Contentment

Pastor James C. Ward

May 24, 2026

Sunday Morning

PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13

(11) Not that I speak in respect of want: For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (12) I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Introduction

I preached from Philippians a few weeks ago with the sermon, A Sure Supply. Today, I am led to preach again from this great little letter from Apostle Paul. As you know, this epistle was a “thank you” letter from Paul, who was incarcerated in a Roman jail. Paul was concerned more about their wellbeing than his own safety. He told them, in essence, “Don’t worry about me. No matter what happens, I will be alright. Just don’t you get discouraged! Just because I am in jail does not mean you will also be incarcerated.”

Paul says he is content. He does not say he is satisfied. There is a difference. Satisfaction occurs when all of your natural physical and emotional cravings and urges are temporarily fulfilled. Your belly is full, you have had enough sleep – I could go on. After eating a scrumptious meal, in a few hours, you will be hungry again. You cannot get enough sleep to last you a week. The flesh cannot be permanently satisfied. The people of my generation remember Otis Redding singing, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.

Contentment is finding joy and peace at every stage and condition of life. Contentment is not a lack of ambition. It is accepting and appreciating what God has already provided for you until He gives you something better. It is appreciating the one bedroom apartment until God gives you a house. It is appreciating the economical car until God gives you a luxury automobile. It is appreciating the entry-level job until God promotes you to supervisor. It is not failing to see the hard realities of life, but waiting and praying patiently until your God-directed change comes.

The term contentment was a watch word for the Stoics. Stoicism was the most popular and prevalent philosophical system in the Greco-Roman of that day. They believed that a person can be and should be self-sufficient because of an indifference to pain or pleasure, and an indifference to abundance or want. They believed that if one could reduce personal needs and wants to a bare minimum, one would be free of outside constraints. Thus, no matter what happened in the social or physical environment, they would be okay.

Paul used the Stoics’ terms and refined it. Paul made it clear that he was content not because he was self-sufficient, as the Stoics thought they were, but rather because he could do all things through Christ who gave him strength.

Discontentment is rampant today. The news reports and social media trends breed discontentment. Our market-driven society thrives on discontentment. There is always a newer version of every product on the market. Fashions and styles are always changing. Discontented people go out and buy stuff. You do not have to be poor to be discontented. Many rich people are more discontented than many poor people. You will never be totally contented until you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Okay, pastor. There is a difference between knowing what to do and knowing how to do it. Now, tell me how to find true contentment.

Let me give you five “how to” actions items.

Exposition

1. Refuse to Over-Emphasize The Negative To The Exclusion Of The Positive.

(Satan Can Easily Enter Through Negativity.)

(It’s Okay To Have A Pity Party, But Cut It Short.)

(It’s Okay To Attend The Pity Party Of Someone Else, Just Make Sure You Leave Before Midnight.)

(Sometimes, You Need To Ventilate.)

(Proper Ventilation Is Therapeutic.)

2. Recognize The Best In Every Situation.

(There Are No Roses Without Thorns.)

(Don’t Let The Thorns Stop You From Appreciating The Roses.)

(There Are No Rainbows Without Rain.)

(Ignore The Rain And See The Beauty Of The Rainbow.)

(The Sweetest BlackBerries Grow In Briar Patches.)

(Pick The BlackBerries - Just Watch Out For The Briars.)

3. Realize The Difference Between A Problem And A Condition.

(A Problem Is An Unfavorable Situation You Have The Power To Rectify.)

(You Seek To Solve A Problem.)

(A Condition Is An Unfavorable Situation You Do Not Have The Power To Rectify.)

(You Manage A Condition.)

4. Remember How Good God Has Already Been To You.

Psalm 103:1-2

5. Rejoice In Spite Of Your Circumstances.

(Worship While You Are Waiting.)

(Shout Hallelujah While You Are Hurting.)

(Give Thanks In Tough Times.)

Closing Thoughts

Our foreparents knew the difference between contentment and satisfaction. Of course, they were not satisfied as slaves, but they survived by God-given contentment. This is expressed beautifully in the lyrics of the spiritual, Give Me Jesus.

“In the morning when I rise,

In the morning when I rise,

Give me Jesus.

You can have the whole world,

But give me Jesus.

When the sun is going down,

Give me Jesus.

You can have the whole world,

But give me Jesus.

At the lonesome midnight hour,

Give Me Jesus.

You can have the whole world,

But give me Jesus.

And when I come to die,

Give me Jesus.

You can have the whole world,

But give me Jesus.”

Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory!

Related Scripture

1^st Timothy 6:6