Finding Contentment - Philippians 4:11-13

"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."  This quote from Henry David Thoreau still seems to resonate within the hearts of people today.  Yet God has promised a life of contentment for those who have faith in Christ.

Do you experience contentment?  Do you believe that God wants you to experience it?  The Scripture says, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6).  Listen to the message "Finding Contentment."  First, read the Scripture - Philippians 4:11-13.  Below are some notes for the message.

First, God has a Grand Strategy.  His strategy is this: He wants you to be a learner - a disciple of Jesus Christ.  The world is God school and His word is the lesson plan.  He has called you to become a faithful follower of Jesus Christ who will, by HIs Holy Spirit, instruct you and bring you into a life of contentment in Him.

Second, God has a Great Secret.  Well, okay, it's not much of a secret.  Paul said he "learned the secret" of contentment.  This secret is actually no secret at all.  God's method of instruction is experiential.  God will initiate you into the issues of contentment through the experiences of your life.  Your circumstances are the tools of instruction to bring you into a life of contentment in Christ.

Third, you will find God's Strength.  The product of finding true contentment – that is, contentment in Christ Jesus – is to find God's strength working in and through you to overcome all circumstances and do all things that He has given to you.

Know that God wants you to find contentment.  It will only be found when you find it in Jesus.

All for His Glory!

Michael