Designed for Greatness: A 10-Day Bible Plan for MenSample

The Secret Gift

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. . . . 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. PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13 NASB

Imagine the biggest, brightest Christmas tree, decked out with beautiful lights and precious ornaments that have been passed down from generation to generation. Wrapped, ribboned, and tagged presents—tempting everyone to sneak a peek—sit underneath the tree. But a priceless gift for the whole family is yet to be placed under the branches. This gift can’t be wrapped—it has to be learned and taught.

This secret gift is contentment. The apostle Paul wrote to Christians in the first century AD about how he had learned to “be content in whatever circumstances” he was in—whether he was living with little resources or in a season of prosperity. He didn’t live his life wanting more or demanding his circumstances to change. Instead, he had learned to be content knowing that God would provide for him and give him the strength to face anything in his life.

The priceless gift of contentment is just as needed and relevant today as it was two thousand years ago. As men, we can give this gift to our families and loved ones by learning it ourselves and then modeling it, so they, too, can discover the secret of being content. We can learn to let go of the pressures of working harder and harder to get more and more and instead find time to enjoy what we already have with the people who matter most.

In learning contentment—rather than fixating on accumulating things or changing our circumstances—our families will be more satisfied and peaceful than ever before. This priceless gift is one we’ll never find under any tree, and it’s one that will never need to be exchanged or returned to the store.

In a digital world where advertisements constantly bombard us by telling us we need more—often leading us to max our credit cards to get whatever our hearts desire—God reminds us to be content with what we have and to rely on His strength for all that He has for us to accomplish.

PRAYER:

Father, help me to learn the secret of being content. In Jesus’ name, amen.