 Right, if you would turn in your bibles to Philippians 4 Philippians 4 and in this session, we're I think this is probably in my opinion Probably the key lesson we're gonna have this weekend now that doesn't mean you get to go home after lunch, but And to me, it's probably one of the messages that God uses in my life over and over again, so We're gonna look in this session at a call to being joyful by being content, so let's read Philippians 4 10 to 13 and Then I will pray But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at the last year care of me has flourished again of which you were also mindful But you lacked opportunity Not that I speak in respect of want for I've learned in whatever state I am in this to be content I know both how to be a base, and I know how to bound everywhere in all things I'm instructed to be full and to be hungry to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Father, thank you for these pinned words from the Apostle Paul through your Holy Spirit I thank you that he was willing to Live out what he writes in these verses Lord. It puts us to shame And I pray father that we would Put aside any preconceived ideas that we have about this text and that we would come to it as for the first time And that we would let your Holy Spirit do the needed work in our hard hearts that we might be pliable to What this text is saying and I pray this Lord that Christ would be glorified in the changes in our life In his name I pray I mean Well one of the lies of our age is this Contentment in life is dependent on the circumstances in my life or the people in my life For example, if only I had a good marriage. I would be content If only I was a single I would be content in fact Martha P says there are two types of women She counsels those that are married that want to be single and those that are single that want to be married If only I had a new car, I'd be content If only I had a new house or a bigger house, I would be content If only I had different neighbors, I'm counting on that one I Would be content because my neighbors right now don't care for me much if only I had a good church I would be content If only I had a different pastor or Pastors wife, I'd be content If only I had some friends I would be content If only my life wasn't so busy Then I would be content If only I wasn't so lonely, I would be content You know if only I just didn't have this physical problem I would be content If only I could take a vacation I would be content If only I didn't have small children. I would be content If only I had children I would be content If only I didn't have rebellious children Then I would be content If only I had more money I would be content If only I had a new dress, I'd be content. Ah, here's one more all could echo, well not all, but especially not Debbie, she's not here, but if only I could lose some weight, I would be, you know, it's not fair because she out eats me like crazy, twice as much, and she's thin, so she would just dive, she knew I was saying that. If only I could have all this and more, I would be content. Ladies of the world has told us numerous lies and you know what's so bad about it, we believe it. We have believed it. The truth of the fact of the matter is the more we get, the more we want. And if you don't believe me, just watch your children at Christmas time. Where's the next one, where's the next one, where's the next one, what else did you give me, what else did you give me, what else you got for me? We are rarely satisfied, and I think one of the most important lessons we can learn in life and pass on to our children and our grandchildren is this. If I am not satisfied with what I have right now, I will never be satisfied with what I want. If I am not satisfied with what I have right now, I will never be satisfied with what I want. In fact, Elizabeth Elliott says, if it's a need, you'd have it because God has promised to supply your needs, not your wants. And every one of you have food and raiment and so what, be content, right? So, if you and I are to be content, then just what is contentment, how do we get it, and how do we keep hold of contentment? Well, the apostle Paul has some answers for us tucked away in a few verses in Philippians chapter four, and he certainly is able to instruct you and I because in Philippians 4, 11, he says that he learned contentment. And ladies, he didn't learn it by having a life that was hunky dory. Paul's life was incredibly difficult, incredibly, and through difficult circumstances and difficult people, he learned to be content. And he leaves a legacy for us as Christian women as he's gonna give us four keys to contentment. And I think that you will find them valuable in your life. So, let's see what they are. Ladies, a joyful person is a content person. I've already read the passage, so I'm not gonna reread it. Each verse, by the way, has one valuable key to contentment, okay? So, let's look at the first key to contentment. Paul says, I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now it lasts your care for me as flourished again, though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Now, if you know anything about the Epistle to the Philippians, it is a book of joy. In fact, that's why I entitled it with the master in fullness of joy. Because Paul mentions joy or rejoicing 18 times in this little Epistle. And he's just mentioned in verse four, if you'll look at verse four of chapter four, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. And then he says in verse 10 that he not only rejoiced in the Lord, but he rejoiced, notice what he says, greatly or exceedingly. Now, what is the cause of Paul's rejoicing in the Lord? What is it? You know that he would get a new car when he got out of prison so he could go around and visit all the churches he started? Was his rejoicing in the fact that when he got out of prison, there might be a great meal waiting for him? Because lady's prison food wasn't that great. No, notice what he says. My rejoicing, the reason I'm rejoicing is that now it lasts your care for me as flourished again, though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. You know what Paul's saying? I am rejoicing because you, the church at Philippi, you care for me. You care for me. You know, it had been 10 to 12 years since Paul had seen them. And yet they had not forgotten about the apostle Paul there in prison. They remembered he had a need and that's why they sent a pathroditus with the monetary gift, 800 miles from Philippi to Rome. And remember, a pathroditus almost died. Paul said he had, he got sick and almost died, but God had mercy on him and not on him only, but also on me. At least I should have sorrow upon sorrow. And a pathroditus traveled 800 miles. Remember, there's no planes, there's no boats, there's no trains, it's mostly all by foot. And he almost died trying to get there. And so Paul says I'm rejoicing because, even though it's been 10 to 12 years since I've seen you guys, you send the pastor a pathroditus on an 800 mile journey to bring me something that I need, a monetary gift. Ladies, notice Paul entrusted his need to God and learned contentment. Do you notice he's not begging? He entrusted his need to God and learned contentment. Key number one to contentment, entrust your needs to God. Entrust your needs to God. Paul did. Paul did. Ladies, maybe you have a financial need as Paul did when he was in prison writing this letter. Maybe you have a financial need today. Whatever your need is, entrust it to God. Has God been faithful to you in the past? Yes. Is he faithful to you today? Yes. Will he be faithful to you tomorrow? Yes. Entrust your need to God. Paul didn't fret, he didn't worry because the gift wasn't there on time. They wanted to help him. They wanted to do that, and yet they lacked opportunity. And so, as I mentioned, a pathroditus was a little late in getting there because he almost died trying to get there. But you notice in this passage, in this verse right here, Paul gave them the benefit of the doubt. That's where he flushes out what? Thinking of them better than himself. He could have said, excuse me, don't you know that I'm sitting here in prison chained to two Roman guards? How come you guys didn't figure out a way to get the needs that I have to me? How come? He didn't. He entrusted his needs to God. He thought on things that are true, lovely, just, and of good report, as we'll see this afternoon. Ladies, this is an example for you and I to follow. Now, the reason he didn't receive the gift before now from the Philippian church was not because of their neglect, but because of the difficulty of getting it to them. As evidenced by the words he says, though you surely did care, you cared for me, but you lacked opportunity. Now, I want to go, before we go on, I want to say it is the responsibility of parishioners to financially take care of their pastor, okay? That is a biblical principle, and I'm not bucking for, you know, a raise or anything, even though whatever. The church did just give my husband a raise and we were thankful for that. But Paul makes this clear in Galatians 6-6, 6-6, let those who teach the word share in all good things with him that teaches. 1 Timothy 5, 17, Paul says, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the Word and doctrine, and so your pastor is to be paid. And it should be according to what the pay should be of the day. They had a financial responsibility to minister to Paul, and yet circumstances prevented them from getting a gift to him. Remember, there's no mail, there's no federal express in those days, there's no wiring of, you know, the other day we wired the money so that we could, you know, close on our house, you couldn't have done any of that. Now, Paul uses a very interesting word here when he says their care for him had flourished. Flourished means to revive again, to put forth new shoots. It's kind of like what we see right now in Oklahoma, I don't know how it is in Florida, but, you know, winter is gone and it's been a very rough winter for us, and now spring has come and all the flowers are coming up, they're shooting forth new shoots, and it's, you know, the flowers right now are beautiful, the plants are starting to bloom, the trees are getting their leaves, and that's the meaning here. The meaning is they again, it flourished again, it's like it sprung up new for the apostle Paul. And ladies, this should be a reminder to us to think about the missionaries that are in foreign countries that are going through difficult times and they don't hear much from people back in America, they not only don't get much in the way of monetary things, but just encouraging letters, emails, or whatever. It's a good reminder to us, be mindful of our missionaries to write them and support them financially, because we have so many more means in the 21st century than in Paul's day. Well, Paul gives a second key to contentment in verse 11, notice what he says, not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. Paul says I'm speaking in regard to need. In fact, the word want comes from the verb behind. You know what he's saying? I'm not wanting or behind in anything. Why? Because I've learned to be content. And then Paul gives the reason why he was content, and it wasn't because he had a wealthy bank account there at the Bank of Rome, or that some inheritance was waiting for him when he got out of prison. Notice what he says, because I've learned in whatever state I am to be content. Now, what does that mean? Well, the word learned means to have learned anything by experience, to understand it. Ladies, this is an encouragement to me, and I hope it's an encouragement to you, because do you know Paul had to learn contentment? Contentment does not come by osmosis, okay? You can't just go, oh, I want contentment. You have to learn it. And you know how you learn it? Through hardships of life. Somebody asked me that question last night. I forget what it was, something about trials, and things like that. And I guess I've just, you just kind of let it roll off your back. Experience is a great teacher. Principle number two, and the key of contentment is this. Learn contentment by the hardships of life. Learn contentment by the hardships of life. Ladies, let your circumstances teach you something, and let it teach you contentment. You know the apostle Paul certainly had a lot of hardships to go through, didn't he? He didn't whine about him, but he learned contentment. In fact, turn over to 2nd Corinthians 11. Let's look at some of his hardships. 2nd Corinthians 11, beginning in verse 22, listen to this, see if you can identify with him. He says, are they Hebrews, so am I. Are they Israelites, so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham, so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more and labor's more abundant and stripes above measure and prisons more frequently and death often. From the Jews, five times I received 40 stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned, three times I was in a shipwreck. A night and a day I've been in the deep and journeys often in perils of waters, perils of robbers, perils of my own countrymen. Perils of the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brethren, weariness, toil, sleeplessness, often hunger, thirsty, fasting, cold, naked. Beside the other things that which it comes upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak and am I not weak? Who is made to stumble and do I not burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast in the things that concern my infirmity. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is blessed forever knows I'm not lying. In Damascus, the governor and our artist, the king was guiding the city of the Damasians with a garrison desiring to arrest me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands. Now, ladies, how would you like to go to school with the apostle Paul? That doesn't sound like a lot of fun. I mean, when's the last time you've been beaten 39 times? And he did that five times. And it wasn't just a spanking with the attitude or gesture that I have at my home that I use on my grandkids. I mean, it was a thing that was made of bones and tendons and tore chunks off his body. When's the last time that you were out in the open sea naked, floating around, hungry, thirsty, cold, the burdens of all the churches? Maybe some of you in this room need to experience deeper hardships of life so that you can learn contentment. In fact, do you know Paul's life was always in danger? On two occasions, Jews tried to murder him. Regarding his imprisonments, do you know Paul spent 25% of his life in prison? 25% of his life. You go, well, Susan, that's not so bad. I mean, they got internet, they got TVs. You know, he can go out and work, he can work out, he can get buff, he can get abs. No. Listen to what Roman imprisonment was like. It was preceded by being stripped naked and then flogged, a humiliating, painful and bloody ordeal. The bleeding wounds went untreated. Prisoners sat in painful leg or wrist chains, mutilated bloodstained clothing was not replaced even in the cold of winter. Remember in Paul's final imprisonment, he asked for a cloak, a coat, because he was cold. Most cells were dark, unbearably cold, lack of water cramped quarters, and sickening stench from few toilets, made sleeping difficult and waking hours miserable. Male and female prisoners were sometimes incarcerated together, which led to sexual immorality and abuse. Prison food, when it was available, was poor. And because of the miserable conditions, many prisoners begged for a speedy death and others just simply committed suicide. 25% of his time there. You think you have it bad? You see why the church sent him a gift? Probably didn't have any food, water. In fact, regarding Paul's missionary journeys on the road, do you know he traveled more than halfway around the world covering 8,000 miles by land and sea, and he would walk? And the average traveler would walk three miles an hour, 20 miles a day. And remember, they didn't have Nike tennis shoes, okay? They did well to wear heavy shoes or sandals. In fact, in some isolated areas, travelers faced dangers from robbers as well as wild animals, bears, wolves, those kinds of things. In fact, Paul no doubt had that in mind when he said in journeys off in perils of waters, perils in the country, perils in the wilderness, perils, perils, perils, perils. I mean, you know, this afternoon when I get on that plane and head back to Oklahoma, Lord willing, we had an interesting time getting here, but hopefully I'm going back. You know, I'm not concerned about any wolf or bear on the plane that's gonna eat me up, even though we've had some pretty interesting plane experiences too, but not Paul. That would be a real danger to him. Now, when Paul did stay in an inn, it wouldn't be the Hilton or the Marriard Courtyard where we stayed last night. In fact, most of the inns or hotels, if they were available, were known for their filthy sleeping quarters, extortionate innkeepers, gambler's thieves, and prostitutes. In fact, in the Apocrypha at the Acts of John relates to the amusing story of him coming to bed at night that was infested with bugs and he ordered the insects to depart for the night. Kind of like the recent, what is it, the bed bugs that they're so concerned about in hotels. Regarding his travel by boat, which would be the fastest way, the fare did not include food or a cabin, but only water. That's it, that's all he could get. You know, we go on these luxury cruises and you can have all you can eat and gain a pound a day, they say. But if Paul traveled by boat, only water was included. And of course, the greatest danger was sailing and winter. Paul mentions three times being in a shipwreck and spending a night and a day floating in the open sea. How would you like that? He learned to be content. Maybe you and I will have to go through some really difficult hardships before we can learn contentment. You know, I have to admit to you that after 9-11, I had hoped and prayed that the United States of America would wake up. But you know what, we'd become engrossed in more lawlessness, more sinfulness, more wickedness. What is it, 18 states now have same sex marriage? In fact, I remember after 9-11, a year later my husband got up to preach and he said, I just wanna ask you all a question. How many of you have changed any of the way you live since 9-11? And you know not one person raised their hand. Nobody had made any changes. Now, not to protect yourself from terrorists, but just, you know, living more righteously, more soberly, realizing that it's rough out there. We live in a wicked world. Ladies, I think one of the biggest reasons American Christians are not content is because we have so much. Do you know we spend more on storage units? Storing our stuff in those storage units, then we spend on McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King combined in a year. Now, you know how much McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King makes, right? They're making buko bucks. That's a Greek word, buko. And yet, we spend more as Americans on, you know, buying all this stuff and putting it in storage units. For what? It's gonna burn up. You know, we're like the church at Laodicea in Revelation that John says we're rich, increase with goods, and have need of nothing, but little do we know we're blind, miserable, wretched, and naked. Ladies, that describes the United States and many Christians I know. I think worthy of noting here also is Paul did not make any demands on God as I have seen some Christians do. You know, just because his conditions were not the best by human standards, do you know Paul rested in the fact that he was enrolled in a real Christian school? He was learning contentment. He was enrolled in contentment 101. I know some people today, and it's becoming more and more prevalent, the prosperity gospel, they have this delusion that coming to Christ means I'm gonna be wealthy, I'm gonna be healthy. Ladies, that is not biblical. That is not biblical. Jesus said in Luke 12, 15, take heed and beware of covetousness for your life does not consist in the abundance of things that you have. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, 6, 8, now God in this contentment is great game for we brought nothing in this world, and it is certain that we will carry nothing out. Have you ever seen a U-Haul behind a hearse? I have not. I've been to lots of funerals. And then he goes on to say, in having food and clothing, let us be content. And as I said, you're all dressed. Thank you for being dressed today. And I know you're happy I'm dressed. The 58 year old body is not very appealing without clothes on. And we've, you know, we have plenty to eat. And another Paul mentions, let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have, for he has said, I will never know, never know, never leave you or forsake you. Be content with what you have. Ladies, Paul knew what the real key to contentment was, and it was not anything in the world had to offer nothing. It wasn't in having a vacation to the Bahamas. It wasn't in buying the latest fashions. It wasn't in having a BMW. It wasn't going out to the finest restaurant in town, but it was in his relationship to Jesus Christ. In fact, he goes on to describe his contentment in a little more detail in verse 12, and we move on to our third key to being content in verse 12. I know how to be abased. I know how to bound everywhere and in all things. I learned to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Now, when Paul says here, he knows how to be abased. He means he knows how to be in circumstances of want or humility. So he learned, he's content if he doesn't have anything. But he also says he learns how to be content when he's abounding or superabounding the Greek word means. In fact, he's not only content with a little or much, but he goes on to say, I'm content everywhere and in all things, which means the totality of everything, every relationship he has and every circumstances he's in and every place he's at. Ladies, does that describe you this morning? Are you content with every circumstance, every relationship and every place that you are or will be? Then he goes on to say, I've learned both to be hungry and to be full, both to abound and to suffer need. The word learned here or instructed means, well, is it kind of an interesting word? Really, in the biblical times, it was used to describe the mystery religions, the Gnostics, they were kind of in the know and they would use this term like, they had this superior knowledge, they had a gnosis knowledge and so they were better than anybody else. And Paul's kind of using a play on words here. It's as if he's saying, I possess the secret, I've learned the secret to be content. Ladies, to most of us, contentment is still a mystery, right? But not to Paul. He says, I've learned it, I possess the secret. Ladies, I wish we were in that place in our spiritual walk. I meet a lot of women and most of them are discontent, not happy with anything. Their husbands, their kids, their job, their church. Ladies, Paul's contentment manifested itself when he was full and when he was hungry. What does it mean to be full? Well, it describes a supply of food and abundance. In fact, it was a word used to describe the feeding and fattening of animals in a stall. So you know kind of how that is after a Thanksgiving meal, you know, you're just like, you're so glad you have a skirt like this, you know, it has a little bit of elastic. You know, most of you know I have two stomachs, I really do, I have two stomachs, they both function. And so one time this guy in my church, he goes, I'm gonna, let's go out for Mexican, we're gonna have an eating contest because my kids always say, Mom, you know, I wanna invite my friends over so they can see how much you can eat, you know, because I do have two stomachs and they really both function. And so I have a very enormous appetite even though I try to control it. But I remember going out to this Mexican restaurant with Brad and every time he had to eat a chip, I ate a chip and so you know, I will never do this again. It was, after it was over, I thought this is a big sin. But you know, I ate beans and rice and we had the same enchiladas. Then I said, okay, let's go to Brahms. That's an ice cream store in Oklahoma. And we had a banana split. And I remember laying in the back seat and somebody drove me home and I said, well, never do this again. I am so full, I think I'm going to up chuck. And that's what Paul, I wasn't very content, but Paul says, I'm content whether I'm full. I mean, just stuffed or whether I'm hungry. And the word hungry here means to be famished. And this certainly is a foreign concept to us, isn't it? Because hardly any of us in this room probably are suffering. Debbie and I are going to India next week and we will see a lot of children and a lot of people that are starving. In fact, I only can remember one time my mother said when she's gone now, but she said that when I was a little baby that she couldn't ever satisfy me on the breast. I was the only one out of all of her children because well then she didn't know I had two stomachs but she'd feed me and I'd be screaming after it was all over. So she finally had to use a different method of feeding me, not knowing that I had two stomachs that needed to be filled up. But I can remember as a little girl being hungry all the time, not knowing why, just being hungry all the time. But I think the most hungry I've ever been was when my daughter came home one time and she said, mom, I think it was from college and she said, mom, why don't we go on the lemonade maple syrup diet? And I go, what is that? And she goes, well, we're just gonna drink lemonade and maple syrup for 10 days. And I like, really? She goes, yeah, mom, we're gonna lose all this weight. And I said, okay, well, I'll do it. So, and you drink Epsom salts or something too. I mean, it was just really, don't ever do not try this at home. It is not worth it. Be fat, it's better to be fat and happy. So anyway, I said, okay, honey, that sounds good. So we did it and day, I got through day eight. And I said, Cindy, I love you, but I cannot do this anymore. I am really starving to death. I mean, I really was. I was just so famished. And I remember going into the pantry and when I finally told her, I said, I'm not doing this, I'm breaking this diet. This is ridiculous. And I went into the pantry and I got those saltine crackers and I just put one in my mouth and I thought, this is the best thing I've ever eaten. I just love this saltine cracker. It's so good. But that's the most hungriest I have ever been in my life. Really. And Paul says, I'm content. Whether I'm stuffed after Thanksgiving dinner or whether I'm starving to death after the lemonade maple syrup dive. I mean, he has no idea what that is. And he probably would think we were all foolish or even thinking of something so ridiculous. But Paul says, I'm content. And then he goes on to say, I'm content both to abound and to suffer need. This is just a repeat of what he's already said. Ladies, key number three to contentment is this. Live independent of your circumstances. Paul did. Live independent of your circumstances. It didn't matter whether he was full, whether he was hungry, whether he had it all, whether he had good relationships, bad relationships, whether he was in Florida, India, wherever it didn't matter. He was content. He was content. You might be saying, well, how in the world did the apostle Paul do this? I mean, did he get a good psychiatrist? Was he on Prozac? I mean, was he in denial? How did he do this? Ladies, Paul held loosely to the things of this world. He said his affection on things above, not on things of this world. He knew his citizenship was in heaven. He didn't mind earthly things. He didn't care about them. He didn't care about them. His God was not his appetite. In fact, Paul's key to contentment was in his relationship with the living God as seen in verse 13. And let's finish up by looking at that and looking at the fourth key to contentment. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Ladies, notice first of all what Paul says, I can. You know what most women say to me? I can't do that, Susan. I say, yeah, you can. You can. You know, I can't should never be in a Christian's vocabulary because we can. Why? Because we have the power of the resurrected Christ within us. So we can. Now, when Paul says he can do all things, this verse is taken out of context so often and it is so bad. The key, the context is what? What have we been talking about? Contentment. Contentment. When Paul says he can do all things, the word do means strength to be able, to be strong. Paul says he can do all things. In other words, he can be content because of Christ. Paul is not saying I can do all things like build a barn or change a tire, go without sleep for a week. That's not what he's saying, even though I've heard people say that. Well, I can do this because first Philippians 4, 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I said, well, did you look at the verse before and the lit verse after? No, they don't do that. Ladies, the all things are the things we know that God has called us to do sometimes even the impossible tasks. Through God, we're able to be content in the most unusual circumstances. Now, how does Paul do this? Does he muster up some determination? Does he get some self-help classes? Nope, notice what he says. I'm able to do this through Christ who strengthens me. Ladies, this is the main key to contentment for the believer and that is Christ. He is the one who infuses you with power. So the fourth key to contentment is this, draw upon your resources in Christ Jesus. Draw upon your resources in Christ Jesus. How did Paul endure all those hardships that we just read about in 2 Corinthians? Through Christ, who infused him with strength. Romans 8.37, yet in all these things we're more than conquerors through him who loved us. 2 Corinthians 3.5, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves but our sufficiency is of what? It's of God, it's of God. 2 Corinthians 12.9 to 10 and he said to me, remember when Paul asked three times, Lord, I asked for this thorn of my flesh to be delivered, get it away from me. Three times he said and God said, no, Paul, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness and then Paul says, therefore I will most gladly glory in my infirmities, why? So the power of Christ will what? Rest upon me. When I'm weak, then I'm strong. Ladies, without the connection to Christ, you and I cannot do anything but we can be content through Christ who infuses us with strength. Ladies, each one of us has a choice in the area of contentment. Did you notice Paul's will in all this? Did you notice as we looked at those verses? I rejoiced, I have learned, I know how, I know how I can do. Paul had a choice, just like you and I have a choice and Paul chose contentment. He chose it. So I ask you, do you desire contentment in your life today? Is your life one of contentment or are you continually focusing on what you don't have and what you still need to be content? There are four keys to contentment according to this text. Key number one to contentment is, entrust your needs to God. What are your needs today? Needs, not wants, what are your needs? What are you doing about them? Are you fretting? Are you complaining? Are you sinning to attain them? Why not entrust them to God? Cast all your care upon the blessed Savior and find rest. Principle number two. The second key to contentment is, learn contentment by the hardships of life. Do you shrink at the trials that God brings your way? Do you see it as a part of the course you enrolled in when you committed your life to Christ? Did you really consider the cost to his lordship? Ladies, we must do much tribulation and enter the kingdom of heaven. Do you allow your tribulations to teach you contentment? Maybe some of you in this room need to pray and ask God for more hardships and more trials and more persecution so that you might learn contentment. Key number three to contentment is to live independent of your circumstances. What are your circumstances today? Are you rich? Are you poor? Are you lonely? Are you busy? Are you sick? Are you well? Are you childless? Are you single? Doesn't really matter. Neither does none of that matters. What does matter is living your life independent of your circumstances and the people in your life that are causing you grief, realizing this is not your home. Right? We're just passing through. Live for the kingdom to come. Well, the fourth key to contentment is draw upon your resources in Christ Jesus. What things are causing you to be discontent today? Are you drawing upon your resources in Christ Jesus as Paul did? You might say, what do you mean by that? What I mean is are you drawing upon the means of grace that God has provided for you? His word? His people? His church? His holy spirit? Prayer? Ladies, these are just some of the resources God has provided for you to draw upon so that you can learn contentment. Learning contentment comes by yielding to whatever he allows and then allowing whatever he allows to draw you close to him. Many, many years ago now, it's probably been 10, I went to Honduras with that same daughter that I went on the lemonade maple syrup diet with. She had just gotten married and her husband graciously, so that dates it, because it's been about 10 years ago. 11, I think in December, they will have been married, but anyway, her husband was gracious enough to let her go to Honduras with me and I was excited to go because I was gonna be a blessing to these women over there and this poverty-stricken country. Little did I know what God was gonna do in my life. And so on one of the free afternoons that Cindy and I had, one of the missionaries there, her name was Ginger, she asked if we would like to go in one of the villages that they ministered in, her and her husband, and visit this one lady that was pregnant and gonna have a baby and I said, sure, yeah, well, we'd like to do that, because we'd been on a compound and protected from everything and so we got in her Jeep and drove up to this house and I was shocked, I was not prepared for what I saw. The family that we were visiting lived in a room that was really not much bigger than my closet at home and the wife was actually pregnant with her fourth child, her husband had gone out to try to find some food, they hadn't had food for several days and the woman asked us to sit down, only I was like, well, where do we sit? So we just sat on a dirt floor, there wasn't really in a bed or a chair or anything like that and then we began to listen to the testimony of this destitute pregnant woman as she shared the faithfulness of God through Ginger who would then translate it to Cindy and I and she began to tell us how Ginger had provided prenatal vitamins for her and even parasite medicine for her children as they had passed, she said worms that were six inches long, in fact, we later learned from Ginger that many children are not fortunate to get parasite medicine and so they have worms that come out of their nose and their eyes and their ears and I left there thinking, what is wrong with American Christianity? We have fine houses, we have more food than we need, we have more medication than we need, too much medication really for our illnesses and yet we're anemic in our faith. This woman had nothing, she was destitute, but she was content, I can still see her smiling with one tooth, there was no complaining out of her mouth but only praising God for his mercy in her life. This woman learned contentment not by attaining this thing or that person but by living out the four principles right here in this text, she learned contentment by entrusting her needs to God, she learned contentment by the hardships of life, she learned contentment by living independent of her circumstances and she learned contentment by drawing upon her resources in Christ Jesus. This woman had genuine joy in her heart because her joy came from Christ alone and he's enough. Oh Father help us, we are so evil and so wicked. We are so discontent and Lord we spend our days murmuring and complaining about things that we don't have, that we want, that really are not needs, they're wants, they're lusts and we spend our days complaining about our marriage or about this or about that and I pray that you would cleanse us from that filthiness and Lord that you would teach us to be content, Lord that you would teach us to rise above our circumstances and rise above the difficulties and find our joy in you alone. Father that we might adorn the doctrine of God and make it attractive even as our brother Paul did and we thank you for him and we thank you for these precious words that he wrote for us in Christ's name, amen.