Contented In The Circumstances

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need...And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:11-13, 19)

My heart goes out to the parent who promises their children that if they are good, the child will get to choose what kind of toy they get at the store. The lesson is usually learned during subsequent trips to the store that the toys become bigger and more expensive to the parent and less and less satisfying to the child.
Often we operate on a similar rewards system with God. We think if we are good enough, God will bless us with what we want. The problem is that we really cannot be content with what we want. Want is always found wanting. Wanting is never satisfied. When we view God as some kind of cosmic benevolent grandfather who gives in order to reward good behavior, we have set ourselves up for disappointment and dissatisfaction with God. We will be painfully disillusioned with Him.
Once we understand that God gives because He loves, we are not the same. His measure of grace is not measured by our merit. He gives more of His grace to us who seem the least deserving. Paul was one of those who learned how to be content. He believed that contentment began with our acceptance of God’s grace. Some thoughts on today’s passage:
I. WE ARE NATURALLY DISSATISFIED. We are born wanting. We want because we do not have all we need inside ourselves. We are born without our greatest need being met...a personal, intimate relationship with God. So we strive all our lives to find that which we lack. And all but God Himself does not satisfy. Paul wrote that he did not speak from his position of wanting. This is because he was no longer a natural man, but a supernatural one. He had found Someone who satisfies.
II. CONTENTMENT IS A LEARNED CONDITION. We must practice contentment. We do this when we practice gratitude. When we examine what we have been given, what we share with Christ, and evaluate the grace of God, we will find ourselves humbled and in most cases contented. The more we practice gratitude, the more contented we will become. Contentment comes with maturity. It comes with the knowledge of God’s nature and intimacy with Him.
III. SATISFACTION IS KNOWING THAT GOD IS ALL WE NEED. Conversion comes before contentment. The old saying, “When all you really have is God, you’ll find you have all you really need”, is a truth we can all live by. Jesus satisfies. If it does not come from God, it’s probably something that we don't really need. We need to be like God.