‌Who likes a good secret? I am of the belief that just about everyone likes a good secret. We see this in the way that people flock to news stories and social media. I’m not saying that is necessarily a good thing, but people are always looking for a good secret. Secrets aren’t necessarily bad things though. Some of you have a secret family recipe that has been sworn to secrecy. Those secrets can be – and usually are – really good things.

‌As we continue in our series called Valleys and Peaks, we are looking at people from the Bible who went through times of both low and high points in life. I am grateful that the Bible is a book of reality. The Bible doesn’t seek to make everyone look good all the time. It is quick to point out people’s faults and even struggles many times.

‌Today, we are going to look at one of the Bible’s most popular people: the apostle, Paul. Paul was a guy that was very passionate. He grew up in the Jewish faith and found himself moving up in the ranks of Judaism. He made his life mission to wipe the name of Jesus off the face of the earth. That is until he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. This meeting with Jesus changed Paul’s life forever.

‌Paul’s Peaks

Paul would have many mountaintop experiences in his life. He would take many missionary journeys where he would take the gospel to places that had not heard it before. Paul would help start churches where there were no churches. He would meet and share meals with people of great prestige. He watched God open prison doors for him to walk free.

‌Paul’s Valleys

Paul also was one who knew about valleys in life.

Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage.

​1 Corinthians 4:11–13 CSB

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Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing.

​2 Corinthians 11:24–27 CSB

We can see from these verses and others that Paul knew both great valleys and peaks. What is interesting to notice is that neither the high peaks nor the deep valleys completely broke him or caused him to get off track of what God wanted to do in his life. It is almost like he had a secret that kept him from getting a big head on the mountain top and throwing in the towel in the shadows of the valley.

Paul shares that the secret to his ability to go on is something called contentment.

‌Contentment

Historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., has observed that our society is marked by what he calls “inextinguishable discontent.” He has said that there is a quest for better and what’s next. We may want a better job… better relationships… He says that we have a propensity to live endlessly for the next thing – the next weekend, next vacation, next purchase, or next experience. Many are never satisfied, never content, and envious of those who have what we have not attained or accumulated.

If you were to look up the term ‘content’ or ‘contentment’ in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, you would see that it is defined as being “satisfied” or “to appease the desires of.” This seems to be a simple enough definition.

The word that the Bible uses and is translated as ‘content’ or ‘contentment’ shows that this is not just an acceptance of the status quo, but the positive assurance that God has supplied one’s needs.

Contentment is not just blindly accepting what is, but it is actively living on the faith that God is in control and working for our good – even when present situations do not seem good.

Paul shares about the importance of this contentment in the life of a follower of Jesus in Philippians 4.

​I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:10–13 CSB

Tony Merida shares a great outline of contentment from this passage that I would like to use as an outline for this message today.

‌Contentment is unconnected to our circumstances

In Philippians 4:11, Paul says that he has learned to be content in whatever the circumstances. In this section, Paul was thanking the Philippian church for the gift that they had sent to him. This was not a request for more because Paul was more interested in the church bearing fruit and pleasing the LORD.

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.

​Philippians 4:11 CSB

The “I” in this verse is an emphatic “I”. Paul was not sharing this nugget of truth with the Philippians because he read it in some book or heard someone talk about it. Paul learned this truth from the experiences of his life. We have already seen that Paul went through many highs and lows in his life. Here he shares that the contentment that we need is not based on our circumstances.

We will all go through valleys and peaks in this life. The valleys have the temptation of stealing our joy. The peaks have the temptation of puffing us with sinful pride. The contentment that we need to protect us from these temptations is not tied to the circumstances that we find ourselves in. Our circumstances will change like the weather, but there is something that never changes.

​Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 CSB

It is in the Person of Jesus that this contentment is found.

‌Contentment is learned

Paul shares in Philippians 4:11-12 that this contentment is not something that just happens, but it is learned. It would be nice if this contentment was just automatically put in our account, but it doesn’t happen that way. Paul shares that he learned this contentment in the day-to-day faith journey that he had with Jesus.

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.

​Philippians 4:11–12 CSB

The journey that Jesus takes us on in this life is filled with many life lessons. Each turn has something that we need that will be a tool later in the journey. There is nothing wrong with the high points. The LORD wants to give His children good gifts. But there is nothing necessarily wrong with the low points either. There are some things that we will only learn when we are stretched beyond our limits.

The LORD is actively seeking to teach us what we need for this life. One of the most important lessons or tools that He wants to teach us is to be content in Him.

‌Contentment flows from union with and reliance on Christ

Contentment is not pretending that things are right when they are not. It instead shows a peace in knowing that the LORD is bigger than any problem and works them all out for the good of His followers (Romans 8:28).

Contentment is based on an internal source = Jesus Christ, the King of our heart. Paul knew this and experienced this – and we can too!

We cannot look to the superficial satisfaction that things of this world can bring. They are like cotton candy – sweet for a moment but dissolves in an instant leaving us searching for more.

A person who has allowed Jesus Christ His rightful place as King of our heart is the person who will experience this contentment.

In Philippians 4:13, Paul shares with us the secret of contentment. It is rooted in our relationship with Jesus Christ. This contentment flows from our union and communion with Him.

This verse is one that is frequently quoted but often misapplied. It has nothing to do with accomplishing sporting feats, making your dreams come true, or making more money at your job. The context of this verse explains what this verse is talking about. The context here is about being content in Jesus and fully trusting Him with everything. When we get to the point where we focus more on Jesus than our circumstances, we find contentment to the fullest. We also find out that this contentment is fulfilling because Jesus is what we need above everything else.

‌Conclusion

As the valleys and peaks of this life come our way, we find that the secret of contentment is what is needed to get the most out of each. Some people consider this contentment a superpower. While it is extremely powerful, it is something that is offered to anyone who will place their faith in Jesus and follow Him.

If you have trusted Jesus, you have a God who hears and sees you, the power of His love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven before you. If you have Jesus, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need in Him. These wonderful gifts cannot be found anywhere else.

Do you know this secret that makes the most of both valleys and peaks in our lives?