Best friends forever ∙

Best friends forever ∙

I no longer call you slaves because a master does not confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. – John 15:15

1 Peter 1:8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

Friends was an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004. During its ten seasons, it depicted the lives of six twentysomething friends: three men and three women, living in the heart of New York City.

Over the course of ten years, this somewhat typical bunch of buds worked through family trouble, past and future romances, difficulties, humor, sadness, and situations that demonstrated what it means to be a true friend. It addressed everyday human experiences: falling in love, breaking up, jobhunting, dealing with parents, marriage, and becoming parents. It was a classic sitcom and became one of the most popular TV shows of all time.

It had a tremendous impact on US and international culture. It is a conflictless “hangout sitcom” that revolves around the idea of the importance of good friends. According to a pop-culture expert at the University at Buffalo, Friends is “one of those rare shows that marked a change in American culture.” It presents a lifestyle that revolves around friends creating and sustaining relationships and seeking help from each other. 

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you” (Elbert Hubbard)

“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing… not healing, not curing… that is a friend who cares” (Henri Nouwen).

“There is nothing better than a friend unless it is a friend with chocolate” (Anonymous).

Good friends are hard to find. Even more so in a fragmented, hectic, independent, somewhat isolated social media culture. Being “friended” or “unfriended” on social media is not the same thing as true friendship.

REFLECT & PRAY

“The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity” (Ulysses S. Grant).

Father I can hardly believe that You and Your Son are my Best Friends Forever!

INSIGHT

Each child of the King has been “friended” by the Lord Jesus Christ. And that friendship will last throughout all eternity.

John 15:15 I no longer call you slaves because a master does not confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

The Lord Jesus Christ has declared that His disciples are not mindless robots or coerced slaves. Instead, they are His unique and special friends. If we are His friends, then He is our friend! What an extraordinary idea. Friendship with the eternal Son of God.

You are my friends implies a stunning level of comfortable personal interaction with one who is also the eternal, omnipotent Creator of the universe. In the OT, only Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and, by implication Moses (Exodus 33:11) are called “friends of God.”

Here Jesus extends this privilege to all obedient believers (ESV).

It is hard to take this in and believe that it is even remotely possible to be close to a holy and righteous God and be best friends with Him. But such we are. And what a unique and marvelous friendship it is.

As a friend, the Lord Jesus Christ prioritized His time to be with His friends. He lived closely with His disciples for three years and proved to be not only their Lord and Savior but also the best friend they had ever had. In a fashion similar to the Friends TV series, they went through family trouble, all manner of difficulties, successes and failures, times of joy and pleasure, and extreme sadness and loss.

The Lord Jesus Christ demonstrates and embodies what it means to be a true BFF (best friend forever).

Speaking to “doubting” Thomas, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29).

1 Peter 1:8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

“Unlike the disciples, we have never physically walked with Jesus, but this does not exclude us from His friendship” (Stanley).

The eternal and unalterable reality is that each child of the King who has trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord becomes His friend.

Apart from these remarkable words of the Lord Jesus Christ, how can we be even more confident in His friendship?

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

The reality of our best friend forever status with the Lord Jesus Christ is confirmed for all time because He laid down His life for us.

The Lord Jesus Christ shows us how to be friends, true friends. It is all about caring, giving, self-sacrifice, and following His example. The Lord Jesus Christ tells us to love one another as He has loved us. We should concern ourselves with what is best for others and be willing to put them first. The standard that He set for us is incredibly high and humanly impossible to achieve in our strength alone. For some of us, it may even sound ridiculous.

Philippians 2:5-8 

 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,

 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

How can we possibly do this?

The Father is at work. He is at work all the time. And He invites us to participate in what He is doing. When we do so, He enables us to do what He desires for us to do.

Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

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© Dr. H 2022

God comforts the depressed

God comforts the depressed

God, who comforts the depressed – 2 Corinthians 7:6

2 Corinthians 1:2-6

 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles,

He suffered and battled severe depression all his life. At one point late in life, he sank deep into despair and had to fight “the awful temptation to end his own life. Could this man possibly be useful in service to the Lord? Does severe depression or even personality disorders disqualify someone? The answer is a resounding no!

James Hudson Taylor arrived in China in 1854. Rather than serve in coastal cities, where most of the other Protestant missionaries served, he went into the vast inland provinces of China. The China Inland Mission was established on June 25, 1865. Thousands of Chinese accepted the Lord Jesus Christ.

Taylor incorporated many fresh new ideas, many of which were harshly criticized. Missionaries were required to live and dress like those they were reaching out to. They immersed themselves in the culture.

He correctly understood that single women were fully capable of operating distant mission outposts without male support. His policy was an overwhelming success. By 1882, CIM included 95 single women and 56 wives. His vision changed modern-day missions. Women distinguished themselves in virtually every aspect of service. By 1898, strict gender roles were almost swept aside in many evangelical missions. Women barred from ordained ministry in their homelands were given an open door to serve abroad. Hundreds eagerly volunteered, and the rest is history.

When people experience difficult circumstances, loss, and have their way blocked, they often become downcast and depressed. Does this prevent the children of the King from being used in the Father’s service? The Scriptures answer with a resounding No! It is quite common for children of the King to be in challenging circumstances as they serve the Father. So it was with Paul.

2 Corinthians 7:5-6

 5 When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.

 6 But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us.

But something marvelous happened to Paul amid his difficulties. He was encouraged by the Father Himself. The Father is the comforter who comes alongside to help, console, and encourage.

2 Corinthians 1:3 God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

REFLECT & PRAY

Often when we struggle, the Father is at work to bring about perspective transformation in our lives.

Father help me to recognize that You use the struggles and discouragement I often experience to bring about perspective transformation within me. You are at work to renew my mind and change my behavior.

INSIGHT

The Greek word translated as downcast, distressed, downhearted, or depressed is tapeinos. Tapeinos connotes low-lying or lowly. As an emotional state, it means to be downhearted, lowly in spirit, or depressed. As a substantive, it refers to downhearted people filled with melancholy and despair. It is part of the fallen human state to become depressed or discouraged. Many children of the King suffered from melancholy or depression.

But the great promise of Scripture is that the Father is there to comfort the depressed.

2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us . . ..

The Greek term translated as encouraged or comforted is parakaleo. Parakaleo connotes a broad semantic range of ideas to urge, implore, exhort, call to or for, to encourage. It comes from two Greek words para – alongside or to the side of, and kaleo – to call, aid, help, comfort, or encourage. It connotes alleviating sorrow or distress, giving emotional strength, cheering up, encouraging, comforting, or consoling. It refers to the effort to mitigate sorrow or distress or provide emotional strength.

That which, on the surface, sounds objective and distant is, in fact, quite personal and near. Who is the one who has been discouraged and become distraught and depressed? “Paul refers to himself in his worry over the Corinthians which drove him into depression” (William R. Baker). Depression is part of his autobiography. Even the upbeat, never say die, Paul, who pressed onto the upward call of the Lord Jesus Christ, became downcast because of the difficulties he suffered. Sorrow and repentance, grief and joy are often intertwined.

Out of this challenging situation, Paul sets forth a life-changing principle. “Paul contrasts godly grief with worldly grief. The first produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, the second produces death. The difference between godly grief and worldly grief is that the first issues in repentance while the second ends with remorse” (Kruse).

“The Corinthians proved their repentance by doing everything they could to mend the wretched situation that their thoughtless conduct had produced. Now they hated the sin they had committed and even hated themselves for committing it, and they worked hard to atone for it” (Barclay).

On the other hand, worldly sorrow, in one sense, is not sorrow at all. It is not sorrow for the sin itself nor for the hurt it may have caused others. Instead, it is only resentment for getting caught. Those who experience worldly sorrow, if given an opportunity, would most likely do the same thing again. If they thought they could escape the consequences, they would do it (Barclay).

Godly sorrow is a feeling of sorrow that recognizes the wrongness of the thing done. It does not merely regret the consequences. It hates the thing itself. “We must be very careful that our sorrow for sin is not merely sorrow that we have been found out, but sorrow which, seeing the evil of the sinful thing, is determined never to do it again and has dedicated the rest of its life to atone, by God’s grace, for what it has done” (Barclay).

Ephesians 4:21-24

 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,

 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.

The Father uses confrontation that produces grief and sorrow to bring about life transformation. The Father takes no pleasure in causing grief in children of the King. He does take great pleasure in the fact that grief and sorrow produce repentance. Paul’s heart reveals the Father’s heart. Paul rejoiced because they were grieved into repenting. They changed their minds and took action to rectify the situation.

Children of the King are often caught in their own history and relive it. Becoming aware of this reality and experiencing perspective transformation renews the mind and frees us to behave differently.

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© Dr. H 2022

Getting ready ∙

Getting ready ∙

Don’t you realize that in a race, everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! – 1 Corinthians 9:24

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

On Mar 24, 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC ) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe jointly announced the postponement of the 2020 Olympics to 2021.

Olympic competition has been canceled only three times in the 124-year history of the modern Games, and all three instances were because of global conflict (1916, World War I; 1940 and 1944, World War II). But never before has a Games been pushed back a year, an enormous undertaking for a global event with more than 11,000 athletes from around the globe.

The life of an Olympic athlete can be challenging and austere, and the training schedule can be relentless. Most athletes wanted a postponement, though even that has its challenges.

For days, athletes had been voicing concerns about the 2020 Tokyo Games, worrying that they were jeopardizing their health and the health of others if they continued training while many of their countries were locked down and restricting activity.

Getting ready to win takes determination, focus, and visualization. In an athletic race, 99% of the time, only one individual can win. Now and then, there is the rare tie only visible via a “photo finish.” 

Philippians 3:13-14

 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

But in the spiritual race, we can all win the prize. The Father may take us through tough, grueling times, but He does all this to do us “good in the end.”

REFLECT & PRAY

We may not see that good right away, but if we trust Him, He will bless us in His time (Stanley).

Father thank You that You care enough to give me a challenging course to run that I might win in Your service.

INSIGHT

The training course and regimen to win spiritually are entirely different than what we would expect. The Father has a unique program that he takes each of His children through to prepare them to be winners. It is bizarre, almost inexplicable, that to win, we must lose!

Rather than using athletic competition and training, the Father uses “the wilderness” to get us ready. He humbles us and often brings us to an end of ourselves. When we can no longer make it on our own, help ourselves, we learn to depend upon Him. That is when we become winners in His sight.

Deuteronomy 8:2-14

 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character and find out whether or not you would obey his commands.

 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

 5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good.

 11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.

 12 For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in,

 13 and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful!

 14 Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.

The wilderness is the place where the Father gets us ready to serve and ultimately win.

These words are spoken in the background by Cecil B. DeMille regarding Moses in the movie the Ten Commandments. He is struggling, famished, and thirsty, yet he continues to move forward in the harsh, dry, and parched desert. Finally, Moses arrives in the physical location and spiritual place where the Father wants him to be:

Into the blistering wilderness of Shur, the man who walked with kings . . . now walks alone.

Torn from the pinnacle of royal power; stripped of all rank and earthly wealth; a forsaken man without a country, without a hope; his soul in turmoil like the hot winds and raging sands that lash him with the fury of a taskmaster’s whip. He is driven forward, always forward, by a god unknown, toward a land unseen . . . Into the molten wilderness of sin where granite sentinels stand as towers of living death to bar his way.

Each night brings the black embrace of loneliness. In the mocking whisper of the wind, he hears the echoing voices of the dark. His tortured mind wondering if they call the memory of past triumphs or wail foreboding of disasters yet to come or whether the desert’s hot breath has melted his reason into madness.

He cannot cool the burning kiss of thirst upon his lips nor shade the scorching fury of the sun. All about is desolation. He can neither bless nor curse the power that moves him, for he does not know where it comes.

Learning that it can be more terrible to live than to die, he is driven onward through the burning crucible of the desert, where holy men and prophets are cleansed and purged for God’s great purpose, until at last, at the end of human strength, beaten into the dust from which he came. The metal is ready for the Maker’s hand.

Such harsh and brutal “training” in preparation is never easy but grueling, severe, and painful. It is the discipline required of a world-class Olympian. Many drop out and cease their efforts. However, when we recognize that the Father is purposely taking us through it to achieve His dream and goal for our lives, we find personal reserves and purpose we never dreamed of.

Hebrews 11:24-27 

 24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.

 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.

 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

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© Dr. H 2022

Invincible

Invincible

[Moses] chose to be mistreated with God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. – Hebrews 11:25

Hebrews 12:1-4

 1 Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then, you won’t become weary and give up.

 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-2

 1 You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure.

 2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.

In Greek mythology, Antaeus was the son of Poseidon, the sea god, and the Earth goddess Gaea. He compelled all strangers passing through his territory to wrestle with him. In Greek wrestling, the object was to throw your opponent to the ground and pin them. That didn’t work too well for opponents when wrestling with Antaeus.

Antaeus was invigorated and renewed whenever he touched the Earth (Gaea, his mother). If he was thrown to the ground, he became stronger. He was invincible. He always won and destroyed his opponents.

Enter Hercules. The tactics of Antaeus worked perfectly until he met Hercules. After multiple attempts, Hercules soon recognized that he could not beat Antaeus by throwing him to the ground. Hercules realized that each time he pinned Antaeus to the ground, he was energized and became more powerful. A new strategy was needed.

The solution was quite simple. Simple, that is if you’re strong enough to carry it out. Hercules grabbed Antaeus in a body lock and held them aloft above the ground until all his power had drained away. Hercules then crushed Antaeus to death.

Sadly, children of the King are repeatedly mistreated, “thrown to the ground,” and defeated. Is it possible to turn this around? Yes indeed.

Paul shows the way!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 9 Each time [the Lord] said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It’s all about heart, attitude, and trust. Paul responded to mistreatment by learning to rejoice in his weaknesses. Rather than being upset or angry, he accepted them as part of his training regimen as a servant of the Father. This requires a total perspective transformation from our normal fallen reactions.

That which should have defeated him only made him stronger. He was often bruised and beaten but invincible until his mission was accomplished. Down the road, he had a date with Nero’s executioners. But until then, he was fearless and was willing to suffer any hardship as a soldier of the King.

REFLECT & PRAY

The more children of the King are mistreated and respond appropriately, the stronger they become.

Father I want to embrace and hold fast to Your promise that Your grace is sufficient for me. When I am weak, I am strong! Thank You.

INSIGHT

Paul outlines the struggle with his “thorn in the flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12. We are never told precisely what the thorn was. It is not wise to speculate about what we do not know and what the Father has not revealed. Whatever it was, Paul struggled with it and asked the Father to remove it. But the Father refused his request. Why?

The Father had something entirely different in mind. The Father gave Paul greater awareness and understanding of what He was crafting in his life. The circumstances were unchanged, and the situation did not improve. The thorn was still in his life as a source of torment.

“As Paul prayed about his problem, God gave him a deeper insight into what He was doing. Paul learned that his thorn in the flesh was a gift from God. What a strange gift! There was only one thing for Paul to do: accept the gift from God and allow God to accomplish His purposes. God wanted to keep Paul from being ‘exalted above measure,’ and this was His way of accomplishing it.”

“When Paul accepted his affliction as the gift of God, this made it possible for God’s grace to go to work in his life. It was then that God spoke to Paul and gave him the assurance of His grace” (Wiersbe).

The Father did not offer any explanations. Instead, the Father gave Paul a tremendous promise, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). “We do not live on explanations; we live on promises. Our feelings change, but God’s promises never change. Promises generate faith, and faith strengthens hope” (Wiersbe). In the kingdom of God, this is the way the Father works in the lives of the children of the King.

The Father’s grace allows children of the King to rise above their circumstances, concerns, opinions, fears, suffering, and feelings.

Paul experienced a major perspective transformation. He became invincible when he realized that the Father intended for him not merely to surrender and accept his hardships but also to thank the Father for them.

For mere human beings limited by fallen DNA, this is an amazing way of looking at the trials and difficulties of life. “God’s grace enabled Paul not only to accept his afflictions but to glory in them. His suffering was not a tyrant that controlled him, but a servant that worked for him” (Wiersbe).

Tribulations and difficulties, “thorns of the flesh,” are not meant to destroy us but rather strengthen us. It all begins with an attitude of giving thanks for all of our afflictions.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 12:10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

As children of the King learn to do this, something totally unexpected and marvelous happens. Our weaknesses are transformed into strengths.

When children of the King are thrown to the ground and become weak, they are supernaturally strengthened and become strong!

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© Dr. H 2022

It won’t always be this way ∙

It won’t always be this way ∙

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world.- John 16:20-21

Philippians 4:11-13

 11 I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.

 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

This, too, shall pass. When things are bad, remember: It won’t always be this way. When things are good, remember: It won’t always be this way. Take one day at a time. Enjoy every great moment (Doe Zantamata).

The Jewish people living from the time of David to New Testament times had a tripartite conception of time: the past, the present, and the future. The past was the age of the Fathers: Noah through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. The present was the time of the Prophets. The prophets recalled the past but focused mainly on the present. They also looked forward to the future, near and far. They spoke prophetically concerning what the Father would accomplish, often in specific details. The future was the time of the coming Kingdom of God on earth. This is when the long-awaited Messiah would reign seated upon the throne of David, ushering in a time of peace and well-being.

The present was a mixture of good and bad. The future age to come would be a golden age. The kingdom would come when the prophesied Messiah would finally arrive and usher it in. Until He comes, the Jewish people languished in a problematic waiting period. The Jewish people referred to that difficult “between-time” as “the birth travail of the days of the Messiah” (Barclay).

John 16:20-21 You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world.

With this understanding and background, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to his disciples, “I am leaving you; but I am coming back; the day will come when my reign will begin, and my kingdom will come; but before that, you will have to go through terrible things, with pain like birth-pangs upon you. But, if you faithfully endure, the blessings will be very precious” (Barclay). Difficult times proceed wonderful times. Today we might say, “The darkest hour is just before the dawn” (Thomas Fuller, 1650).

The Father offers us insight into the way He deals with His children. “The principle is simply this: God brings joy to our lives, not by substitution, but by transformation. His illustration of the woman giving birth makes this clear. The same baby that caused the pain also caused the joy. In birth, God does not substitute something else to relieve the mother’s pain. Instead, He uses what is there already but transforms it” (Wiersbe).

REFLECT & PRAY

“Prosperity has done more damage to believers than has adversity” (Wiersbe).

Father thank You for being willing to teach me the art and skill of contentment. When You bring difficult circumstances and people into my life, I have learned to ask, “What would you have me learn from this?” I no longer ask why. Thank You for taking me this far. My life is Yours. What would You have Your servant do?

INSIGHT

Contentedness is not something built into the DNA of the human race. On the other hand, it seems as though complaining, negativity, and discontentment come quite naturally. True contentment is not something that comes easily to anyone. The urge to learn and discover, take chances and risks, provides a tremendous adrenaline rush for many. For others, not so much. They are reticent and hold back, seeking solitude rather than contentment.

Job 5:7 For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward.

Somehow, we believe that if we could change our circumstances for the better, contentment would be the result. Not only is this shallow thinking, but it is callow as well. Paul is quite clear.

Philippians 4:11-12

 11 I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.

 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

A more precise and literal translation of Philippians 4:11 provides a clear sense of the contrast he presents, “I know both how to be humbled, and I know how to prosper” (Hansen).

You might say that Paul, on the one hand, had it all, and on the other hand, he had nothing, nada. Notice that he says that he “learned” how to be content. Life was his classroom, and the Father was his schoolmaster. He had to learn repeatedly how to deal with whatever the Father brought into his life: both good and bad, encouraging and discouraging, angelic and hellish. Some things were tremendous and wonderful, while others were terrible and painful. Many times they brought him close to death.

What ultimately made the difference? His reactions were transformed. He went from depending upon himself, his human strength, intellect, experience, and determination. Instead, he learned to depend upon the Father, and the Father alone, for superior outcomes and the serenity which accompanied him.

When Paul had learned the lessons that the Father was teaching him, he had to take and pass his midterms and finals along the way. Eventually, contentment became a way of life. The “quality of contentment eventually became an essential attribute of his character” (Constable).

Contentment had nothing to do with his physical circumstances or well-being. He discovered a tremendous, life-changing source of peace, contentment, power, and strength. It grew out of his personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He summed it up in one sentence.

Philippians 4:13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Paul can be content in all the situations of his life – in poverty and in prosperity, when well fed and when hungry. He has the power to endure all these extreme situations, all these ups and downs, without anxiety, with the peace of God guarding his heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7) (Hansen).

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© Dr. H 2022