What does it mean to be content?
- "to feel or express happiness or satisfaction" (WordReference)
- "the feeling or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation" (Merriam-Webster)
- "accepting one's situation or life with equanimity and satisfaction" (dictionary.com)
Growing up in Sunday School, I have heard this verse many times, and it has been ingrained in my head, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13 KJV). I used to take this verse in a way of encouragement, and reassurance, thinking that I was able and would be capable of accomplishing any task that I set forth to do.
But little did I know the full context of it; which is what I stumbled upon today.
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
- Philipians 4:11-13 (NIV)
When I read this passage, verse 12 struck an interest in me, especially because it frames "being content in any and every situation" as a secret. So there is a secret to being content. What is that secret? Well, verse 13 says it all: "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength".
I noticed the difference between the two versions in KJV and NIV. I had been thinking that I could do all things (KJV), whereas it really meant that I could do "all this" (NIV). Which makes a HUGE difference, in my opinion.
In KJV, verse 13 without context is saying that I can do anything, any task, any goal that I want to do
In NIV, the same verse without context says that I can do all this... which leads me to wonder; all what? What is "this"? ...which leads me to think that there is one specific thing that this passage is talking about - being content.
Reading the rest of this passage in context, it makes more sense. Paul is talking about how he has "learned to be content whatever the circumstances", and that it is a secret, which is that he can be content through Jesus Christ, who gives him the strength to do so.
So I used to think about verse 13 in such a way that meant anything that I wanted was possible through God, but it didn't seem to match up with the reality - because not everything that I prayed to God for happened, or happened the way that I had expected/wanted it to. That being said, I questioned this verse in the sense that it didn't seem technically true.
But now I know that Paul is not really talking about being able to do ANYTHING that I wanted to do. Paul was talking about being content - the fact that we are able to be content, in any situation that we find ourselves in. So no matter how God chooses to answer my prayers or not (in my point of view), it is 100% possible for me to still be content. I can still be reassured that since I have chosen to follow God, He will take care of me
(as Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says,
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.")
and I can use the secret that Paul has shared with us to be content with God's plans for me.
Going through this passage again,
Paul knows what it is to have and to not have.
Paul has learned to be content either way.
Paul says that there is a secret to how he learned to be content.
The secret is that Jesus Christ gives him the strength to be content in every and any situation.
So because I have chosen to follow God, and obey and trust in His plans, I too, can learn to be content in any and every situation.
http://youtu.be/2DN7KU_dzFQ - Switchfoot - Let That Be Enough
- "to feel or express happiness or satisfaction" (WordReference)
- "the feeling or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation" (Merriam-Webster)
- "accepting one's situation or life with equanimity and satisfaction" (dictionary.com)
Growing up in Sunday School, I have heard this verse many times, and it has been ingrained in my head, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13 KJV). I used to take this verse in a way of encouragement, and reassurance, thinking that I was able and would be capable of accomplishing any task that I set forth to do.
But little did I know the full context of it; which is what I stumbled upon today.
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
- Philipians 4:11-13 (NIV)
When I read this passage, verse 12 struck an interest in me, especially because it frames "being content in any and every situation" as a secret. So there is a secret to being content. What is that secret? Well, verse 13 says it all: "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength".
I noticed the difference between the two versions in KJV and NIV. I had been thinking that I could do all things (KJV), whereas it really meant that I could do "all this" (NIV). Which makes a HUGE difference, in my opinion.
In KJV, verse 13 without context is saying that I can do anything, any task, any goal that I want to do
In NIV, the same verse without context says that I can do all this... which leads me to wonder; all what? What is "this"? ...which leads me to think that there is one specific thing that this passage is talking about - being content.
Reading the rest of this passage in context, it makes more sense. Paul is talking about how he has "learned to be content whatever the circumstances", and that it is a secret, which is that he can be content through Jesus Christ, who gives him the strength to do so.
So I used to think about verse 13 in such a way that meant anything that I wanted was possible through God, but it didn't seem to match up with the reality - because not everything that I prayed to God for happened, or happened the way that I had expected/wanted it to. That being said, I questioned this verse in the sense that it didn't seem technically true.
But now I know that Paul is not really talking about being able to do ANYTHING that I wanted to do. Paul was talking about being content - the fact that we are able to be content, in any situation that we find ourselves in. So no matter how God chooses to answer my prayers or not (in my point of view), it is 100% possible for me to still be content. I can still be reassured that since I have chosen to follow God, He will take care of me
(as Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says,
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.")
and I can use the secret that Paul has shared with us to be content with God's plans for me.
Going through this passage again,
Paul knows what it is to have and to not have.
Paul has learned to be content either way.
Paul says that there is a secret to how he learned to be content.
The secret is that Jesus Christ gives him the strength to be content in every and any situation.
So because I have chosen to follow God, and obey and trust in His plans, I too, can learn to be content in any and every situation.
http://youtu.be/2DN7KU_dzFQ - Switchfoot - Let That Be Enough
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