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In Philippians 4:11, the apostle Paul said he learned “how to be content.” How did he do that? Over his years living the Christian life, Paul learned contentment does not depend upon circumstances. Happiness in life can exist in poverty or in riches. It is not the presence or absence of money that determines whether people can be happy. Instead, it is learning contentment without any circumstances at all. In Philippians 4:12, Paul wrote, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”
We sometimes believe it is easier to know how to be “abased,” that is “how to live with almost nothing.” The trick to it is refusing to allow the absence of money to define your life. Conversely, people often believe they would have no trouble at all living with plenty of money. Being rich, they think, would solve all their problems. Such is just not the case. There have been plenty of people who thought that if they just won the “lottery,” they would be set for life. Not much later, they discovered that just wasn’t true.
There is the New Jersey woman who won $5.4 million in the lottery and proceeded to lose every dime she ever had gambling. Then, there was the Pennsylvania man who won $16.2 million. His girlfriend sued him for a share of his winnings and won. His brother tried to have a hit man kill him hoping to inherit some of the money. Now, he lives on food stamps and $450 per month. A Michigan man won $3.1 million in the state’s lottery. Two years later, he was divorced, lost custody of his children, became addicted to crack cocaine and was charged with attempted murder. He lost all his money paying for his drug habit.
Paul wrote Timothy saying, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy,” (1 Timothy 6:17). The rich can fall into the trap of depending on their wealth to see them through any day’s problems. Yet, money goes away much more quickly than anything in life. It is impossible to trust in it.
Paul’s recipe for contentment is, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Let us learn this secret of contentment from God.
John Henson
Grand Blanc Church of Christ
Grand Blanc, MI