Life is full of trials, and our usual response is less than positive. We get upset, anxious, and doubtful. Thankfully, we do not have to look far in the Bible to see that challenging times confront even the most devoted Christians—and their responses are full of redemption, joy, and contentment.
Take the apostle Paul, for example. When Paul was penning the book of Philippians, he had a lot to say about joy. The fascinating part? This guy had suffered long and hard for the gospel—and was sitting on house arrest. Talk about every circumstance!
So what’s the key to Paul’s contentment?
1. Prayer
Hand every anxious thought to God and let Him carry the weight. He’s strong enough to handle it, cares enough to give you a hand, and is always available. Don’t resist!
2. Rejoicing
Like James 1:17 says, everything good comes from God. So let’s be sure to thank Him for it. Countless verses throughout Scripture talk about rejoicing and praising the Lord, so it must be important. Even in Paul’s suffering, his anthem is joy.
3. Humility
Everything a Christian does points to Christ. The good things and maybe even more glaringly, the sin. Worldly desires challenge everyone, but Paul urged the believers to consider everything holy to be the only option. These burdens are not so much about you as they are about Who you stand for (John 15:18).
4. Unity
Finding fellowship in other believers, teaching them, and learning from them are vital aspects of the “contentment” cycle. Christians have a job—to build one another up in love, faith, and every other fruitful attribute. Unity knows no boundaries, making it easier to carry each others’ burdens.
5. Christ
Put your focus on God and His mission. Suffering for His sake is more beautiful than relying on fleeting comfort.
6. Meditating on Joy
Paul tells his readers to think about anything true and praiseworthy. He wanted them to see the good side of things: Christ is being preached. Nothing else in the world, neither good nor bad, mattered to him as much as that did.
Contentment in action.
Do you see how being content glorifies Christ more and more? Paul, it seems, had every reason to be mad at God. Prison? Again? Another shipwreck? Hey, my buddy just got beheaded for preaching You on the street corners—and You want me to keep rejoicing?
And then, if he were anything like a lot of us, Paul would reach a breaking point—Really, God? I’ve done all of this for You. Don’t you see how much I deserve a break? These people are walking away. My friends have turned on me—everything that I once knew is gone, and everything I thought I was joining isn’t as easy as it seemed. I’m done.
But Paul didn’t do that.
Instead, he kept rejoicing.
He kept serving, placing his burdens on the shoulders of Christ, running the race marked out for him. He wasn’t about to give up. He never stopped running for the next mile marker, then the next, or the next.
Even in chains, Paul wrote letters to encourage other believers and prove to them that it was all worth it. Every painful tear, drip of sweat, and drop of blood was going toward a purpose. To honor Christ with his everything.
What will you do?
0 Comments