The Secret to Contentment | Philippians 4:11-13
This message was preached at Sherwood Community Friends Church on Sunday, October 12, 2025. You can watch the video in full by clicking below.
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[d] who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13, CSB
It’s easy to slip into discontentment under the guise of being goal-driven or in the name of achievement. It feels unfair when we have to live in the choices and circumstances that others have made for us, so we feel justified in the discontent of our life. And when the way things used to be aren’t the way things are anymore, we become frustrated and discontent, longing for previous days and years.
When discontentment rises up, we have to stop to ask ourselves why it’s there in the first place. Discontentment is an indicator, uncovering discomfort within us.
But we have become a society that rejects discomfort. Without discomfort though, we will never grow in Christlikeness, which is one of our main charges as a Christ follower. John reminds us of Jesus words in John 15:
“Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.” John 15:2 CSB
Pruning, allowing the Father to cut away our discomforts and discontentment, means not hiding or pacifying these. It means letting them lay bare before the Father to uproot, cutaway, and heal.
So when we read a passage like our selection for today, we are reminded of two things. First, our dependence on Christ. Paul is clear -> the only way that he can be content is through Christ, who provides our strength. Second, we must take an honest look at our dicontentedness and test its validity.
Paul
Let’s talk about the author for a moment. When we think of the writers of the Bible, we might think of them putting pen to paper in a scholarly or official setting.
But this is not the picture with which we meet Paul in the letter to the Philippians. Dare I say that the strength of our main text for today does not stand alone apart from the author. It is because of the author that we see his credibility and can lean into the truth of this for our lives today.
There was no one better to write these words about learning to be content in all circumstances. Aside from Paul’s current state of imprisonment at the time of writing Philippians, we also know that Paul had experienced a number of hardships in addition to persecution along the way.
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. Not to mention[f] other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, CSB
Let’s just say Paul was an expert on hardships.
In the book of Philippians, Paul touches on foundational points in this series of short essays.
Themes include:
Encouragement and gratitude to the church in Philippi
Perhaps the most compelling verses on how to live in humility in the whole Bible outside of the life of Jesus himself
A call to the advancement of the gospel
Addressing heretics and disunity
Reminding them of their goal as defined by God and inspiring them to persevere
So, while Paul is in chains for the gospel, he is writing to Philippi to encourage THEM!!
“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 4:11-13 CSB
Contentment When Your Life Feels Smaller Than You’d Like
When I think of discontentment in my own life, seasons when I’ve done more than my share of complaining, I think of 3 main categories.
The first is when my life felt smaller than I wanted.
Before we came to Sherwood Community Friends Church, many of you know that Robert and I attended a multisite church in the Chicagoland area for about 10 years. I desperately wanted to be on staff there. Over the course of the 10 years, I must have applied about 8 times. And every time that I was met with a rejection, it was crushing. I mean, I was ready to set aside the corporate life for a life of ministry, and I just couldn’t get hired. I didn’t want the work I was in. I wanted the work that I thought I was meant to do. I was discontent in my circumstances, feeling like I had so much more to give to God. I felt small.
Lately, our Friends Kids have been studying the life of David. Last week, Charlett taught about how David was given a job as a shepherd. This wasn’t a glamorous job by any means. It was dangerous, often having to fight off bears and lions. Often David would be off with just the sheep, excluded from the rest of his family.
In 1 Samuel 16, God has rejected Saul as king and now has sent the prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as the next king.
Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. Then Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” 16:8-11a, CSB
David was so lowly that, out of eight sons, he wasn’t even considered by his family that the kingship could be his. And I imagine this is just the way life was for David, not a one off instance. Always the least. How easy it would have been for David to be wrapped up in discontentment!
As the story goes, we see that he is the one anointed to be king one day and he’s filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
But what is more interesting is the perspective that David has when Goliath, the Philistine giant, is threatening the Israelites. No one is brave enough to face him and again, everyone underestimates David. He shows up to bring his brothers some food and declares that he will battle Goliath. Saul tells him that his inexperience disqualifies him. This is David’s response:
“Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur,[g] strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:34-37, CSB
The work David did in the field prepared him to battle Goliath. And the work that I did in my career that I thought I was “trapped in” for seventeen years, God was preparing me. I now use those skills I developed for the ministry work I’ve been in for seven years. Yet, for many of those 17 years, I resented the work I did instead of being content.
The work we do today is laying a foundation for the work of the future. God measures obedience, not platform size or years of experience. So that means for us, fulfillment isn’t about the size of calling but our faithfulness in it.
The prayer is: Jesus, help me to be content when I feel small.
Contentment in Challenging Circumstances
Second, discontentment shows up in challenging circumstances.
At times, our discontentment comes because of the decisions of others.
As I mentioned earlier, Paul is writing our core passage for today from prison. And he is in prison because of Christ! We would rise up and call out our indignation for this. Or would we?
All around the world, people are experiencing persecution for their faith in Jesus. According to Open Doors, 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide. This might mean that churches and Christian properties are attacked. It might mean imprisonment. And yes, some are even murdered.
Paul and his traveling companion Silas were put into prison when they freed a young slave girl from demon possession in Acts 16. They were beaten with rods, stripped naked and put in jail. What was their response?
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25, CSB
In unfair circumstances, Paul and Silas sing to God. They didn’t plot their defense. They turned it all over to Him. And what happened? Suddenly, there was an earthquake, their chains were broken and the doors swung open. But the biggest miracle? Because of God’s power, the jailer and his household came to know God and salvation for themselves.
Does this story mean that every time we experience something challenging, if we start singing some worship songs, we will also experience immediate and earth-shaking miracles? Not necessarily and not usually.
For years, our marriage was terrible. The truth is I could have left. Some would say I should have left. But I do not want you to misunderstand where my heart was doing those very difficult years. I was not content. I was saved, called myself a Christian, and checking off the boxes, but it was all so I could justify why I was better and resentful. I wasn’t singing to God. I was shaking my fist at him, seeing myself as a victim many times.
Until I broke and I realized that I couldn’t any longer. That was the day I surrendered my life to God in a way that I had never done before. It was when I said “I can only make it with you Jesus. Be my strength.”
Jesus was standing before me and asking me if I wanted to be well - if I wanted to really be free from my discontent and resentment and depression and frustration. And I was finally ready to say yes–that I was all in to take my step forward as he led me, because my path was keeping me walking in circles.
Our circumstances didn’t change immediately. In fact it took several more years before we were even at point zero instead of in the red in our relationship. Even though circumstances didn’t change immediately, my peace came through surrender and pursuing Jesus, seeking to understand his way.
Joy and contentment can exist even when we’re chained in hard circumstances.
The prayer is: Jesus, help me to be content when life is hard and unfair.
Contentment in Life Transition
So far, we see that discontentment creeps in when my life feels smaller than I want and in challenging circumstances.
Third, it can show up in life transitions.
So what about when life is going just as you hoped and you are loving everything, but then…it just changes? We leave home and we start our families. We grow older. Our children grow and eventually leave home. Our calendar starts to shift from free-spirited adventures to vocational purpose to doctor visits.
What is our response when change happens, even when we don’t want it?
In Numbers 13, we come across the Israelites in the Wilderness. This is within the first 2 years of their freedom from slavery in Egypt. The Lord instructs Moses to send out men into what would be the Promised Land to scout it out. When they returned, all spoke of the amazing land. But all but one (Caleb) also spoke of the things that instilled fear–the people who lived in the land and how strong they were. Their voice was strong and it led the people to this response:
Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” Numbers 14:1-3, CSB
Israelites grumbled, longing for Egypt, the place of their past, their bondage, and their slavery. But they looked backward with rose-colored glasses. They wanted what was. They didn’t want to face the challenges of what lay ahead of them and as a result, this generation lost the reward of entering the Promised Land. Instead they wandered in the wilderness for another 38 years.
Right now, it’s October and I have been captivated by the leaves changing this year. If there is any season that reminds us that life does not slow down for us, it’s autumn.
Robert Frost in his poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” (1923) captivates the sentiment here:
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
As the leaves change and force us into winter, we cannot stay in the places of the past that we long for, no matter how good we believe they might have been. Gratitude for what is TODAY will prevent you from longing for your Egypt from the past.
The prayer is: Jesus, help me to be content when life changes.
When is Discontentment Ok?
Now, I believe there are a few times when discontentment is not only ok, but even demanded of us! When might these be? I think they are tied into the two greatest commandments (according to Jesus).
“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew 22:36-40, CSB
First and foremost, when God’s glory is slandered or disregarded.
Our example comes from Nehemiah.
“They said to [Nehemiah], “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.” When I [Nehemiah] heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. ” Nehemiah 1:3-4 CSB
He goes on to pray prayers of confession on behalf of the Israelites and pleading with the Lord for a renewal of his people and the Jerusalem wall.
When Nehemiah hears that Jerusalem’s walls are in ruin, he weeps, he mourns, he fasts, and he prays. His discontent isn’t rooted in personal ambition. In fact, he was working as a cup-bearer for the king. He was set up! But instead, he had a holy ache that moved him from a cupbearer to rebuilding the wall for God’s glory.
This is a holy discontent–a griving over the things that grieve God. We are not to accept these circumstances. Rather, we are to interceded and be a part of rebuilding as directed by God.
My second thought about when discontentment is ok is in the eyes of injustice.
Wait Lisa, didn’t you just say that we should be content in hard and unfair circumstances?
I did. But this does not give ongoing permission for others to mistreat or violate others. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which we finished a sermon series on earlier this year, was all about Jesus revealing the heart of his audience and pointing out that mistreatment of another person is not ok. Contentment is not the same as silence.
If this is you—if you’re living with a situation that isn’t just uncomfortable but truly unjust—hear me: you matter. Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is seek help. That might mean leaving a toxic relationship, advocating for healthier working conditions, or bringing a hidden situation into the light. Speak up. Find a trusted friend, pastor, or safe person to walk with you. You’re not meant to carry that alone.
Ultimately, though, we bring what is unjust to Jesus. We turn it over to the One who sees, who defends, who heals, and who makes all things right in His time. Discontent in the face of injustice isn’t a lack of faith. It’s often the beginning of Jesus’ redemptive work.
Conclusion
Contentment is learned through surrender over and over and over again.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul reminds us that we are to take every thought captive and bring it to the obedience of Jesus Christ. So, we must ask ourselves, when we have thoughts of discontentment, are we bringing those thoughts to the Lord? Are we asking him to reveal to us the truth of those thoughts so that we can name and address them?
Or do we seek to cover up our discomfort on our own? Do we buy one more thing to pacify us? Do we work a little harder for some elusive idea of success? Do we put ourselves into rooms of which we do not belong? Or do we submit our discontentment to the Lord, handing over to him all of our discomfort?
“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 4:11a-13, CSB
As we draw nearer and nearer to Jesus, as we find our delight in him, then we choose willingly to participate in the process of sanctification. We become like Christ when we choose his way. Jesus doesn’t waste our discomfort. He transforms it into deeper dependence, stronger faith, and unshakable peace.
Let’s pray.
