Contentment

Philippians 4:15-17 (NLT)
15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.

The apostle Paul gives thanks to the Philippians for the financial support they offered him when he traveled through their area speaking on the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Philippians didn’t stop with the original gift, but also sent a second gift to meet Paul’s financial needs. Many might make an excuse they have given once and why should they give again? But that was not the case with the Philippians who were generous from the heart. Paul then went on to tell them he was thanking them, not begging for more financial assistance, but for the kindness they had already displayed.


C. H. Spurgeon once said, “You say, “If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.” You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled. Jerry Bridges, an evangelical Christian author wrote, “The contented person experiences the sufficiency of God’s provision for his needs and the sufficiency of God’s grace for his circumstances. He believes God will indeed meet all his material needs and that He will work in all his circumstances for his good. That is why Paul could say, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” The godly person has found what the greedy or envious or discontented person always searches for but never finds. He has found satisfaction and rest in his soul.”

The very first temptation of the world was about contentment. Adam and Eve were tempted with being more than who they were and they fell into Satan’s trap of discontentment. When we are discouraged it is because discontentment tells us we are lacking something. Those who are content have gratitude in their hearts for what they have received and they bless others for their kindness. They don’t see themselves as one giving too much to God, nor do they see themselves as one who does not receive enough from God. Instead they are rich, for they know God will meet their needs and they need no more than what God provides.