I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10
I was also really encouraged by a couple of verses I thought through yesterday and something that the Lord showed me about myself that I wanted to share with you. To be completely honest, these verses are challenging to live out, and we all need some encouragement at this point in our lives.
Contentment overcomes pride (v.7)
If anyone knew anything about pride, it was the Apostle Paul. He was “well-qualified” to struggle with pride (Philippians 3:5-7). God knew that and already planned to help Paul through this potential issue in his life. His resume alone would place him on the top of many job applications. Some of us are the same way. We work so hard to qualify ourselves for so many different things that we forget that pride does affect us in so many negative ways. But God already knows that.
And Paul knew that God knew that. He begins this passage understanding that pride was the enemy of contentment and that God provided something that Paul could not control to help him understand he must rely on God for everything. This is where God births true contentment in us.
Contentment can be exhausting (v.8)
Paul had to learn to be content (Philippians 4:11). Contentment wasn’t something that happened as a result of his salvation. It resulted from hard work and learning how to “be” a certain way in whatever situation he found himself in. So when Paul begged God three times to remove this “thorn in the flesh (v.7),” or this weakness that was given to dispel any pride, he was honestly feeling the weight of the growth God wanted to see in his life.
Do you ever pray only to find that God’s answer is quite different from the one you anticipated? I promise you’re not alone. And in this case, Paul quickly understood that this weakness would hang around to keep him where God intended.
Contentment is based on God’s strength (v.9)
God answered Paul by explaining the His (God’s) strength was utterly sufficient. God told Paul that there is great power in weakness. I’m not sure that Paul completely understood things while he was going through those weaknesses because he had to learn how to get to that place of being well-contented. Nevertheless, God taught Paul an important lesson and one we should all seek to understand.
Those places that we consider weaknesses are areas in our lives that God gets an opportunity to fill in the gaps and make strong. Do you get that? That is amazing. God’s plan for our weaknesses is to empower us so that they become strong. Paul said in Philippians 4:13 that “I (Paul) can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength.” It is Christ’s strength that is in us to do exceedingly and abundantly above more than we can think or ask (Ephesians 3:20).
It’s more than just pride (v.10)
Paul becomes completely transparent with us by letting us know that every situation he’s been in has been a challenge, but he has learned and worked hard at becoming content. It doesn’t take long to check out the difficulties and situations Paul found himself in from time to time (2 Corinthians 11:23-33). Paul learned the great secret we should all experience. We really can become content when we trust the Lord for every decision and every situation in our lives. And that contentment is a platform for Christ to get the attention and glory He deserves.
So how are you doing today? Are you content or discontent? Are you trusting in the Lord for His provision for your life, or are you still fighting the demons that continue to pop up from time to time?
Learn the secret…..share the secret!