It Guards My Life

¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Philippians 4:11-12

This morning I taught the kids a Bible lesson on being content. After the dust had settled from all the Christmas gifts and money spent, it seemed like a good lesson.

Recently I’ve had a great desire for contentment and thankfulness, in my own life. We have many desires and plans in our hearts for the future; many given to us by the Lord, but if we lose sight of today than they have only become a distraction and a hindrance. Over the last several days I have been getting down on my knees to thank the Lord for the life he has given me right here and right now. When the swirling thoughts of what could be, fill my mind, I get down before the Lord and declare before myself, my choice to be thankful for today.

As I prepared my lesson this morning, I remembered the words in Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: Wanting to bring better clarity to the verse for the children, I looked up what the word content meant. In Strong’s the word for content is autarkēs which meant self-complacent, contented. This word came from the word arkĕō which means “…the idea of raising a barrier, to ward off, to avail…”

Paul “learned” to be content. That tells me he wasn’t born content. He learned it; he made a deliberate choice to practice contentment.

Where are we discontent? In our thoughts in our minds. When I was going to my knees to thank the Lord I didn’t realize what I was doing. In that deliberate choice, I was raising a barrier of contentment around my mind. As I rose to my feet, I would feel peace, joy, and thankfulness.

Contentment like anything else, is a choice. It’s something we can practice and ultimately learn. Paul said “I have learned” he didn’t say “I am learning”.

Many of us want to be thankful and content, but do we want it enough to choose it, to practice it, and to learn it?

A life without the barrier of contentment.

Contentment builds a wall around you that selfishness, worry, envy, and the like, can't get through.

After the lesson, Alexis told my mom about what she had learned. 

She said “…[contentment] guards my life.” 

Does contentment guard your life?