Philippians 4:10-11 "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. (11) Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."
The devotional this morning concerns verse 11, but I saw something of interest
while looking at verse 10. I saw the word, careful, and wondered about the
word, careful, in verse 6. We are not privy to the minds of the
interpreters when they were translating from the Greek to English, so this is
not to criticize them at all. Though the English word is the same, they come
from different Greek words. I won't attempt to even spell the Greek words but
will attempt to show the meanings are quite different. In verse 6, we saw the
meaning was "be not careful" (anxious) about much. In
verse 10, Paul is commending them for being "careful" (full of care)
for him. This word, careful, means to have an affection toward another to the
degree of taking care of that person. Paul commends them for the manner in
which they cared for him while in their presence, and even continuing while in
prison through their prayers for him. He realized they were not always
able to do all they wanted to do in taking care of him, but their hearts were
always bent toward him. That is a great blessing to minister to people whose
hearts are bent toward you in love and care.
Then Paul speaks of his outlook on life. He admits at the very beginning it is
something he has had to learn. It did not come naturally; rather, he has
arrived at this point through the loss of all things (Chapter 3:8). Before we
begin to feel sorry for Paul, let's remember that he counted all those things
as less than nothing in comparison to the blessings he has acquired through his
love and service unto the Lord Jesus Christ.
In these few thoughts, we can understand how contentment is found in life.
Contentment comes as we look at the blessings we have rather than looking for
the things we desire to have. Paul no longer held esteem in the eyes of
the Pharisees, but he found love in the eyes of the Saviour. He counted the
head knowledge that he used to have as nothing in comparison to the experience
of that knowledge coming to life through the love of Christ in everyday
living. Therefore, now he can say, "I have learned to be
content."
There is a difference in contentment and complacency. We can become complacent
in less than that which the Lord has designed for our lives and in our
complacency, we miss blessings. But contentment is the understanding that I am
where the Lord has placed me for the moment and I will use the blessings of
this place to honor my Saviour. So I ask myself this morning: Have I
learned to be content?