Paul's Curriculum: Courses in Contentment

If Paul obtained his degree at the “University of Contentment,” then the question we want to ask is: What was the curriculum that God used so that Paul could excel? Allow me to divide the curriculum into two courses: Hardship and Prosperity.

Hardship

“Going hungry” and “suffering need” can be placed under this first category. The phrase “how to get along with humble means” (verse 12) comes from only one Greek verb, tapeinoo. This verb denotes a kind of “poverty” or hardship, “whether self-imposed or imposed by external factors.”10 Furthermore, the verb also indicates “a way of life similar to that of his Lord.”11 Paul followed Christ despite the voluntary humbling acts or uninvited attacks he experienced. Paul’s contentment was consistent no matter what.

One of the objectives of this course on Hardship, aside from learning contentment, is to teach Paul the truth of Matthew 4:4:

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

Man is spirit, soul, and body. You and I know that we continually and naturally nourish the soul and the body. We feed our bodies at least three times a day, sometimes five or six times, including midnight snacks. We feed our souls (or our self-consciousness) by educating our minds through schooling and reading. What is largely undernourished is our spirits (or our God-consciousness), which need to be fed with God’s Word. We tend to desperately seek answers concerning God and His dealings when we go through periods of lack. We are driven to the Scriptures, which feed our spirits with God’s attributes and promises.

Prosperity

The Greek word for prosperity is perisseuo. It means “to abound, to overflow, to have more than enough.”13 “Being filled” and “having abundance” can also be grouped in this second category. Paul also experienced times of ease and lavishness. Here, Paul might be referring to the generous support of the Philippians in Lydia’s hosting of the missionaries, in Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica, Corinth, and possibly elsewhere.

At times, God can bring about superabundance in our lives; like Solomon, may we realize that even when we reach the heights of a financial summit, we will not be satisfied. This was what Solomon, in all his glory, discovered for himself.

Conformity to Christ

God enrolled Paul in these two courses of experiences so that he could learn what contentment was all about. God uses a variety of experiences in our lives to help us achieve holiness and conformity to the image of His beloved Son. Many people love the verse of Romans 8:28 because it speaks of the loving sovereignty of God in our lives. But they have missed out on the ultimate goal of God which is found in the next verse — conformity to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. Have a look at these two verses together:

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”

It is true that God desires good for us. But we need to bear in mind that the end goal of God is not just our good in a temporal sense, but our good for all eternity. At times, God may very well choose to have us experience what Joseph did in Genesis. We may go through persecution and suffer the harm others had intended for us. But in His wisdom, God may intend this harm for our own temporal good. The highest good, however, is that which has eternal value, the foremost of which is becoming like Christ. He has eternity in mind and seeks to mold us into the likeness of Christ. At times, we protest against God when a barrage of trials comes our way. At times, we ask the Lord, “Why me?” My take on this is, “Why not you?” God has a purpose for every detail of our lives — the transformation of our character. The primary goal of God for our lives is not happiness and fulfillment in this world but holiness and fulfilment in Him.

When we understand this, we would complain less or not at all, knowing that the God we serve is a good God and He is working all things together for our good, which is to be conformed to the image of His Son. As John says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2–7).

When we have this realization, our response would not be that of complaining, but rejoicing. This is what Peter talked about:

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:6–7”

This is an excerpt from Enough Is Enough by Mel Caparros, available at OMF Lit and Passages Bookshops and our online store, passagesbooks.com for P275.

In Enough is Enough , Pastor Mel Caparros guides us through the book of Philippians, discussing vital lessons from Paul's life about contentment. Along the way, he also shares his own personal experiences with great blessing, great lack, and the Great God who always proves Himself to be more than enough.