The Secret to Contentment
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
The Secret To Contentment Is To Look To Christ & His Power
This passage has been so abused, it might be hard to see it. It’s been used as a “pump-me-up” verse to pursue anything you want: it’s been used to echo Disney's teaching: “There’s nothing you can’t do! You can do anything you set your heart to! You just gotta believe!”
That’s not Paul’s point. “All things” isn’t just anything – in the context, it’s the highs and lows of the Christian sojourner in a broken, sinful world.
But notice, Paul says, “I can do.” I love that Paul uses the Greek word ischuó here – translated a little too lightly as “can do” here. Ischuo is a bit stronger than that. Literally, Paul’s saying: “I prevail, I have victory.”
This victory life experience Paul’s describing hinges on that little word – “through” – “through Him who strengthens me.” It’s only in Christ this experience can be had – only in the power of God, working through the person of Christ in the Gospel, by His empowering presence through the Holy Spirit – only then, that this victory life is obtained for every circumstance.
Paul exhibited this throughout his life.
For this [for bringing Christians to full maturity in
Christ] I toil, struggling with all his energy that he
powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:29)
by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace
toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I
worked harder than any of them, though it was
not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Cor 15:10)
It’s why Paul exhorts:
be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
might (Ephesians 6:10)
So, the secret and the key to contentment is the power of Christ.
How To Practically Practice The Power Of God By Faith
But it's easy to feel like that's too vague. What does it even mean to walk in Christ's power? “Let go and let God?” “Lie down and let Jesus?” “Jesus take the wheel?” No, it doesn’t mean that. It’s extremely simple, so simple it could fly over our heads, even as a child could understand it. It’s simply faith. Trusting Him, relying on Him, depending on Him, believing His Word.
Let me try to make this real. Like what do you actually do when you’re in the highs and lows – which we all are. Let me give an example of this. When I'm facing both highs and lows, there’s nothing that prepares me more to go in Christ's strength than remembering and believing His Word: Scriptures about Who He is, What He's done, What He's taught, What He’s commanded – taking hold of these things by faith, for fresh grace to do it in His power.
To give more specific examples, when I face burdens, and I’m afraid that I’m doing it alone and that the task is too hard, I remember Jesus’s words:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)
When I hear applause, and I’m tempted to think I’m something when I’m nothing, I remember the Word:
by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think, but to think with sober judgment, each
according to the measure of faith that God has
assigned. (Romans 12:3)
When I sometimes think life lived in God's ways and pleasing to Him is a life that's too difficult and burdensome to live, I remember 1 John 5:3:
For this is the love of God, that we keep his
commandments. And his commandments are not
burdensome. (1 John 5:3)
When I begin to become conceited, and to think that the good things in my life are somehow because of me, I remember the Word:
For from him and through him and to him are all
things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
When I face an insurmountable pile of tasks this week, or I consider an insurmountable amount of long-term goals, or when I consider the overwhelming task of making disciples in Central Vermont or of equipping Christian to be and make disciples of Christ, when I get exhausted by the amount of work, I remember these words:
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they
who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like
eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31)
When I am surrounded by blessings, ease, and comfort, and I begin to forget the Lord, I remember that I must not forget to remember:
take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6:12)
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:2-5)
When I’m anxious that the Word I'm sharing into the lives of those around me (both within and without the church) is falling flat on their lives, and I’m afraid there won’t be any fruit or life transformation, when I’m afraid my work of bringing God’s Word will be in vain, I remember God’s promise in Isaiah 55:10-11:
“as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the
earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it
shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
When I begin to see everything through the lens of "me," and make everything about the idol of Self, I remember this truth:
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
When I'm afraid that I won’t make it through the tests of this life to God’s presence holy and blameless, I remember the words of Jude:
[Christ] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the
presence of his glory with great joy. (Jude 24)
When I’m afraid I don’t have what it takes to face a new day, I remember this promise:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they
are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Conclusion: Put It To Practice
All that to say, there's a simple way to bring God's power into your life. First, find scriptures relevant to the things you face. Second, commit God’s Word to memory so you can recall it and believe it in the midst of your highs and lows. Simply walk by faith in God’s promises. That’s how you access God’s power to face any and every circumstance – that's the key to contentment. May the Lord help us to do this by His grace and for His glory.
The Secret To Contentment Is To Look To Christ & His Power
This passage has been so abused, it might be hard to see it. It’s been used as a “pump-me-up” verse to pursue anything you want: it’s been used to echo Disney's teaching: “There’s nothing you can’t do! You can do anything you set your heart to! You just gotta believe!”
That’s not Paul’s point. “All things” isn’t just anything – in the context, it’s the highs and lows of the Christian sojourner in a broken, sinful world.
But notice, Paul says, “I can do.” I love that Paul uses the Greek word ischuó here – translated a little too lightly as “can do” here. Ischuo is a bit stronger than that. Literally, Paul’s saying: “I prevail, I have victory.”
This victory life experience Paul’s describing hinges on that little word – “through” – “through Him who strengthens me.” It’s only in Christ this experience can be had – only in the power of God, working through the person of Christ in the Gospel, by His empowering presence through the Holy Spirit – only then, that this victory life is obtained for every circumstance.
Paul exhibited this throughout his life.
For this [for bringing Christians to full maturity in
Christ] I toil, struggling with all his energy that he
powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:29)
by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace
toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I
worked harder than any of them, though it was
not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Cor 15:10)
It’s why Paul exhorts:
be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
might (Ephesians 6:10)
So, the secret and the key to contentment is the power of Christ.
How To Practically Practice The Power Of God By Faith
But it's easy to feel like that's too vague. What does it even mean to walk in Christ's power? “Let go and let God?” “Lie down and let Jesus?” “Jesus take the wheel?” No, it doesn’t mean that. It’s extremely simple, so simple it could fly over our heads, even as a child could understand it. It’s simply faith. Trusting Him, relying on Him, depending on Him, believing His Word.
Let me try to make this real. Like what do you actually do when you’re in the highs and lows – which we all are. Let me give an example of this. When I'm facing both highs and lows, there’s nothing that prepares me more to go in Christ's strength than remembering and believing His Word: Scriptures about Who He is, What He's done, What He's taught, What He’s commanded – taking hold of these things by faith, for fresh grace to do it in His power.
To give more specific examples, when I face burdens, and I’m afraid that I’m doing it alone and that the task is too hard, I remember Jesus’s words:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)
When I hear applause, and I’m tempted to think I’m something when I’m nothing, I remember the Word:
by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think, but to think with sober judgment, each
according to the measure of faith that God has
assigned. (Romans 12:3)
When I sometimes think life lived in God's ways and pleasing to Him is a life that's too difficult and burdensome to live, I remember 1 John 5:3:
For this is the love of God, that we keep his
commandments. And his commandments are not
burdensome. (1 John 5:3)
When I begin to become conceited, and to think that the good things in my life are somehow because of me, I remember the Word:
For from him and through him and to him are all
things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
When I face an insurmountable pile of tasks this week, or I consider an insurmountable amount of long-term goals, or when I consider the overwhelming task of making disciples in Central Vermont or of equipping Christian to be and make disciples of Christ, when I get exhausted by the amount of work, I remember these words:
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they
who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like
eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31)
When I am surrounded by blessings, ease, and comfort, and I begin to forget the Lord, I remember that I must not forget to remember:
take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6:12)
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:2-5)
When I’m anxious that the Word I'm sharing into the lives of those around me (both within and without the church) is falling flat on their lives, and I’m afraid there won’t be any fruit or life transformation, when I’m afraid my work of bringing God’s Word will be in vain, I remember God’s promise in Isaiah 55:10-11:
“as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the
earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it
shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
When I begin to see everything through the lens of "me," and make everything about the idol of Self, I remember this truth:
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
When I'm afraid that I won’t make it through the tests of this life to God’s presence holy and blameless, I remember the words of Jude:
[Christ] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the
presence of his glory with great joy. (Jude 24)
When I’m afraid I don’t have what it takes to face a new day, I remember this promise:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they
are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Conclusion: Put It To Practice
All that to say, there's a simple way to bring God's power into your life. First, find scriptures relevant to the things you face. Second, commit God’s Word to memory so you can recall it and believe it in the midst of your highs and lows. Simply walk by faith in God’s promises. That’s how you access God’s power to face any and every circumstance – that's the key to contentment. May the Lord help us to do this by His grace and for His glory.
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