The secret of contentment

By SHANE KASTLER

It might seem strange to realize this, but your level of contentment in life doesn't have to be based on your current circumstances. This seems strange because most people's contentment and circumstances are directly related. If everything is going good, they assume they'll be content. If everything is going bad, they assume they'll be miserable. Yet the Apostle Paul turns that entire idea on its head. In the book of Philippians he writes: "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. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:11-13 NASB)

So how can a man like Paul, who suffered countless beatings and imprisonments for the sake of the gospel, a man who faced persecution everywhere he went, a man who at times was cold and hungry, a man who at times was homeless, how can this man be content in all things? And if he can do it, why can't you?

Thankfully, at the end of the passage above, Paul gives us the secret. The key to contentment is Jesus Christ. If you know Him and follow Him and treasure Him above all things, then you will be content. Because when Christ is your treasure, this world is not your home. Your focus is above and your desires for things below begin to wane.

Is Christ your supreme treasure? If not, then contentment will frequently elude you. The things of this world frequently disappoint. People frequently disappoint. But Christ never disappoints. Trust in him completely and discover the secret of contentment.