1.What Creates Contentment

2.What Kills Contentment

3.What Cultivates Contentment

1.What was helpful to you in this week’s sermon? What didn’t you understand?

2.Think of an amazing discovery you made (e.g. a helpful habit you discovered, a recipe, money you found, a family heirloom you unearthed, a friendship with an unexpected person, etc.). What was it? Share how you made this discovery.

3.Some think Paul is being ungrateful in this passage. Why might we get that impression? Why does Paul add the qualification that he’s not “in need” (v. 11)? What is he trying to teach the Philippians?

4.Paul says that he can do, “all things through Christ” (4:13). What clues does Paul provide in the surrounding verses which help us understand the meaning of “all things” (note the repetition of “all/every” in vv. 12-13). How is this verse often misinterpreted? How would you paraphrase Paul’s statement in 4:13?

5.Paul says that he has become “self-sufficient” (v. 12)? What does he mean by this? How does Paul’s definition of self-sufficiency differ from that of his contemporaries? What is the essence of Christian contentment? What are some misconceptions about contentment that we need to avoid?

6.Paul says that he knows how to be content in both bad times (“brought low” – v. 12, “hunger” – v. 12, “need” – v. 12) and good times (“abound” – v. 12, “plenty” – v. 12, “abundance” – v. 12). Why is Christian contentment just as critical in good times as bad?

7.Jeff mentioned a few “contentment killers” in his talk. Which of these “killers” do you struggle with? Why?

8.Jeff mentioned a few “contentment cultivators” in his talk. Which of these do you need to focus on?

9.What’s one thing you can do this week to apply this passage