Philippians – The Final Chapter

Philippians 4

We’ve learnt a lot in this journey through Philippians that is continued on into Chapter 4 from previous chapters. What I will focus on in this final chapter is what Paul teaches about true contentment.

If I was to list all the things that had happened in my life, any one of them could have broke me. At times I felt broken, I struggled to see hope for a breakthrough, I felt destroyed, trapped and so many other emotions and feelings. I choose to believe that God is not the one that sends evil or causes bad things to happen – I choose to believe this based on what I know is true about God’s character. He is love, He is healer. To send destruction or sickness would completely contradict his character. This is not to say that he does not allow things to happen. He has given people free will and he has limited himself to not override that free will. It is not God who sends people to hell to be eternally separated from Him. People make that choice for themselves in rejecting the truth.

Some things that have happened in my life I have still yet to see God work good out of it – I know he will, I can be sure he will, because I have seen it too many times before to not hold onto hope that He will come through for me, in His perfect timing. It is not my job to strive to make that happen in my time. Not by might, nor by strength, but by my power says the Lord (Zechariah 4:6). We can rest in Him and allow his power to work through us.

When we found my Father In Law deceased in his flat, there was so much against us at that time. The ex-wife who had made sure to call the solicitors holding the will on her way down south on holiday. My Father In Law lived in a council house and so we had to evacuate within 1 or 2 weeks. It was a very short period of time. The death was also referred to the coroner for inquest due to the circumstances. I know God didn’t cause his death. I know this because God is life and a creator not a destroyer. It would contradict his very character. I know there are consequences as humans to our behaviour and even after repentance those consequences need to play out. I also know that if my Father In Law had passed 2 weeks earlier his ex-wife would’ve been entitled to the life insurance money rather than my husband. We know the ex-wife knew this and this was why she phoned the solicitor. My husband was not aware of any life insurance policy and was really just wanting to see if his Father had a will. There was no expectation or prayer regarding financial relief. The money we received enabled my husband to make repairs on his Mum’s house that would never have been affordable before. I know that God was in the mix. During this time we held contentment. We trusted that God would bring something good out of what we had just walked through. That day was especially strange as my husbands cousin was to be married that afternoon.

The point I’m attempting to make here is that it is not hard to hold contentment when you trust in God, when Jesus is your saviour and you have the power of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you. That contentment comes from the one whom you have placed your trust in. It doesn’t make the path you walk easy, sometimes it means standing alone because no-one else is seeing what you see.

There are other situations in my life that I have not yet seen work for good. I know it’s on it’s way. I see the glimmers and the odd things every now and then that points to God working. The paradigm shifts in my own thinking, the healing in my soul. The good that comes isn’t for my benefit either, it’s for those around me and those God will place me in front of. The contentment comes when I release control and let God be God. My concern is making sure I am hearing him correctly, that I stand on the side of truth in all situations and that I don’t betray who I am or the truth to keep the peace.

A practical tip that has helped me so much in learning to be content with present circumstances is a gratitude journal. Our brains tend towards a negativity bias – but we can change that. We can renew our minds to the word of God. The truth is what you focus on becomes stronger. And so by focussing on gratitude and the glimmers rather than the negative our brain is being trained to naturally recognise that. Each day I write down three things to be grateful for. Some days it can be that I had the strength to stand up in the shower – it’s been a tough year. Other days it’s something different. It’s about recognising that there will always something we can show gratitude to God for in our lives. Even when all our circumstances are pointing to life being on a negative turn.

Contentment is not a feeling, it’s a choice, an attitude to choose to rebuke fear and receive God’s peace. It is choosing to believe when everything around us looks like we’re headed for failure. It is knowing who you are in Christ, believing in the authority you have as a believer and standing firm on the truth. It won’t be an easy ride, God’s Word tells us that we will have trouble in this world. We know that the devil seeks to steal, kill and destroy. God’s Word teaches us that weapons formed against us won’t prosper. That doesn’t mean that weapons won’t be formed or reach your camp. It means they will not succeed in bringing you down. IF you stand firm on the Word and in true relationship with Jesus.