I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭14‬
‭‭Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

When I listen to people talk about areas where they find people who exhibit contagious happiness, it seems as if this is inversely correlated to how wealthy they are. Some of the poorest people are seemingly very happy.

I was recently reading a survey ranking what preppers think are the most likely major events to happen that will change our world. One of the top ones was an EMP attack that takes out the electrical grid. If that happened, what would we do? Well, we would have to go back to old ways of communicating and rely on our neighbors and communities more. Gone would be texting and cell phones, computers, TVs, and many of the household appliances would be rendered useless. We would be back to cooking over a wood fire and handwashing and hanging our clothes out to dry. The question is … would we be happier?

The Apostle Paul was probably the most traveled of the disciples of Jesus. He was in charge of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. I imagine after being shipwrecked, beaten multiple times, falsely accused and put in jail; he probably could keep a “court of complaints” busy for months.

But instead of complaints, dissatisfaction, and envy, Paul displays a calmness and contentment in all circumstances. How does he do this? He has accepted his purpose in life, to be a bondservant of Jesus Christ. He says he has learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.

Now we hear a lot of people going into meditation and clearing their minds. They become content in many ways because they have lowered their expectations, and nothing upsets them anymore. This is not the type of contentment the Apostle Paul is talking about. I know this because just a chapter before, he talks about this intense motivation and passion he has for understanding and knowing Jesus.

So we find a man who, at the same time, has a vibrant passion and contentment. Contentment with no passion is a boring life. Passion without contentment can lead people to get angry or bitter at others. But both are a dynamic duo, because passion drives us, and contentment maintains the peace.

I want passion and drive and contentment and peace. I can only keep these together by the Spirit of God. In order to be more content, we have to be more thankful. We must see God’s hand in the people and circumstances around us and thank him for them.

Lord, I desire to be content in any and every situation. Please help me to be more thankful and have a passionate contentment!