Contentment

Everyone seems to have a secret way of doing things. A secret way to lose weight. A secret way to get ahead in life. A secret way to cook. A secret way to get a deal on something. A secret way to know God and to get Him to do what you want Him to do. I do not believe in these kinds of secrets.  

The Apostle Paul did learn a secret way of living that I am very interested in... the secret of contentment.  

I know how to live when I am poor and when I have plenty.  
I have learned the secret of how to live through any kind of situation— 
when I have enough to eat or when I am hungry, when I have everything  
I need or when I have nothing.  
Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do. 
- Philippians 4:12, 13 (ERV)  

 So, there’s the secret he learned – to be content because he knew by experience that Christ would give him the strength he needed in any situation, whether he had everything or very little, and he learned to live in that strength.  

So maybe you are like me. I think at times, “I will be content when... this event goes well, or we pay off this bill, or we can go on vacation, or have some time off, or get through this trial.”

Contentment is always out there. Just off in the future. Around the corner. It is rarely where I am at the moment; it is always something to look forward to. And then, when I arrive at where I hoped to find contentment, I find that it is not where I thought it would be.

Paul learned to be content in the moment. At any moment. At every moment. Perhaps it took him a while to learn it, but when he did, it seems to have stuck.  

He learned to live in the strength Christ gave him. He must have learned to always be in the moment – whether we might consider it good or bad, did not matter to Paul, to him it was a moment to find strength in the Lord. That way nothing could assail him that would upset his contentment. The strength of Christ was his secret and flowed out of his daily walk with Christ. Christ is an eternal fountain of strength and comfort. The secret then is to be in Christ no matter the moment.  

It is a secret that I am seeking for my life and my walk with Jesus. To not get caught up in the moment but be caught up with Jesus. In order to learn the secret, I need to walk with Christ through every moment and listen for His voice – the voice of peace and security. The voice of the one who can meet all my needs. The voice of the one who will strengthen me, no matter the circumstances.  

May you live in His contentment today.