Philippians 4:11b-13
… 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.
Philippians 4:11b-13 DOING EVERYTHING THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES US STRENGTH
Springford Baptist Church: Nov. 21, 2021.
You know those conversations where someone says:
“If I just had this much more, I could be happy.”
“If I could have this, I would never ask for another thing.”
“There are a few more things I’d like to get done around here.”
“With a little more coming in each month, I’d feel more secure…”
So often, there is this focus on not having quite enough. And then we have to ask, “What is enough”?
What is enough?
I remember when Angela, our youngest daughter had just returned from a 6 month medical mission in The Gambia, West Africa.
Of course, there were countless stories to tell.
One of the things she told me the day after she returned gave a very different perspective on “enough.”
She told of before leaving, buying breakfast for the other staff in the clinic where she worked as a nurse. There were 12 people all together and how much do you think it cost? Five dollars. Yes, five dollars. We find that hard to imagine don’t we, but in a place where life is much simpler and the resources much fewer, 5$ could feed 12 people and they would be satisfied and content.
One of the realities of living in a society where people keep wanting and expecting more and more is that contentment is harder and harder to find.
Paul speaks here in Philippians about having learned contentment in all circumstances.
He says that he knows what it is to be in need and what it is to have plenty.
Most of us here know something of this.
Many of us, when growing up, wore hand me down clothes and used and reused what we had carefully. Things were not casually thrown out or discarded.
Isn’t it significant to note a contentment with either little or plenty?
Having plenty does not ensure contentment if there is a lack of gratitude and a constant urgency for more and more. Never quite enough.
What is enough?
vs. 12 “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…whether living in plenty or in want.”
What is enough?
Those who belong to Jesus have discovered this secret.
JESUS IS ENOUGH!!
Yes, JESUS IS ENOUGH!!
Whatever we face in life, knowing that we have Jesus as our Saviour and that He loves and cares for us is enough!
vs. 13 “I can do everything through Him (Jesus) who gives me strength.”
Are we daily in the practice of DOING EVERYTHING THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES US STRENGTH?
This means not attempting to approach the challenges and demands of life by ourselves and in our own strength, but instead looking to Jesus to give us strength.
I am not suggesting that we give no thought to planning ahead or taking responsibility for provision, but even in this we can and should trust Jesus to guide us.
If we were trying to have things in place ourselves without inviting Jesus to oversee details, that would naturally lead to distress, even panic.
When our lives are lived relying on Jesus, He is enough!!
Money cannot buy happiness. A job or a pension that seems secure cannot guarantee safety and contentment.
Jesus alone is certain, completely dependable, a source of strength for everything that comes our way.
Trusting Jesus provides the wise discernment for what really matters and what does not. Jesus alone can give us an accurate assessment of what we need. If we permit the values of the world around us to dictate what we think we need, it will lead to very different conclusions and certainly not to contentment.
So when we ask, “What is enough”? the resounding answer is, “JESUS IS ENOUGH”! It is only in finding our strength in Him that we can reside in a place of contentment.
As we come to this Christmas season of celebrating again the miracle of God sending his own Son Jesus into our world, the central truth of our faith is displayed, “JESUS IS ENOUGH”!
Jesus has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. The age old battle between good and evil has been won by Jesus through His death on the cross that forever destroyed the curse of death. When He was raised back to life, He extended His hands to us to lift us up to receive eternal life with Him. No human effort could ever secure what Jesus has secured for us.
Trusting Jesus really does lead to the deep soul filling contentment of knowing that we belong to Him. That is enough!! Only Jesus can satisfy our every need. Only Jesus can give us the strength for everything we face.
When life with its myriad of twists and turns and unexpected breathtaking pitfalls unfolds, there is a lasting contentment in knowing that our Jesus is enough and we can absolutely trust Him!! THANK YOU GOD THAT WE REALLY CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH JESUS WHO GIVES US STRENGTH!