Learn God’s secret

I can do all this through him who gives me strength, Philippians 4:13.

God has an important secret to share with you today. Here it is: Jesus will give you strength and meet all your needs for whatever circumstances you face in life. Therefore, you can be content in any and every situation.

What’s so great about this secret?

It defies human thinking. Our worldly hearts are led to believe that contentment is based on the “right set” of circumstances. For example, let’s say there are two people standing in front of you. One of them is rich and the other is poor. Which of the two should be content? Your first reaction is probably to say, “The rich one.” And that would be true, if contentment was based on a person’s circumstances. But it isn’t. So the answer is, “Both people should be content.” Is that hard to believe?

This is exactly what the Apostle Paul says of contentment in Philippians 4. He says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance” (4:11). He adds, “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…” (4:12).

Content no matter what

You do understand what he is saying, don’t you? We can be content whether we have a full belly or an empty stomach. We can be content whether we have lot of money or barely enough. We can be content whether we have great health or not so great health because contentment isn’t based on certain circumstances.

On what, then, is it based? This is God’s great secret. “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Contentment is found in Jesus

Undoubtedly because we live in a broken world and have worldly sinful hearts, we are going to face circumstances and situations that leave us dissatisfied. When that happens, where do you look for strength, for peace, and for contentment? Worldly hearts will look to the world. But at its very best, this world can only offer temporary solutions–temporary strength, temporary peace, and temporary contentment. When those temporary solutions wear out–and they will–then what?

Learn God’s secret! The only thing that can give lasting peace and enduring strength and perfect contentment isn’t found in the world. It is found in him who has overcome the world. It is found in Jesus who lived, died, and rose for you. It is found in Jesus who will give you strength and promises to meet all your needs for whatever circumstances you face in life. Therefore, you can be content in any and every situation.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, supply me with your strength. Help me to find all that I need for this life and the next in you. Amen.

Source: http://wels.net/dev-daily/20160304/  DailyCreative Commons License Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.