Slow Down by Learning Contentment

In Philippians 4:11 I read, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (NIV)

I’m learning that If I’m serious about slowing down, I shouldn’t start with my schedule, rather start with my heart.

Paul says in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (NIV). Notice that Paul says he has “learned” contentment. Unfortunately we are not by nature contented people. It is our nature to be discontent—to want things to be different, to want them to be better. But if I’m going to slow down my life, I have to learn contentment. And I can only do that over time.

Paul explains what it looks like to be content. He says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:6-8 NIV).

Paul is emphasizing that life isn’t about things. A person who is content can acknowledge, “I didn’t have anything before I was born; I’m not going to have anything after I die. Yes, I need things, but they’re not what life is about—so I’ll just be content with what I’ve got.”

Contentment is not abandoning ambition; we need to have ambition and make the most of what God has given us. Contentment doesn’t mean we don’t have any goals, dreams, or plans for life. In fact, God says it’s good to have godly ambition.

Contentment means this; We don’t need more in order to be happy; we can be happy right now with what we’ve been given.

Happiness is a choice. In other words, I can be as happy as I choose to be! Furthermore, I can’t blame unhappiness on circumstances. If I’m not happy with my current circumstances, I’ll likely not be happy with different ones. We live on a broken planet, and nothing is perfect; there will always be something wrong in life.

God wants me to learn to be happy in spite of difficult situations by trusting that he will give me exactly what I need when I need it. Learning contentment is a process. So commit to starting that process today!

In summary, we can learn to be content with whatever we have or whatever our situation is. The secret is doing everything through Christ who will provide us strength. This includes my work situation. We can learn to rely on God's promises and Christ's power to help us be content. He will supply all our needs, but only in a way that he knows is best for us. Often a desire for more or better is really a longing to fill an empty place in my life. The answer will be in our perspective, priorities, and source of power. The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. As For me, as I contend for faith, I will face troubles, pressures and trials. As they come, I can ask Christ to strengthen me. True contentment is enjoying what I have right now rather than waiting for something else to happen. It means that I'm happy with what I have. Peace of mind will beat relentlessly chasing for more every single time.  

Contentment Is a Sign of Spiritual Maturity

In Ecclesiastes 6:9 I read, “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.” (GNT)

Instead of being regretful, I need to be grateful. Instead of complaining, I need to remember that everything is a gift from God.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:7-8, “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need” (The Message).

Envy always asks, “Why them? Why does he have better health? Why does that person have a job and spouse, and I have neither?”

Gratitude says, “Why me? Why do I get to drink clean water when so much of the world doesn’t? Why am I not under persecution? Why am I not thrown into prison for my faith?”

Envy is based on the myth that I must have more in order to be happier. But it’s just not true. Happiness is a choice. If I’m not happy now, I’m not going to be happy with more. I’m as happy as I choose to be.

Ecclesiastes 6:9 says, “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else” (GNT). This is called contentment—and I need to learn it.

Why? Because by nature no one is content! It is not natural to be content. But it is mature to be content. Babies are discontented. Unless everything is going their way, they’re not satisfied. Maturity is learning to be content when things are not going my way. It’s better to be satisfied with what I have than to always want something more.

Let me clarify. Envy is not desire; desire is good. Envy is not ambition; ambition is good. I ought to be ambitious and work for good things in your life. Envy is not a dream; I ought to have a dream in my life. Envy is not setting goals; dreams, ambitions, goals, and desires are all things that God puts in me.

Envy is resenting other people who have something already and believing the lie that I can’t be happy until I get it too. Instead, learn to be grateful for who I am and what I have. It’s all a gift from God!

In summary, Instead of being regretful, I need to be grateful. Instead of complaining, I need to remember that everything is a gift from God. Isn’t everything I have and everything I am are gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? I already have all I need. Envy asks, Why them? Gratitude says, Why me? Why do I get... Envy is based on the myth that I must have more in order to be happier. Happiness is a choice. I’m as happy as I choose to be. It is better to be satisfied with what I have than to be always wanting something else. This is called contentment. By nature no one is content! It is not natural. But it is mature. Maturity is learning to be content when things are not going my way. It’s better to be satisfied with what I have than to always want something more. Envy is not desire. Envy is not ambition. Envy is not a dream. Envy is not setting goals. Dreams, ambitions, goals, and desires are all things that God puts in me. Envy is resenting other people who have something already and believing the lie that I can’t be happy until I get it too. Instead, learn to be grateful for who I am and what I have. It’s all a gift from God! 

Enjoying What God Has Given Me

In Ecclesiastes 5:19 I read, “If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God.” (GNT)

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:17 that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (NIV). That’s the kind of God we serve. He gave me the world for my enjoyment! But here’s the problem: I’m so busy getting more that I don’t enjoy what I have.

The secret of contentment is to learn to enjoy what God has given me. Ecclesiastes 5:19 says, “If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God” (GNT).

Instead of grasping for more, pay attention to what I have now. Open my eyes, appreciate what God has already given me, and enjoy what I’ve got.

I need to ask myself, “What am I not enjoying right now?” Most of us get into what I call “when and then” thinking: “When this happens, then I’ll be happy.”

But the truth is: I’m as happy as I choose to be. If I’m not happy now, I’m not going to be happy later. Happiness is a choice! Happiness has nothing to do with my circumstances and everything to do with my attitude.

If I’m not happy with what I’m living on right now, it's guaranteed that I’m not going to be happy with more. Because no matter what I have, I”m always going to want a little bit more.

Happiness is a choice. Choose right now to enjoy what God has given you!

In summary, God richly provides me with everything for my enjoyment”. But here’s the problem: I’m so busy getting more that I don’t enjoy what I have. The secret of contentment is to learn to enjoy what God has given me. Enjoy what God gives me. I should be grateful for it's a gift from God. Instead of grasping for more, pay attention to what I have now. Appreciate what God has already given me, and enjoy what I’ve got.  Avoid getting into “when and then” thinking: “When this happens, then I’ll be happy.” I’m as happy as I choose to be. Happiness is a choice! It has nothing to do with my circumstances and everything to do with my attitude. So choose right now to enjoy what God has given me!

It's good for me to enjoy what God has provided me with, (my wealth and my health). To be able to enjoy my work and accept my place in life. These are all gifts from God. This means I need to view what I have with the right perspective, they are all gifts from Him. Allow my focus to be on the Giver and not the gifts. The truth is that I'm as happy as I choose to be. Happiness has nothing to do with my circumstances. It has everything to do with my attitude. Happiness is a choice. Choose to enjoy what God has given me right now. 

To Get Happiness, Give Your Life Away

In Philippians 1:21 I read, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (NIV)

I’m learning that happiness comes from serving and giving my life away. Until I understand this, I’m going to struggle to be happy in my life. Happiness comes from self-sacrifice, not self-gratification. 

The Apostle Paul could say that he was happy because, even in the dark times of his life, he was giving his life away to help others.

Can I say that about my life? I’ll never be able to say that when I am living for myself, because I’ll never find happiness in status or salary or sex. 

Paul knew that to be happy, he had to stay focused on his purpose and not his problems. He sums up his purpose in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NIV).

If I was asked to fill in the blank, what word would I use? “For me, to live is ______.” Would it be entertainment? Sports? Clothes? Family? Friends? A career? I could fill in that blank with a lot of things that are not bad, things that are good in and of themselves. But nothing deserves the place of the One who created me and gave me my life: Jesus Christ.

How I fill in that blank will determine how happy I am in life. If I answer “money” or “success” or “pleasure” or “power,” I’m going to be unhappy for most of my life. The issue isn’t whether there’s something wrong with those things; they just don’t deserve first place.

I wasn't created to make a bunch of money, then die and have it given away. God has a far greater purpose for my life.

There is only one answer that leads to happiness: To live is Christ. To get the life I really want, learn to give my life away.

In summary, happiness comes from serving and giving my life away. Happiness comes from self-sacrifice, not self-gratification. Paul could say that he was happy because, even in the dark times of his life, he was giving his life away to help others. I’ll never be able to say that when I am living for myself, because I’ll never find happiness in status or salary or sex. To be happy, Paul had to stay focused on his purpose and not his problems. He sums up his purpose, to live is Christ and to die is gain”. If I was asked to fill in the blank, what word would I use? “To live is ______.” I could fill in that blank with a lot of things that are not bad, things that are good in and of themselves. But nothing deserves the place of the One who created me and gave me my life: Jesus. How I fill in that blank will determine how happy I am. I wasn't created to make a bunch of money, then die and have it given away. God has a far greater purpose. Only one answer that leads to happiness: “To live is Christ”. To get the life I really want, learn to give my life away.

To live is Christ and to die is gain. to live means to develop eternal values and to tell others about Christ. Paul's whole purpose, and one that I should make mine, is to speak out boldly for Christ and to become more like him. What I'm learning is that happiness comes from service and giving my life away. Paul knows that to be happy, he must stay focused on his purpose and not his problems. Nothing deserves the first place in my life than the one who created me and gave me life; Jesus. God has a far greater purpose for my life. So there is only one answer that leads to happiness: to live is Christ. So I need to learn to give my life away. It is my purpose.