October 25, 2019 I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET
Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,”
Just as I said in the last blog, these verses may sound like a ‘pipe dream’ if we have not discovered our identity in Christ-to know that we are complete in Him and that He is our life. In our culture, we think that it is the norm to seek and to have an abundance of material possessions; and we may even question the work ethic of those who have little in the way of possessions. As you observe our culture, I think you will agree that there seems to be very few who are content in their present circumstance. The good news for us is that if Paul could learn to be content in any circumstance, so can we. How blessed is the one who lives in contentment. Paul had discovered that his life was in Christ and that Christ was in him, no matter what the circumstances may have been. As Paul said, at times he lived with ‘humble means’ and there were times when he lived in ‘prosperity,’ and there were times when he had an ‘abundance’ and there were times of ‘suffering need.’ What is this secret of going hungry and yet at the same time being filled? I think the secret lies in us knowing in our innermost being that we have been made new creations and we have been joined to the Lord; that we are spiritual beings who have eternal life; and that we have tasted of the heavenly and have an understanding of what our future holds as believers. Yet, at the present, we live in flesh and bones in a fallen world. In this fallen world, we have various trials and our circumstances can go from good too bad in a second. But, even in the difficult times, we are remain new creations and we still know that He is with us and is even using the difficulties for our good. Most importantly, we know that the spiritual-the things of God- is far greater than the physical. Once we have tasted of the Lord, once we experience His life in us and our life in Him, and once we know the blessings of walking according to the Spirit, we can and will experience the secret of being content in all circumstances, of being filled and yet going hungry. Let us not overlook this; Paul also learned how to live in prosperity. Wealth and an abundance of material possessions can easily become a spiritual distraction, but wealth in itself is not evil. Perhaps it is a greater miracle to live in contentment in abundance as opposed to living in need-just a thought. The point is, no matter what our circumstances are at the present, we can, just Paul did, know the secret of living in contentment, and we can be filled and yet be hungry-all because He lives in us. Let us not forget that we ‘can do all things through Him who strengthens us.’
Romans 8:37-39 “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, not any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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