The Secret of Contentment

Here Paul tells us the secret he had learned. He had experienced the full range of circumstances, "to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need", and in all of them found contentment. And then comes the famous line, so often pulled out of context: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." In context, this is not a promise that we can achieve any ambition or accomplish any feat we set our minds to. The "all things" Paul means are the very things he has just listed: he can be content whether full or hungry, abounding or in need, through Christ who strengthens him.

That is the real secret of contentment, and it is a Person, not a technique. Paul could be content in any circumstance because his contentment did not rest on his circumstances at all; it rested on Christ, who strengthened him equally in plenty and in want. When he had little, Christ was enough; when he had much, Christ was still his treasure. The strength to be content in every state flowed from his union with a Saviour who never changed. Take Christ out of the verse and there is no secret left; with Christ, contentment becomes possible in literally any situation.

Find the secret today where Paul found it. You can be content in your circumstances, not by gritting your teeth, but through Christ who strengthens you.