The Apostle Paul is a great example of what it means to find complete fulfillment and contentment in God alone. His circumstances were never easy, but he saw beyond them to the bigger picture, and counted it all worth it for the furtherance of the Gospel.
He knew rejection - “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world…” (2 Timothy 4:10). He knew criticism from fellow Christians, accusing him of being an “untrained speaker.” He responds, “I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.” (2 Corinthians 11:6)
He was brutally beaten for sharing the Truth of God’s Word… “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole day and night adrift at sea. I have been constantly on the move, in danger of rivers, bandits, fellow Jews, Gentiles, in danger in the city, in the country, at sea, and from false Believers. I have gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst, and have gone without food. I have been cold and naked.” (2 Corinthians 11:25-27)
But, knowing Christ and sharing Him to a lost world, was greater than all his pain and loss. “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage so I could gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, or living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12)
Friends, we have such a great example in Paul! We cannot succumb to the modern victim mindset with every difficulty, we must rise above it, and see the bigger purposes of God taking form. Satan would lose so much of his power over our lives if we truly learned the “secret of being content.” May Christ be our strength, our joy, and our peace and contentment, and may everything else be viewed as it truly is - the enemies’ futile efforts to derail our faith and have us grow bitter.
Rest in Him. He is enough.
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