The Secret of Contentment

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is filled with joy and affection. When we arrive at Philippians 4:10-13, we see some of the most commonly memorized verses in the Bible - but also some of the most perplexing. How does Paul manage to maintain a firm contentment and joy no matter what he endures? That’s what we’re diving into today!

Paul: A Minister Motivated by Joy, Not Greed

In Philippians 4:10, we see that Paul expresses joy that the Philippians are concerned for him, even if they haven’t had the opportunity to express that concern tangibly. However, one verse later, he says that he is not in need - because he has learned the secret of contentment in all circumstances. This shows us a helpful distinction between what we should expect from godly ministers and worldly leaders.

You might look at Paul’s life and think that he had every reason to speak of being in need. He endured shipwrecks, beatings, persecution, hunger, poverty, and more. Does Paul not have good reason to beg for pity from his fellow Christians and demand their financial support? Not in his eyes. Paul graciously welcomes the concern and support of the Philippians without an ounce of entitlement and without guilting them into it. He gives us an example of a minister motivated by joy - not greed. 

All throughout this book we find lessons that can encourage us in our faith. Among them is a staunch contrast between the modern preachers with private jets and designer watches and mansions to go home to and the humble ministry of Paul - a suffering missionary and apostle who remained joyful through it all. Paul’s ministry is motivated by the elusive joy and contentment that he spends the entire book unpacking for us. Now, we will explore the further verses in this section to understand how we can gain the same contentment and joy that Paul has!

The Elusive Secret of Contentment

Philippians 4:11-13 are some of the most commonly read and memorized verses in the Bible. As we work through this passage, we will explore how we can learn this very dear secret that Paul is communicating to us. The secret of being content. The secret of resting in any and all circumstances that we find ourselves in. Paul says that he has “learned, in whatever situation [he is], to be content” (verse 11). He says that he “[knows] how to be brought low, and [he knows] how to abound;” that “in any and every circumstance, [he] has learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (verse 12). Because of this great secret, he can say with full confidence “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (verse 13).

Paul gives us the secret to the joy that he has alluded to throughout the entire book. There is a secret - that through the Holy Spirit’s help we can learn - that equips us to remain settled whether we are in sickness or health, poverty or wealth. There is a secret skill - that when learned allows you to say with Paul “I have counted all things as a loss that I may be found in Christ” (Philippians 3:7-9) and “do not be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6). There is a secret - that when acquired, allows us to “forget what lies behind and strain toward what lies ahead pressing on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). There is a secret that allows us to say “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). 

That verse is often misquoted by athletes and students and all sorts of people to essentially mean “I can successfully conquer the test in front of me because Christ is going to help me do it.” I can make the hoop, score the goal, pass the test, and find the only good parking spot left in NJ - all because Christ is going to equip me to do so! But that’s quite the opposite of the secret Paul is sharing with us. He’s not sharing with us a recipe for success in all of our worldly endeavors because we are going to supernaturally get power from above to become the best athlete, smartest student, or luckiest NJ driver.

He is sharing with us a mysterious secret to help us become joyful even when all the situations we prayed would work out in our favor do not. This is contentment. Let us define it, that we may learn it with Paul!

Contentment Defined

Jeremiah Burroughs defines contentment as “the inward, peaceful, gracious state of mind, freely submitting to and finding joy in God’s decisions in every situation.” The Greek word for this is “autarkés.” In most of the Bible, this term referred to the self-sufficiency of God. Because He is all, and in all, He needs nothing. He is self-sufficient. The root of the word Paul chooses here is typically used in this manner. And yet Paul uses this phrase to describe a kind of self-sufficiency or satisfaction that comes from living within God’s fullness. 

In other words, because we are fully satisfied in God, we are not in need of anything else outside of God. We are “God-sufficient.” God’s ability to hold all things together and have all things held together in Him creates within us an inner stability or sufficiency that is found from resting in God alone. Contentment leaves no room for codependency - it doesn’t allow our stability to be swayed by external circumstances. Our stability is rooted in the stability of God, the rock of God who never changes.

In his comprehensive work on this passage, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Burroughs further explains what contentment does not mean. It does not mean that…

• You aren’t aware of your suffering

• You can’t express your sorrow to God or friends

• You can’t seek to change your situation by lawful and godly means.

  
  

Contentment is a deep inner peace that doesn’t come from ourselves but comes from God’s Spirit, and enables us to face all circumstances in a settled manner. However, it doesn’t require that you are oblivious to your suffering, that you never voice your concern or pain before God or man, or that you sit there and passively subject yourself to any and all suffering that comes your way. Contentment requires that you be aware of the difficulties you face in order that you might endure him. Much of the Bible is filled with faithful servants of God expressing their sorrow to God. You are given free agency to change your situation as God equips you to and as the law allows you to. What contentment requires, however, is that as long as you find yourself in the situation you are in - you remain at peace in God alone.

Burroughs states that contentment is not compatible with:

• Complaining or grumbling against what God does

• Living in annoyance or irritation

• A restless spirit

• An unsettled or unfocused spirit

• Giving oneself over to worries and fears

• Sinking discouragements

• Sinful shortcuts and evasions for comfort and help

• Rebellion against God

If we find ourselves walking through difficult times and giving into any of these eight habits, we can be sure that we are not at peace. We have not learned this elusive secret of contentment. So how do we gain this treasure?

Contentment Learned Through Experience

Contentment must be learned through experience. Paul says that he knows how to brought low, and he knows how to abound. How did he gain the skill of contentment in all circumstances? He learned it through experience. He learned it by being brought low, and he learned it by enjoying seasons of abundance, and realizing something about himself and something about God in the midst of those seasons.

In chapter 3, we saw Paul express that whatever gain he had, he counted as a loss for the sake of Christ. Paul knew what it was to have wealth, prestige, position, and respect. And yet - coming to Christ often meant that he no longer had those things. But he learned a secret that allowed him to say that all of those positives were nothing compared to Christ. He found something so valuable in Christ that even when all was taken from him - he lacked no good thing. This gave him an inner peace, settledness, and joy.

Some of the experiences Paul faced are listed in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29. They include:

• Imprisonment

• Floggings & lashes

• Near-death experiences

• Being beaten with rods

• Being pelted with stones

• Being shipwrecked 3 times

• Being stuck at sea for days

• Enduring danger from: rivers, bandits, Jews, Gentiles, and false believers

• Enduring danger in: the city, the country, and the sea

• Constant labor

• Sleepless nights

• Dealing with hunger, cold, and poverty

In addition to all of this, Paul had some thorn in the flesh (many theologians believe it was a physical ailment) that he pleaded with God three times to take away and God said no - let my strength be sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Paul went through it! And yet - it was likely these very experiences that taught Paul that elusive secret of contentment in Christ.

In the lowest valleys, Paul was able to learn that he still had all that he needed. Why? Because Christ is so worthy that the sufficiency we find in Him is enough to keep us satisfied even when we have no earthly good. We learn contentment through our experiences. We can’t learn it through academic study, or by observing somebody else’s experience. We can’t acquire it by grit, or by a resolution to remain unfazed by experiences or through emotional detachment.

You can only learn it by submitting yourself to the will of God in such fervency that you allow yourself to be brought low so that you might finally realize that God is all you need. Our painful experiences have the potential to shape us into joyful, enduring, and faithful Christians if we will only let them.

Little of The World, Much of Jesus

There is a great mystery to this Christian virtue of contentment. In it, we find that it is actually preferable to have little in this world, and yet have much of Christ, than to have much of this world, and have not Christ. Proverbs 15:16 says it this way: “Better a little with the fear of the Lord, than great wealth with turmoil.” Burroughs expounds upon this mystery: “A person who is content in a Christian way can be described as the most content person in the world, yet also the most unsatisfied person in the world. These two things together are indeed mysterious…a person with a gracious heart says that…even if they had the essence of all the excellencies of all the creatures in the world, it couldn’t satisfy them. Yet, this person can sing, be merry, and joyful with just a crust of bread and a little water.”

This is the elusive mystery of contentment. That our hearts, as Christians, are too big to be filled with earthly treasures. They are only satisfied in God! They are always looking heavenward, longing for Christ. And yet - we are completely at ease here on earth no matter what our lot is in life. Because if we have nothing here, we know we have all that we need above. The Lord is our shepherd. We shall not want.

I Can Do All Things Through Christ

This secret of contentment is the key to endurance in any and all circumstances we face. The only way to be able to say with Paul “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is to also say with Paul “I have counted all things as loss compared to Christ.” We must learn that our satisfaction can come only from Christ. When we learn this great secret with Paul through experience and the work of the Holy Spirit, we can then gain the same endurance that Paul gained as he labored in love for the Lord.

If you feel at the end of your rope - there is good news for you. It may just be at the end of your rope where you find the strength from Christ to endure beyond what you thought possible. You can do all things through Christ! Not because He will always empower you to find victory and success in this world, but because He will empower you to be at peace when you find no victory or success in this world. May we rest in that together!

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Philippians Week 11: August 17th, 2025. Preached by Julia Castro

Article Edited by Julia Castro