Welcome back to Week 5, the last week of my current blogging series, where for the month of January I've been reading, journaling, and writing through the Book of Philippians. This final week covered Philippians 3, from verse 15 - 21, and Chapter 4: 1 - 20. For this week's reflection, I'll be focusing on Philippians 4: 11 - 19 ...
"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.
At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."
I love how Pastor Greg Allen describes the Book of Philippians: "For as small as it is, there is an amazing amount of profound theology and good practical Christian instruction in Philippians. But did you know that the primary reason Paul wrote it was as a ‘thank-you’ note? He was in prison at the time—most likely in Rome—suffering for his faithful preaching of the gospel. His dear brothers and sisters in Christ in the city of Philippi had heard of his difficult situation; and they had collected an offering to help meet his needs. They sent it to him by the hand of a faithful Christian named Epaphroditus; and Paul wrote this ‘thank you’ letter for Epaphroditus to take back with him when he returned home."
This description made me giggle ... As a former public school teacher, I spent many hours trying to teach my students not only the correct format, but also the etiquette behind writing a thank you letter to someone. Letter writing in general is a dying art today, and thank you letters are rare. I've tried teaching my sons the importance of acknowledging gifts, and how doing so in writing really honours the gift-giver. But, I'm lucky if they text the person more than, "Thank you for the gift"!
Yet here we have Paul's 4 chapter thank you note to the Philippian church - I imagine my students and my sons would weep if I showed them this as a template in a lesson on how to express thanks eloquently!
So, what stood out for me in this passage?
Firstly, Paul says in verse 11 that he has "learned how to be content" ... So often I hear believers who behave badly ( in a Biblical sense, e.g. speaking negatively, giving in to doubt and fear, refusing to give up habitual sins, etc.) use the excuse of "I can't help it, it's just in my nature", or "I'm only human, I can't help feeling like this", or "Yes, but, that's my personality". Paul shows us in this verse that we are not slaves to our personality or our bad habits or our old nature, but rather that we can learn to behave in ways that aren't natural to us, but are pleasing to the Father and in line with our new natures in Christ.
Secondly, Paul is gracious to the people of the church in Philippi. I've commented on this in previous weeks, how much Paul loves these people! They weren't a project for him, and he's not a "fly by night" apostle - he builds genuine relationships with people. Although he tells them in verse 11 that he didn't really need their gift, in verse 14 he praises them for their help, and he is deeply grateful for their kindness and generosity. Paul even mentions the the Philippian church as an example in his 2nd letter to the Corinthian church, honouring them for "giving themselves especially to the Lord, then to us." (2 Corinthians 8: 5 HCSB)
Thirdly, if you read on in this letter, you discover that, to some degree, the Philippian Christians actually gave more to Paul than they were able to afford. In verse 18, he describes their gift as "a sweet-smelling sacrifice", indicating that they put themselves in need to help him. Looking at 2 Corinthians 8 again, Paul testifies that the Philippians gave "according to their ability and beyond their ability." (2 Corinthians 8: 3 HCSB)
It's easy to give when it's easy to give, but the Lord is pleased and glorified when our giving to His work is "an acceptable sacrifice".
Finally, we see in verses 11 - 13 that Paul's sense of happiness or contentment, even while in the difficult circumstance of imprisonment in a dark Roman jail, wasn’t dependent on the gift he'd received. Nor, in fact, was it dependent on any external circumstance or material supply at all.
"I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Philippians 4: 11 - 13 NLT)
As far as Paul was concerned, his contentment was based on a Person — Jesus Christ. And it was only through Him that he was able to be content in all circumstances of life. He was in a jail cell; but he was content because he wasn’t in that cell all alone. He had complete contentment and inner satisfaction that came from his deep fellowship with Jesus Christ; and he wanted them to know this so that they too could share in the secret to contentment that he himself had learned.
If we think back to what Paul said in the previous chapter about realising that the things he used to value being meaningless in the light of his salvation and eternity, we find an echo of those thoughts here. Whether Paul has much or little in material terms, he knows that without Christ he actually has nothing and can do nothing. But because of Jesus, Paul has what Ray Stedman calls "the out-living of an in-dwelling life." It's Christ in us Who is sufficient for every situation, and it is only Christ who is available to us in any and every circumstance.
This is the "secret" that Paul wants the Philippian Believers to gain, and it's the same pathway to a joyful and contented life that's available to us today.
I'd like to end this post with another quote from Pastor Greg Allen: "As followers of Jesus in this fallen world, we need to reflect the kind of attitude of contentment in Christ that inspires the unbelieving people of this world to desire a relationship with Him too.
As a pastor, one of the great frustrations I feel is that of seeing so many of my professing brothers and sisters struggle with the problems and troubles of life—and the whole while long, not see them take hold of the unlimited resources for life that are made available to them through Jesus Himself.
The troubles and trials of life can be overwhelming at times. But the Bible makes it clear that the Lord Jesus is our Helper in all the troubles of life. And yet, I fear that too many of us who profess a knowledge of Jesus look for that help in other things than Him. And as a result, many of us suffer with a prevailing attitude of discontent.
Now; Paul had hard circumstances too. In fact, he suffered in some unimaginably horrible ways and through some terrible circumstances of trial and need. And yet, I believe him when he says that he had learned the secret of contentment in all circumstances of life. He pointed to Jesus as the answer; that through Jesus he was able to do ‘all things’—that through Christ who strengthened him, he was able to endure contentedly in the midst of all his outward trials."