December 11, 2023 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; and 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.”
What Paul says in the above verses is amazing. I dare say that not many have learned the secret that Paul had learned. The nature of man is to not be content until he gets what he wants-and even when he gets what he wants, the satisfaction does not last. One may be content when things are as he or she desires them to be, but it is something else to be content when things are not as they want them to be-that kind of contentment must be learned. We may ask if it is really possible to be content in all circumstances. If you or I were to lose our source of income, were to experience bad health, lose a loved one, or whatever, would we no longer be content. Those are tough questions for sure. Contentment does not just drop of the sky; it must be learned. Of course, it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to learn this awesome secret that Paul learned. It also involves having a deep, abiding trust in God, believing in our innermost being that nothing comes into our lives that God does not allow, and that God is always working, no matter the circumstances. (There is a word of caution for us; we must not become lackadaisical in our spirt and in our thought life; it is God who works, but He also calls us to work with Him as He works in us, and we are to be good stewards in life.) Paul learned how to be content whether he was filled or whether he was hungry, or whether he had abundance or suffered need. Wow! I can’t explain it. I do know it involves being completely abandoned to the Lord and yielding our total being to His purposes. It is knowing that things will not always be as we like. It is knowing that He never forsakes us-that He is always present. And, sometimes I think it is just simply ‘holding on,’ or enduring the difficulties we are experiencing as we wait for His deliverance. Paul knew this for sure: He could do all things through Him who strengthened him. As believers, we must know that as well. So, in the difficulties and in the good times, let us be conscience of the presence of the Lord and know beyond any shadow of doubt that we are in His care. His deliverance may be immediate or it may be later-BUT He will comfort us and strengthen us in the present, and use the difficulties for good. Let us be about learning the secret-secrets are hidden, but God reveals them to those who search for them.
2 Corinthians 12:10 “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then i am strong.”
Blessings, Buddy
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; and 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.”
What Paul says in the above verses is amazing. I dare say that not many have learned the secret that Paul had learned. The nature of man is to not be content until he gets what he wants-and even when he gets what he wants, the satisfaction does not last. One may be content when things are as he or she desires them to be, but it is something else to be content when things are not as they want them to be-that kind of contentment must be learned. We may ask if it is really possible to be content in all circumstances. If you or I were to lose our source of income, were to experience bad health, lose a loved one, or whatever, would we no longer be content. Those are tough questions for sure. Contentment does not just drop of the sky; it must be learned. Of course, it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to learn this awesome secret that Paul learned. It also involves having a deep, abiding trust in God, believing in our innermost being that nothing comes into our lives that God does not allow, and that God is always working, no matter the circumstances. (There is a word of caution for us; we must not become lackadaisical in our spirt and in our thought life; it is God who works, but He also calls us to work with Him as He works in us, and we are to be good stewards in life.) Paul learned how to be content whether he was filled or whether he was hungry, or whether he had abundance or suffered need. Wow! I can’t explain it. I do know it involves being completely abandoned to the Lord and yielding our total being to His purposes. It is knowing that things will not always be as we like. It is knowing that He never forsakes us-that He is always present. And, sometimes I think it is just simply ‘holding on,’ or enduring the difficulties we are experiencing as we wait for His deliverance. Paul knew this for sure: He could do all things through Him who strengthened him. As believers, we must know that as well. So, in the difficulties and in the good times, let us be conscience of the presence of the Lord and know beyond any shadow of doubt that we are in His care. His deliverance may be immediate or it may be later-BUT He will comfort us and strengthen us in the present, and use the difficulties for good. Let us be about learning the secret-secrets are hidden, but God reveals them to those who search for them.
2 Corinthians 12:10 “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then i am strong.”
Blessings, Buddy
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