope and sufficiency is not found in what I have or do not have but my hope and sufficiency is in a Person, The Lord Jesus Christ, who is my sufficiency and whom I an increasingly coming to learn, contentment can never be found, maintained, sustained in ever changing people and circumstance but only in Jesus Christ my Lord!

Contentment, satisfaction is found in a Person- Jesus Christ, it is a process of learning and God uses circumstances to draw us to Himself, weaning us of dependence upon ourselves,{Read 2 Cor 1:9}… to find in Him true contentment, satisfaction, where Jesus is enough- period!

Finish the sentence, “I would be content, IF_________________” Paul says I have learned to be “satisfied, content” because I can do all things through Christ who infuses me with strength- for Jesus is enough!

When Christ is my life, then Christ becomes my contentment.
When Christ is not my life then I will exhibit discontentment