How To Be Content With A Little - Philippians 4:11-13 Series

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. … whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

He knew what it was like to be poor – so poor that he had to go without food (something we have no concept of in our culture – we think we are struggling financially if we can’t eat out as often as we would like , and we have to have home cooked meals instead. None of us know what it’s like to go long periods without any food because of poverty). And he also knew what it was like to be rich and have an over-abundance of money. Some people have read this and thought, When was Paul ever rich?” I can tell you one time – when he wrote this letter!

18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.

How often do you ever hear a missionary say that? “We’ve got way more money than we need at this point.” But that’s exactly what Paul is saying here.

And it’s a little surprising given the fact that Paul is in prison. He could probably carry all his possessions in a backpack at this point. Hardly a situation that most of us would consider a time of great wealth. But he had more money than he needed, and so for him, that was a time of abundance and wealth.

How could Paul do that? How do you sit there in chains, dependent on gifts arriving in the mail to even eat, and think you’re in one of those times of special financial prosperity? By focusing on what God gave him instead of on what God hadn’t given him. And by setting his heart on the progress of the gospel, rather than on comfort. You and I live in so much luxury, that we assess how well we are doing by our level of comfort. Instead of asking, “Can I get from point A to point B to carry out my calling?” we want heated leather seats and a backup camera. We’re so wrapped up in comfort – which is deadly. But for Paul, it wasn’t a question of whether he was comfortable. It was a question of whether he could carry out the work of the ministry effectively.

Ok, so the first part of our double major - learning contentment when you have a lot, and when you receive blessings , is all about seeing God’s love in the blessings, so that your happiness is joy in the Lord, not joy in the blessing. He rejoiced in the Lord because of the Philippians’ love.

Contentment with a Little

So that’s how to be content when you have a lot, but what about the other side – being content with a little? How can we learn that? Because that’s the one that really scares us, right? So how do we learn how to be content with a little? It has to do with your perspective, and Paul gives us insight into that perspective in v.12.

Humbled by Suffering

And it’s really clear in the ESV translation of v.12. 12 I know how to be brought low That’s the perspective that enables contentment – a perspective of lowliness and humility and submissiveness to God’s providence. The NIV translates v.12 - I know what it is to be in need I think the ESV translation is more helpful because it’s not the same Greek word translated need in the previous verse. This word in v.12 means more than just being in need. It means to be humbled. In fact, it’s the exact same word used back in 2:8 where it says Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death… So back up and look at what Paul is saying here. He describes the two extremes three times, each with a little different wording. Going hungry vs. being well-fed. Living in want vs. living in plenty. And being humbled vs. having abundance. So on the rich side of the spectrum, he describes that as being well-fed, living in plenty, and having abundance – three ways of describing the same thing. On the poverty side, he says going hungry, living in want, and being humbled. So do you see what he’s doing there? When you learn the secret of contentment, being poor, going without, not getting what you want – those are all synonymous with being humbled. You allow those things to humble you. You place yourself in a submissive posture to what God is doing. That’s what I mean by the perspective of contentment. The perspective of a contented heart is one that sees itself as under the providential hand of God, rather than above it.