GODLINESS AND CONTENTMENT

Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Read: Philippians 4:10-20

My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19

When asked. "How are you?" a custodian would always reply, "I'm blessed!" One day he explained the reason for his answer: "God takes care of me whether I'm having a good day or a bad day. Either way, He made sure I have a job, enough to eat, and enough to live on. Either way, He loves me. So no matter what's going on, I am blessed."
That custodian understood the insight from our verses today. We saw yesterday that Scripture defines "great gain" as having godliness and contentment. Today we see the spiritual secret to being content.

The apostle Paul was writing to the believers in Philippi from prison. In this section, often thanking them for their gifts to him, he declares that despite his difficult circumstances he is content. Note that contentment is necessary whether we have much or whether we have little (v. 12). Either situation can breed a lack of contentment. The secret is to recognize that we live in God's strength and through His grace (v. 13). If we have much, it is from Him. If we have little, He will provide. Living with a focus on God allows us to find the great gain of contentment.

Next, Paul turns to the matter of the gifts from the Philippians. They had a pattern of generosity for the Lord's work, sending financial support to other churches in need as well as supporting Paul financially. Certainly, God used the gifts of the Philippians to provide for Paul, but notice what he says the true blessing is. He doesn't identify his own financial situation as the blessing, but rather that God blesses the sacrificial giving of the Philippians by meeting their needs.

This verse has been twisted by some to mean that if you put a $10 bill in the offering plate, God will give you $100 down the road. God is not the stock market; His dividends are far more valuable than just more cash. He supplies our needs, blessing us through the riches that we have in Christ.

Moody Bible Institute - Today In The Word