Philippians 4:12
I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.
I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.
Paul is not painting times of hardship or lack as evil or as indicative of God not being with us.
When David was running from Saul for years, he faced various challenges along the way, even as one who had been promised the throne of Israel. It was not smooth sailing for him.
Paul had not had it smooth sailing for him too. But he kept pressing forward, and he is here sharing one of his secret sauces with us: contentment.
He had experienced times of plenty and times of need; he had experienced feeling satisfied or going hungry and not from fasting. These are varied circumstances. He did not consider the circumstances to determine whether he was doing the will of God.
He had been praising this church's generosity to him (Philippians 4:11), but said he was doing that not because he was in need.
One thing he did not do was communicate that he was fertile ground and that, if they gave him that, they would prosper.
He also does not want to convey a sense of desperation on his part. That sense of desperation may lead us to justify, in our minds, the wrong ways of doing things.
But what Paul did here was to elevate contentment above abundance, showing that even if abundance of supply was not our reality, contentment, as a virtue, stabilizes the ship of our lives.
These are things he did not do:
- He did not create a pyramid scheme in which he, as an apostle, sits at the top, and people pay a percentage of their earnings to the leaders, who then pay him.
(We can call it payment, which is obligatory [not giving], if it is demanded/required for whatever reason. That means it is not yours, and you will be punished if you keep it. But giving is voluntary in every sense of the word. And what this church did was give, not payment.
- He did not communicate the idea of giving as a scheme. He thanked them for their giving but did not communicate in a way that would make them his slaves.
- He did not define himself as a priest who would collect a percentage of the people's earnings.
- He did not set his gaze on the people, this particular people, as his source.
- He did not say, "Come on, when are you going to send another one?" even though what they gave him would finish sooner or later.
- He did not claim fatherhood, and that, as his children, they must give to him for them to be blessed (see 2 Corinthians 12:14-16).
- He did not promise them excess if they had given "aggressively." He is not saying that once you give aggressively, then your future is secure. Not at all.
- He did not say the people who need to give to him for their own good.
When he said, "I have experienced times of need," he meant it is okay to experience times of need.
When he said, "I have experienced times of abundance," he meant that abundance is not a curse word.
What he does not want is for us to put our hope in the abundance or lose our hope because of the times of need.
Again, he is careful about his messaging; he does not want to communicate desperation, distress, demands, a blame game, shame, or guilt if they do not make the necessary donation. He does not want to communicate that their giving is what defines them.
He does not want to go back to the thinking of the Old Testament, creating a structured giving that ensures he does not lack. He does not want to put the people on the hook to meet his needs, ensuring he is insured against any shortfall.
"I have experienced times of need and times of abundance" is also a communication about his humanity. The people would not think he is above normal experiences.
One thing he is not communicating is a God who is the same as money, meaning the more money you have, the more God is with you.
They know that God is with Paul. And when he said that he sometimes experienced lack, they would understand that experiencing lack is not the end of the world.
But this knowledge is not in everyone. And I believe Paul wants it for everyone.
He said, "I have learned," and therefore described contentment as an aspect of spiritual maturity.
He wants people to put their hope in God first and foremost, and not measure themselves by such externals, which can generate desperation rather than contentment. He wants them to be spiritually oriented, not overly impressed by externals.
Look at what he wrote to Timothy:
Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
