Being Content
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 Philippians 4:11-13
Most of us are familiar with ‘I can do everything through him who gives me strength’ but probably not with the context.
Paul is not only in prison but has been there for some time (v.10 ‘at last you have renewed your concern for me’). Suddenly, Epaphroditus has turned up all the way from Philippi with news of the church there and their gift for Paul. The church has faced persecution but remained faithful to Jesus. Their financial gift must have been substantial to warrant Epaphroditus bringing it all the way personally.
Paul is saying in this text that his gratitude for the money doesn’t mean he was the sort of person who would grumble if he hadn’t been looked after. He had learnt through bad times and good to be content, whether he had a little or a lot. This is all the more remarkable when you remember that Roman prisons ordinarily didn’t supply food to prisoners. They had to fend for themselves. Paul’s secret was ‘him who gives me strength.’
Do you only experience Christ’s strength when everything’s going well? What are you like when life turns against you? Jesus is just as real in times of seeming poverty as He is in times of abundance.
If a man in prison for a long time with very little to eat can find Christ in the midst, how much more can you in what you’re going through now?
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