Philippians - Joy In All Seasons
Week 30: The Joy Of Contentment, Part 1

Paul writes that he has “learned” to be content whether in plenty or in need, with the source of his contentment being Christ who strengthens him. Our society often confuses wanting (which can be healthy) with coveting (which enslaves us). True contentment isn’t found in achieving our dreams or accumulating wealth, but in understanding our worth comes from God alone.

God commands us to “not covet.” A command is not a terrible thing when we understand it. A command means it is available to all of us (anyone who receives/trusts Christ as Savior). “Not coveting” is not about being a super Christian; it is about trusting God foremost in our lives. Coveting is not “wanting something really bad;” coveting is an inner grasping that says, “I have to have this or I won’t survive.” Coveting can take over our lives.

Paul says the way we can tell whether we have true or false contentment is how we deal with plenty and want; true contentment is learned, not discovered. The book of Job and Ecclesiastes are like 2 sides of a coin:

• Job is about a man who loses everything and finds out that Jesus is enough.
• Ecclesiastes is about a man who was wealthier than any of us and he finds that he was discontent.

There is a simpler way of life: God made us and knows what we truly need, Him.

Ideals vs. Values – Ideals are what we say we believe; values are what we actually do. True spiritual and emotional adulthood is when we realize we are never going to be happy with or without stuff. When our dreams fail to come true…
A. We can blame things.
B. We can blame ourself.
C. We can blame the universe.
D. We can blame our relationship with God. We can realize that there is a God we were built for. There is a God who, when we know Him, satisfies our desires.

C.S. Lewis says, “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger…there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim…there is such a thing as water…If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse [my desire for that place].”

True contentment is learned – I have learned the secret…I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13.

Paul doesn’t discover the secret; he learns it. It is a process, which means we have to unmask our coveting for what it is. The 1st commandment says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The 10th says, “Don’t covet.” However, they are essentially the same commandment. If we have no other gods before God, we will not covet and will learn contentment.

Learning to be content means we must grow in our relationship with God. We look at the things we know are God’s will for our life and say, “I will trust Him.” Living in shame pulls us away from our relationship with Him; it makes us want to hide and leads to discontent. The Gospel brings renewed life and relationship.

Opening Questions:
• What’s something you really wanted that, when you finally got it, didn’t satisfy you the way you thought it would?

• How would you define contentment?

Discussion Questions:
• Paul says he “learned” to be content in any circumstance. What’s the difference between contentment that is discovered versus contentment that is learned?

• How would you explain the difference between wanting and coveting? When has a “want” in your own life crossed the line into coveting?

• How does Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through him who strengthens me”) relate to contentment? How is this verse often misused?

Personal Application:
Take time this week to identify an area of discontentment in your life. Ask yourself these questions:

• What besides God has my heart’s trust in this area?

• What have I made into an idol that I believe will give me worth or satisfaction?

• How can I “preach the Gospel to myself” in this specific area?

Group Focus:
• As a group, discuss practical ways to support one another in finding contentment in Christ rather than in circumstances. How can we encourage each other to identify and reject the idols that promise contentment but never deliver?

Prayer Focus:
• Pray for God’s Spirit to reveal the idols in our hearts that we’ve been counting on to bring contentment. Ask God to help us learn contentment through deepening our relationship with Christ and finding our worth and identity in Him alone.