Philippians 4:12 (ESV)
[12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any
and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger,
abundance and need.
We read this verse and we say, “Paul, what is the secret?
You have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
What is it? Please tell us.” But the answer is in the very next verse, “I can
do all things through him who strengthens me” (Ph’p 4:13). The word “secret” is
a word used to refer to an initiation rite for a mystery religion. Paul is
saying that through living with want he has learned to be content. Living with
plenty he has learned to be content. It is through all of Paul’s life
experiences that he has learned that the only contentment is found in Christ.
Many of us say, “I’ve had enough lessons about living in
want. I’d like to learn the abounding part for a while.” But that misses the
point. Have you learned to be content in want? Have you learned that Jesus is
enough? Many who are living with much have not yet learned that. The stuff that
keeps us comfortable, the bank account that allows us to do whatever we want to
do, the abundance that keeps us well fed when others are starving, that
abundance often hinders us from finding our contentment in Christ. If we have
not learned that he is enough in want, how will we ever learn it with wealth?
What was the secret Paul had learned? He learned that Jesus
is enough. Anything more is excess. It’s a secret that we learn through
experience, and it is a secret hard to learn until we are broken. May we learn
to be content with whatever God provides because Jesus is enough.
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