Contentment: 10 Bible Verses to Fight DiscontentNäide

I have always had a feeling that contentment was a critical component of having joy in life. But lately I have seen a new angle on a few verses in Philippians 4.

"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; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need."

Philippians 4:11-12 (NASB)

What exactly was Paul talking about when he said he knew how to get along with humble means and prosperity?

I’m sure that for him it was a bit of a challenging process to be content living in humble means. He was basically on the fast-track to become a super-Pharisee; part of an exclusive, and very materialistic, club. Then Jesus steps in, and his life is forever changed. And a few years later we see him in prison writing that we should “rejoice in the Lord always” and be content in every circumstance.

The first way I look at the “know how” that Paul referred to is more of an internal lesson that we need to learn. It’s that things are just things. They come, they go. They don’t determine your value or worth, and you can’t take them with you when you die. 

Paul had some of the most tremendous ups and downs. One minute he was shackled hand and foot in prison, and the next he was staying in the King’s palace. He seemed to live the full spectrum of having a lot and having a little.

But, his outlook proves that he broke his attachment to things. He didn’t consider his life a failure and quit when he frequently found himself in prison. And on the other hand, he didn’t allow more prosperous times to be the pinnacle achievement he would hang his hat on. His goal was to fulfill what God had called him to, and things were just peripheral, so as they came and went he learned not to care too much. He was successfully living Matthew 6:33:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”