Discontentment is dissatisfaction. It is internal frustration. It is restlessness, emptiness, agitation, and displeasure. It is never having enough and always wanting more.
The story is told of a wealthy American investment banker. He was at a pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." The American then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican told him he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The American wasn't satisfied. He asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife Maria, and I stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you should buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds of the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City then go to Los Angeles and eventually to New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But what then?" The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!" "Okay," the fisherman said, "I'll make millions. And then what?"
The American said, "This is the really good part. You would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, and take a siesta with your wife. In the evenings you could stroll into the village to sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
Discontentment in a culture of accumulation.
Discontentment is what ails America. We are rarely satisfied. We are never fulfilled. We are trained to believe that a few more fish and a bigger boat is the secret to contentment. We believe that if we just had a little bit more, we would feel complete. We are a culture of accumulation. This is a culture that is constantly acquiring more and more, but never possessing enough to provide lasting satisfaction. We are perpetually upsizing our lifestyles, super-sizing our intake, upgrading our tools, gadgets, and computers and trading in our homes and cars for latest models. We have closets full of clothing, but nothing to wear. Commercials condition us to believe that there is just one more thing we need to be made whole.
One man defined discontentment as "never having enough." This certainly describes the American mindset! Discontentment drives our economy. But I believe that I have stumbled upon a better definition of discontentment. Discontentment is "trying to squeeze more out of something than that something was intended by God to provide."
Last Friday Lara visited with her grandma in Southern Illinois. Her grandma had an appointment with a lady who was self-conscious about her obesity. For some reason the lady decided to recount her son's death. She said, "As my son was dying, as he was gasping for his last breath of air, I stood there with a sandwich in my hand. Why did I have to have that sandwich?"
Discontentment causes us to look for all the right things in all the wrong places. It causes us to look for comfort in a sandwich or to look for satisfaction while standing in front of the refrigerator or to look for happiness in a happy meal. When was the last time your discontentment got you looking for satisfaction in all the wrong places?
Discontentment is the explanation behind some of our most irrational and self-destructive behaviors.
Discontentment feeds most every sin. For example, discontentment with food can lead to obesity. Discontentment with money can lead to greed and workaholism. Frank Thielman, a Christian author, talks about how money is "the god of this age, a god for which many people are willing to sacrifice their happiness, their children, their health, and indeed their own lives. The workaholic father, seldom home and never in church because he is too busy 'providing' for a family, was once a well-known fixture in our society. He has now given way to the workaholic couple who hardly know their children because they are too busy paying off expensive mortgages and car loans."
Discontentment with money can also lead to gambling, theft, tax evasion, and cheating. Discontentment with things can lead to materialism, excessive debt, bankruptcy, hoarding, selfishness, covetousness, or jealousy. When was the last time you went into debt for something you just had to have? How many of you are still struggling to pay that something off? Discontentment with circumstances can lead to worry, stress, anxiety, and fear. Discontentment with your spouse can lead to infidelity, the greener-grass syndrome, divorce, lusting, pornography, or other sexual dysfunctions.
Discontentment causes us to try to squeeze more out of something than what that something was intended by God to provide. It makes us believe that next bite of food or drink will satisfy our inner hunger. It makes us believe that next pay raise or that bonus or that knick-knack or that new home or that new car or that handy tool or that next episode, or that latest video game, or that computer gadget, or that new job, or that specific relationship, or changed circumstance will satisfy the longing of the soul. Discontentment is a self-feeding hunger. It is an inner-agitation or dissatisfaction that the dark side of our lives feeds off of.
The "secret" of contentment.
Today we are concluding our study of Philippians. As you may have already surmised, the concluding verses of Philippians address the subject of contentment. In contrast to discontentment, contentment is having enough. Contentment is having a full tank. It is being satisfied and fulfilled no matter what the circumstances.
Consider Philippians 4:10-13 (NIV). Paul says, "I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
I wonder how many of us believe that we have learned the secret of being content? More often than I would ever like to admit, I look at my lifestyle and wonder if I have learned the secret of being content. Whenever I flip through that colorful bright yellow and blue Best Buy ad, whenever I get that full color Bass Pro Shop fishing catalogue or that full color Woodcrafters catalogue full of the latest woodworking gizmos, I am tempted to be discontented. These companies are masters at sowing seeds of discontent into my soul. All too often I grow weak and succumb to their advertisements.
So what is the secret of being content? And why is it such a big secret anyway?
Notice that contentment is difficult in every circumstance.
Paul had to learn contentment when he was well-fed and hungry, in plenty and in want. Contentment is equally difficult for the rich and the poor alike. It doesn't matter which end of the spectrum you are on. Some of the wealthiest people in the world are just as discontented as some of the poorest people in the world. The rich and poor are discontent because they are trying to squeeze satisfaction out of their wealth and possessions and things that cannot provide ultimate satisfaction.
But the secret to contentment is not found in the accumulation or amassing of stuff. Contentment is found in something that is not contingent on circumstances. In these verses Paul is essentially saying, "I have learned the secret of being content. It is not based on how much stuff I have amassed, how much money I have in stock, what kind of car I drive, what kind of home I live in, what toys I have, the kind of food I eat, the clothes I wear, my circumstances, or anything else like that."
Notice that contentment takes time to understand.
Paul doesn't refer to the secret of being content by accident. This word indicates that contentment isn't something that is readily apparent to the undiscerning or unbelieving mind. The secret of being content isn't a slogan or sound bite that can be plastered on billboards or stuck on the bumpers of our cars. Rather, it something that must be pursued, that can only be discovered with some effort and a degree of inquisitiveness. It is something that we must learn through the school of experience. Paul says, "I have learned the secret of being content...." But having said this, Paul doesn't leave us totally in the dark about contentment.
Notice that Paul clues us into the source of true contentment.
In Philippians 4:10 (NIV)Paul says, "I rejoice greatly in the Lord..." Notice what Paul does not say. He does not say, "I rejoice in your gifts, the money you sent, my circumstances, and all the goods I've got. "Contentment cannot be squeezed out of such things. In Philippians 4:13 (NIV) Paul is more explicit about the source of his contentment. He says, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Finally in Philippians 4:19 (NIV) he says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Paul derived his contentment exclusively from his relationship with Jesus Christ. He found in Jesus Christ every resource he needed to find satisfaction. Paul learned the secret of finding contentment in Jesus Christ during times when he had plenty and when he was well fed, but also in times of deprivation when he was in want and hungry for his next meal.
Contentment in plenty and in want.
Which do you think is harder? Finding contentment in Christ when you have everything, or finding contentment in Christ when you have very little? One reason the poor are more receptive to the good news of Jesus Christ is because they readily discern their discontentment and their need for Christ. The poor have already been programmed by their circumstances to look outside themselves for the resources they need. In this sense, times of deprivation can be a gift from God to awaken our souls to our need to find contentment in Jesus Christ alone.
But living in times of want isn't a ticket to heaven. The poor can be filled with covetousness as they long for the wealth, possessions, and homes of the rich instead of longing for Jesus Christ. This desire, this love for money, can lead a person far away from God. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV)says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
In contrast, the Bible tells us that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. One of the reasons the rich are typically less receptive is that full stomachs can make them numb to their need for something beyond themselves. With a full stomach, a roof over our heads, reliable transportation, and a steady income, it becomes easy for us to believe we can provide everything we need for ourselves. In this sense, times of plenty can be just as much a curse as a blessing.
Mother Teresa said, "You will never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you've got." The point here is that we must learn the secret of contentment in times of plenty and in times of want. And this is a learning and growing process for each of us.
Contentment in Christ alone.
Returning to our text, I wonder if you noticed what I noticed when I first read it? On the one hand Paul was extremely grateful. In Philippians 4:14-20 Paul pens some of the most stirring words of gratitude found in all of the scriptures.
In Philippians 4:14-20 (NIV) he writes, "Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
But did you notice that Paul is extremely cautious about how he gives his thanks here? In Philippians 4:11 (NIV) he qualifies his gratitude. "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." In Philippians 4:17 (NIV) he again qualifies his gratitude, "Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account." In Philippians 4:18 (NIV) he basically exclaims, "Stop it, already! "He says, "I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied..."
It is difficult to know everything that was going through Paul's mind. Was he so full of pride that he couldn't accept the Philippians' gifts? Was he downplaying his need because he was embarrassed by the Philippians' gifts? Was he concerned about what outsiders might think? That they may accuse him of profiting from the gospel and not preaching it for the right reasons? Was he worried that having all his needs satisfied materially might somehow distract him from finding ultimate satisfaction in Jesus Christ? Or was Paul setting an example for the Philippians that they might also find ultimate satisfaction in Jesus Christ?
I think this last statement best describes Paul's cautious gratitude. He was concerned that the Philippians' gifts might reinforce the belief that contentment is found in a full stomach, a stocked cupboard, and a pocket full of cash. He was saying, "Thanks. But just remember that this wasn't necessary. My God was meeting all my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. I had already found satisfaction and contentment in him and you can too!"
You will not find permanent contentment until you have Jesus Christ.
The lesson we should all take from this study of Philippians is simple. If you do not have Jesus Christ, you will not find permanent contentment.
While sitting in jail, Paul found contentment seeing God work in the Philippians. In Philippians 1:6 (NIV) he expresses confidence to them that, "...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
While sitting in jail, Paul found contentment in knowing that the gospel was spreading even through the mouths of his ill-motivated enemies. In Philippians 1:18 (NIV) he says, " But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."
While sitting in jail, Paul found contentment in living for Jesus Christ. In Philippians 1:21 (NIV) he says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
While sitting in jail, Paul found contentment in knowing that his suffering was producing deeper faith in the Philippians. In Philippians 2:17 (NIV) he says, "But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you."
Sitting in jail and uncertain about his future, Paul found contentment reflecting on his hope in Jesus Christ. In Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV) he says, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power than enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
In every circumstance, through the school of experience Paul proved that he had learned the secret of contentment. That is why he said in Philippians 4:13 (NIV), "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Like Paul, we can do all things in Jesus Christ. This morning have you discovered the secret of contentment? Jesus Christ is the person in whom to begin your search for the secret of contentment.