Connection that Makes us Content

2 Corinthians 11:23–27 KJV 1900

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Contentment is a hard-earned state of mind in our consumerist culture. We are bombarded by messages designed to persuade us that we need just one more thing for our lives to be perfect. Sometimes we allow ourselves to think that if we were just like that person or if we could do just this one thing, we would finally be satisfied.

Think about the things that keep you from contentment. Paul confronted this type of thinking in his letter to the Philippians.

Consider the crucible in which Paul learned contentment. Likely you have not experienced many of the extreme circumstances he did. But we all experience situations that can cause dissatisfaction. As believers, we are called to learn contentment, as Paul did. We may not have achieved his level of maturity in this area, but the goal is to allow God to teach us contentment as we live in Christ. Are you a student learning contentment regardless of your circumstances?

You probably have a mental list of all the things they need to make them really happy. Whether they acknowledge these things or not, they need to learn now to look to Christ for their ultimate and only source of contentment. Use this lesson to challenge their perception that contentment is contingent upon circumstances.

This lesson addresses the belief that a career and wealth guarantee happiness. In great contrast to this belief, Paul had learned to be content in any circumstance, whether in plenty or in want. He knew the truth: that no circumstances in a sinful, imperfect world can ever provide lasting contentment. No career, possession, or amount of wealth can fully satisfy. By our very nature, humans cannot find true contentment until they fill the spiritual 'I God-shaped" void within them. Only in Christ can we find a contentment that does not depend on circumstances.

The School of Hard Knocks

Gather

• Whiteboard and marker.

Steps

1 . Draw a simple outline of an old schoolhouse on the whiteboard Label it "School of Hard Knocks."

2. Explain the School of Hard Knocks.

Welcome to the School of Hard Knocks! It's the school that teaches life lessons which you can't learn from any book. The lessons are learned by trial and error, by success and failure.

3. Inside the outline on the board write several life lessons that are learned in the School of Hard Knocks (e.g., persistence, patience, time management, being a good friend, diligence, wisdom).

Encourage students to suggest more lessons that come to mind.

4. Ask students to share short stories of times they've learned lessons in one of the "subjects" listed on the board. (And be willing to share a story of your own too!) Talk about learning such lessons.

ASK: How many lessons does it take to completely master one of these "subjects"? They are never truly mastered because they can be applied in different situations and life stages.

ASK: Why can some skills only be learned through life experience? You learn a little from one experience, and then you add to that knowledge through a different experience, and so on. As you learn, you build character, which takes time and experience.

ASK: How do you think God plays a role in our School of Hard Knocks?

5. Transition to the Bible lesson.

Whether we want to be enrolled or not, we're all part of the School of Hard Knocks. Through all sorts of situations, both negative and positive, we are learning lessons. Sometimes it's difficult to remember that God can work through these lessons of life to make us more Christlike. Today's passage reveals a subject Paul had spent a lot of time learning through life experience, and it was through the strength of Christ that he had reached the "top of the class. "

Philippians 4:10–13 KJV 1900

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Paul's comments on contentment seem reversed. Paul begins with the product (his contentment), then presents the process of learning contentment, and ends with the Person Who made Paul's contentment possible. In order to be content, we must know there is a process, and more importantly, a Person Who oversees the learning process.

Contentment Means Living Like Christ

Living joyfully

The Philippian church members had sent Epaphroditus to deliver a financial gift to Paul and to minister to him during his imprisonment (2:25). As Epaphroditus served Paul selflessly, he became a gift in and of himself. Soon he would return to Philippi with Paul's letter to the church. Part of Paul's purpose in sending a letter back to the Philippians was to thank the believers for their gift.

Philippians 4:10 KJV 1900

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

The concept of joy permeates Paul's letter to the church at Philippi, and he used this opportunity to rejoice in the Lord once again for his faithful partners in the gospel. Interestingly, Paul did not mention the Philippians' gift but rather their care for him. They had demonstrated thoughtful concern for him during his bleak confinement in Rome.

Contentment is the channel through which joy flows in our lives. The discontented are miserable, parched, and never satisfied with their lot in life.

ASK: What does the amount of joy in your life reveal about your contentedness?

Living patiently

Evidently the Philippians had long desired to send a gift to Paul but had lacked the opportunity. Possibly they didn't know where Paul was, or perhaps they had no one to make the trip and deliver the gift. When the opportunity to help him surfaced, they had seized it. It was not their lack of interest but unfavorable circumstances that had kept them from helping Paul earlier. Regardless of the reason for the delay, Paul graciously acknowledged their giving spirit that had blossomed into activity again.

ASK: What might Paul have written if he had become impatient with the delay in their giving? It's about time! I'm in bad shape here. Try harder to get me the gift next time.

The contented exhibit patience even in the most trying circumstances. They don't waver in their trust in God or complain when God delays His provision.

Contentment Requires Learning from Christ

Learning to be abased

Philippians 4:11 KJV 1900

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

ASK: What do you think Paul's definition of contentment might have been?

ASK: What words do we generally equate with contentment? Happy, satisfied, full.

Paul wanted the Philippian believers to know he was not rejoicing simply because of their gift, and he certainly was not hinting that he would like another. Paul carefully explained that God had worked in his life to make him content in any situation.

Contentment is not a gift; it is learned by experience. Paul didn't practice contentment naturally. He learned to be content through the circumstances God brought his way. Paul progressively learned not to depend on others or on particular situations to provide fulfillment in his life. Although he was not indifferent or numb to his surroundings, he did not allow his external circumstances to control him.

ASK: How do we often allow our circumstances to control us?

Paul did not seek satisfaction from things that he lacked but had learned to maintain his joy and gratitude, finding his fulfillment in Christ. This independent state allowed Paul to conduct himself according to God's will even when he suffered from a lack of provision.

ASK: Why is contentment such a hard skill to learn? We naturally want more and better things. We compare our lives to others and want something different than what we have. We are constantly tempted to be discontent.

The more we allow ourselves to dwell on our lack of satisfaction in life, the more we are drawn to the things of the world, leading to attitudes of greed or jealousy. But when we learn contentment in Christ, we will have His peace and His attitudes within our hearts in all circumstances.

Philippians 4:12 KJV 1900

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Paul had to learn what to do when God allowed him to be abased or brought low.

1 Corinthians 4:11 KJV 1900

Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;

ASK: What do Paul's experiences reveal about circumstances and contentment? There are no circumstances in which contentment isn't required or possible. Paul experienced terrible circumstances but learned to be content in them all.

Paul had faced frequent imprisonments, stoning, close encounters with death, numerous beatings, and shipwrecks; he had experienced hunger, cold, and nakedness. Paul knew how to be abased, to suffer, to be hungry. Through all these experiences, Paul had developed the spiritual maturity to endure trials with grace, trusting in God to provide. No doubt, he saw all of these hardships as means to becoming more like Christ, sharing in His sufferings.

Acts 16:25 KJV 1900

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

ASK: How did Paul and Silas express their contented peace even when imprisoned in Philippi? They sang at midnight in prison.

Learning to be abased takes a surrender of the demand to control our lives. It means trusting God fully to meet our needs in His time.

Learning to abound

Paul also knew how to abound, or to be full. Paul had stayed at the home of a wealthy, prominent Philippian woman, Lydia (Acts 16:14, 1 5), and many scholars believe he came from a prosperous Jewish family. It might seem strange to think one might need to learn how to handle prosperity, but those lessons are perhaps the hardest ones to learn.

ASK: Why do people need to learn contentment even when they have all their needs met? Enough is never enough for our greedy hearts. Even when we have al/ we need, we can be discontented with what we have and want more, different, or better.

ASK: Do you think it's harder to be content with little or content with much? Why?

Perhaps Paul learned to be content with much during the days he had suffered hunger and need. Sometimes we don't realize how good we have it until we lose it all. When we do have something again, we appreciate it more.

Learning to abound means to praise God for His blessings and to look for ways to use it to help others in need. That's what Lydia had done. The Philippians met in her home (Acts 16:40). She used her wealth to spread the gospel. Perhaps her testimony also influenced Paul.

Contentment Takes Leaning on Christ

ASK: How would a typical teenager finish this statement: " If I only had , I would be content"? More money, a car, a scholarship, a boyfriend/girlfriend, nice clothes.

In today's society, we're led to believe that external circumstances can determine our contentment. Certainly, things like relationships, careers, and financial concerns have significance in our lives, but none of them can guarantee contentment. Paul's contented state came from something deeper than his situation, something apart from poverty or prosperity. Paul had learned the secret of contentment in any circumstance is dependence on Christ for courage and strength.

Leaning on Christ for strength

Philippians 4:13 KJV 1900

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Paul chose a word for "content" often used by the Stoics of his day. The Stoics' highest aim was to develop a state of mind that let them feel self-sufficient. Their goal was to break the natural human tendency to depend on things and people. They believed they could eventually reach a state of being in which nothing was essential. Epictetus wrote,

"Begin with a cup or a household utensil; if it breaks, say, 'l don't care.' If you go on long enough and if you try hard enough, you will come to a state when you can watch your nearest and dearest suffer and die, and say, 'l don't care."'

What was the difference between the Stoic and Paul if they both used the same word? Stoics depended on themselves—their willpower, their work, their strength—to get them through life. Paul, on the other hand, remained independent of circumstances because he remained dependent on Christ.

"l can do all things" is the philosophy of a self-made man or woman. Paul said, 'I l can do all things through Christ. " People may try other substitutes in their search for power, but substitutes fall sadly short of the goal. Mankind cannot do all things through money; people cannot do all things through education. Every substitute will fail. Only through Jesus Christ could Paul be truly content no matter his circumstances because Christ constantly infused him with strength. Paul's contentment was founded in a Person, not in circumstances.

ASK: What are some situations in which a young person might need to lean on Christ for strength? Enduring the illness or death of a parent, dealing with financial strain at home, struggling to forgive someone.

In life difficulties, we cannot depend on our own human strength. Consider a newly planted sapling in a storm. If the young tree has not been supported with a strong stake, it will be blown and bent in all directions by the wind. Our lives without Christ can be compared to saplings in the wind. When we stake our contentment on the work and Person of Christ, we are able to resist the swaying control of our circumstances. We can be constantly content in Him because He never changes!

Leaning on Christ for courage

ASK: Does Philippians 4:13 mean that we can meet any challenge we set before ourselves in the power of Jesus? No. In context, it means Jesus gives us strength to be content in poor situations and in good situations equally—to continue living for Christ through all challenges.

We cannot claim this verse for anything we choose to do ourselves, thinking that God will bless whatever enterprise we attempt. We cannot expect His blessing on the decisions we make without consulting Him. On the other hand, if we're seeking God's will, we can trust Him to provide all we need to fulfill His purpose for us. In Christ, God gives us courage to do His will, even when He calls us to do something challenging or difficult.

Paul desired to live for Christ, proclaiming the gospel wherever he found himself. Whatever task God had set for him, Paul found the courage to accomplish it. We, too, can take heart from Paul's declaration. When we are in Christ, we draw our courage from Him to do whatever He asks of us, even if the task seems impossible or, as in Paul's case many times, dangerous. We are not asked to deny our anxieties or to pretend that difficult situations don't exist. Rather, we can bring them to the Lord, Who gives us the courage to act.

ASK: What are some examples of situations in which a young person might need to lean on Christ for courage? Taking a stand for Christ in the face of ridicule, following God's direction to witness to a friend, following God's call into full-time Christian service.