I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
— Philippians 4:12 —
Michael Park: TMAI Headquarters | USA
“From this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, until death do us part.” This is a typical vow you hear at a wedding ceremony. The bride and bridegroom stand in front of everyone looking at each other with adoring eyes and confidently say, “Yes!” However, this vow can quickly vanish when the winds of hardship blow into their lives. Suddenly, life is filled with dissatisfaction, complaints, and discomfort. How did he [the Apostle Paul] rejoice in the Lord even in the midst of a severe trial? This is something that we face from time to time in our Christian walk. How can we stand strong in faith and remain content regardless of circumstances? We need to listen to the one who learned the secret of contentment. The apostle Paul, by the Lord’s appointment, was beaten, stoned, in hunger and thirst, often without food, and in cold and exposure (2 Cor. 11:25–27). Can you imagine this? This man was in prison when writing a letter to fellow believers in Philippi, yet he repeatedly exhorts them saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). How did he rejoice in the Lord even in the midst of a severe trial? How did he learn the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need? The answer? “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). His unmovable contentment came from the only source of all-sufficiency, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was filled with contentment, comfort, and satisfaction in every and any circumstance because he found his ultimate sufficiency in Christ alone. Where in your life do you need to look to Christ for all-sufficiency, instead of your circumstances?
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