Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. — Philippians 4:11
Paul is careful to explain his heart. He is not speaking because he is desperate for money. He is commending them, not because he desired their gift for selfish reasons, but because he rejoiced in their participation in God’s work and the fruit that would abound to their account.
Then Paul gives one of the great lessons of the Christian life: contentment. He says, “I have learned.” This was not automatic. Contentment is learned. The word carries the idea of being detached. Over time, Paul learned to find all that he needed in Christ rather than in circumstances. This poor church had given sacrificially, and Paul’s joy was not merely in the gift itself, but in what it represented spiritually.
Paul is careful to explain his heart. He is not speaking because he is desperate for money. He is commending them, not because he desired their gift for selfish reasons, but because he rejoiced in their participation in God’s work and the fruit that would abound to their account.
Then Paul gives one of the great lessons of the Christian life: contentment. He says, “I have learned.” This was not automatic. Contentment is learned. The word carries the idea of being detached. Over time, Paul learned to find all that he needed in Christ rather than in circumstances. This poor church had given sacrificially, and Paul’s joy was not merely in the gift itself, but in what it represented spiritually.