Is it possible to have peace? I mean to be content. In the midst of adverse, challenging, and uncertain circumstances, the Bible would say yes. The question is how? And that's today.
Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge Chip Ingramgroup. The mission of this daily program is to intentionally disciple Christians through the insightful Bible teaching of Chip Ingramle. You know, over the past few years, I'm sure we've all experienced times when peace felt unrealistic or unreachable. whether that was because of our chaotic world or personal anxiety. But today Chip's going to challenge us to shift our perspective as he continues his series, I Choose Peace.
In this program, he'll share a few valuable principles that'll help you hang on to God's gift of peace, even when our world seems like it's falling apart.
So if you're ready, go to Philippians chapter 4 in your Bible as we join Chip for his message in difficult circumstances. Webster, if you're wondering exactly what contentment is, says that contentment is happy enough with what one has or is. not desiring something more or different. In other words, you're satisfied. When you're content, it's not just you're happy with what you have, you're happy with who you are.
You w you wouldn't want to be three inches taller or seven inches shorter or You know, you're content. You would say It's enough. It's good. And I want you to think back to what is it you believe would really. help you be content and the clearer that you can get on that I believe the more powerfully God is going to speak to you.
Because in human terms, the problem with contentment is that the horizon is always moving. I mean, there's a time in your life where you say, you know, if I ever get a car, any kind of car, a beat-up junk or just a car, then I'd be happy. You know, then you get that car and you want one that really runs, and then you get that car, and then pretty soon you want one that runs and looks nice, and you get that car. And pretty soon now you want two cars, and you know, it goes on and on and on and on. The horizon always keeps moving.
If I ever get married, God, I'd never ask for another thing. Three years later, oh, God, if you could ever work out this marriage, I'd never ask for another thing. God, if you'd give me, give us a child. Oh, Lord, how did you bring that last one? The horizon keeps moving.
And so, being human nature what it is, philosophically, people over the ages. have tried to solve this contentment issue in two drastic ways. One group has a Taken that contentment will be found by conquering, achieving, acquiring, until satisfied. That was sort of the Roman Empire. You know what?
We got part of the world, we're going to get the whole world. You know, we're going to own, acquire, have, get, bigger, better, more. And then as soon as we get that, there's got to be just a little bit more. And when we do, then we'll be content. But we kind of know from our personal experience that that doesn't work.
Sure, it's nice to have nice stuff. It's nice to have a better job than the one you used to have, et cetera, et cetera. You know, that horizon keeps moving and You know, it's kind of a funny thing. I you think to yourself, you know, I really I liked this watch until we went to the mall yesterday. I mean, this was a great watch, you know, hypothetically.
Then you walk by and you see Boliva, Rolex. Yeah.
Well, I guess it's an okay watch. And so no matter, but if I turned this one in and got another one, I could go to the mall next week, couldn't I? and have the exact same problem. And so in philosophic thought, one group people thought that's not the way to go. It's not about getting, getting, acquiring, and having, because there's no end to it.
A group called the Stoics turned it around and said, we're going to desire less and less until it doesn't matter. In fact, Eastern and Buddhist thought goes along these lines. I want less, less, less, less. And so the Stoic philosophers got where they could emotionally detach. They would take a vase or a cup that they liked, and as a part of the process of their thinking, they would throw it to the ground, watch it break, and say, it doesn't matter.
And then they would literally allow, this is historical, they would get a pet that they were fond of and kill the pet. And then say, it doesn't matter. The only way to have peace is to get less and less and less. And then, when one of their children died or something happened, it would be. It can't impact me.
I like the quote of T. R. Glover, said, The Stoics made the heart. A desert. and called it peace.
And uh I don't know about you, but We got a little problem here. If getting more, more, more, more... can never bring contentment. And if desiring less, less, less, then the question is how can we be satisfied today? Um And the answer to that.
It's from the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit. And he's going to tell you, and he's going to tell me how you actually can be content. Not when this, this, you can be content today. You can actually live your life in a way empowered by the Spirit of God so that when things are great or when things are terrible, you can say and mean it, it is well with my soul. And you're going to learn it today.
In fact, when I got thinking about this, we should have charged people to come in. I mean, it can have such a profound impact in terms of the whole world's looking for happiness, and today. God is going to teach us, His children, how you can experience a it is well with your soul 24-7, 365, 24 hours a day.
Now it's a journey doesn't happen all at once.
Well, let's find out where that answer is found. Philippians chapter 4, 10 to 13. If you have your Bible, you can track along with me, but I put the text in so we could be in the same translation. Here's the occasion. The occasion is the Apostle Paul is in prison.
So you've got to remember he's writing a letter, and this church, the Philippian church, they've got this great relationship. And it's the theme of this whole letter that he writes to them is about joy. And it started in such a way where there's not a lot of problems in this church. One made a little relational problem toward the end. But he's built this bond with him.
And things have gone a little bit south for him. He's ended up in jail. He's in a Roman prison. And I'm not exactly sure what all that, but I know that every four to six hours, a new guard is chained to him. The food is not real good.
He's got scars on his body. He's had a very difficult life. This is toward the latter parts of his life.
So you've got bad food. It's cold. It's damp. There's rats. There's probably the smell of excrements.
I mean, his situation is really bad. But Epaphroditus, one of the church guys, found out finally, because they lost track of one another where he was, and they came and brought him a gift. And what you're going to read is his literal thank you note. He's just writing a thank you note.
So listen to what he says in verse 10. He says, I rejoice greatly in the Lord. That at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. And circle a few words that word renewed.
This word renewed is used for when a flower or a plant that has been dormant is now beginning to bloom. And the Apostle Paul is saying, you know, we had those great times together, and God birthed the church, and we were that band of brothers and sisters. And then I ended up in prison. We lost track of one another. I knew you cared about me, but now you have the opportunity.
And it's like the relationship has bloomed again. And notice the phrase: I greatly rejoice. I'm happy. I'm sitting in this prison, but I greatly rejoice in the Lord. And then notice he's going to claim.
Clarify his motives because I don't know about you. You know, sometimes if you've helped someone, this is the only church we know of early on that financially supported Paul. It was the first one. And so he wants them to know: now, this is not like one of those thank you letters. Thank you for this great contribution to the ministry.
Now, let me tell you how much money I need next. He says, my motives are just from the heart. Picking it up in verse 11, he says, I'm not saying this because I'm in need. For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances. He goes on to say, I know what it is to be in need.
I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry. Whether living in plenty Or in want.
Now, would you go through and take the word learned and put a box around it and then skip down where he says, I've learned again. It's very interesting. This is an intense. of the verb, it's not present tense. I am learning to be content.
This is a tense of the verb that's punctiliar, seeing something. He basically is saying, in this journey with God, I've had mountain peaks and low times. I remember when I had a lot. I was a young man.
Some say he was made by the most brilliant mind of his time. He got his MBA and his doctorate at Harvard Business School of his day and graduated number one. He was a Pharisee. He came from an upper crust family. He was a Roman citizen.
He was from this place called Tarsus. Barnabas, early friend, was very, very wealthy. He knows what it's like to drive the nicest cars, have the nicest clothes, be esteemed by people, live in a nice house, go to any restaurant whenever, and have a fat 401k. He knows what that life's like. But he says, I've had plenty, but he also says the ups, I've also had downs night and a day in the deep.
I've been beat within an inch of my life, the 39 lashes, three times. I've been left for dead once. In this current situation, one of his closest friends named Demas betrayed him and left. He's by himself. His body is marked with the scars.
He's been times where he has had no food for days at a time. He's lived as high as you can live in his day, and he's lived as low as you can live. And in the ups and downs, there's a thread that connects all of them, and it's a supernatural relationship with Jesus. And he says, he looks at that whole thing, and he says, like he's taking a photograph. Snap.
I have learned.
Now this is this is what he's saying is like I learned to ride a bike, okay? I'm not learning to ride a bike. If you put a bike up here, Trust me, I can get on it and I can write it. I can get better. But I have learned to ride a bike.
You know what he's saying here? I've learned to be content. means it's possible. I've learned to have a ton of money in the bank, go to the finest restaurants, have everything going my way. And I've learned When my physical body didn't work, when my closest friends betrayed me, when people walked out on my life.
And when it seemed like things could not be any worse, I have learned already out of my relationship with Christ. to say and to actually experience it's well with my soul. No fake. No artificial And then in verse 13, he tells us how it occurs. He says, I actually can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.
So this is by way of an overview of what's happening. And by way of conclusion, contentment is not a thing to be achieved. But a secret to be discovered. As we're here today, you can actually discover a secret. There is a way.
He said, I've learned the secret, and he says, I've got it. I am content. It's not something to be achieved. There is a Pattern of things that you can learn that you could walk out that door or one of those doors out of this, and you could start a journey and you could come to the point in this life that, regardless of your circumstances, you could be fully satisfied, content, not want for anything else, and be satisfied and content with who you are, where you are, what you're doing. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
We'll get back to today's message in just a minute. But first, if you're wanting to do a deeper study of Philippians chapter 4 with Chip, check out his popular book, I Choose Peace. You'll discover how to willfully and purposely choose the peace that only God can offer. Stick around after the broadcast to learn more.
Well, with that, here again is Chip. And this word means, the word content means self-sufficiency. This is not the removal of I love what one commentator says. He learned the secret of deep peace based on detachment from his outward circumstances. And then he goes on to say, this is not a fatalism.
Which cuts the nerve of ambition or smooths endeavors. No, it is a detachment from anxious concern about the outward features of this life. This kind of contentment doesn't mean you, well, I'm going to lay back on the couch. And, you know, this is pressing on, being all you want to be. and in the midst of the ups and downs of life, A veritable peace in your heart, a satisfaction that's supernatural.
Okay. And the question I want to ask is how do you get that? I mean, Paul knew it was a moving target. Paul knew from his experience that getting more and more and more wouldn't do it. Paul knew, I mean, the philosophers of his day, there were multiple Stoics.
He knew pretending that relationships don't matter and saying less and less isn't it. And the Apostle Paul on this morning, on this day in your life and mine, is going to say, I'm going to share the secret. I will show you. In this text, he's saying to us, how you can be content.
So let's dig in. Yeah.
Four principles and four practices.
Okay, this isn't idealistic. This isn't like one of those messages somewhere someday. He's going to walk you through and walk me through four specific practices that there's a principle behind them. That if you understand the principle and start to progressively begin to practice it, you can come to a day in your life where you could say, I've learned to be content. Just like you can say, I can ride a bike.
Just like you can say, I've mastered This or that, you can learn to be content. It's pretty exciting. Questions how? Contrary to the lie that I'll be content when my circumstances align with my desires, the first secret of contentment is learning our contentment, principle number one, is not dependent on our circumstances. See, unconsciously, what you've been taught, what I've been taught, what the world teaches us, what each commercial says is: here's your circumstances over here, and here's your desires.
Someday, some way, through lots of things, when your circumstances and desires align, then you can be happy, then you can be satisfied. I call it the win-than syndrome. Here's the win. Win I get married. Then I'll be happy.
when I have a great job. Then I'll be happy. When my marriage is on all cylinders, then I'll be happy. When we have a child, when we have more money, when we have a second house, when we remodel the bathroom, when I make the cheerleading squad, when I finally score this on the SAT, when I get to this college, when, when, when, then, then, then, then. It's a lie.
The people that have the then. are not happy. And yet we like Cats chasing their tail. Just increase the speed of the when-then mentality. Paul says the answer is to break the power of this lie, and he gives us the practice.
Be Grateful. Be grateful. Be thankful. Put another way. Develop the discipline of thanking God for what you do have instead of focusing on what you don't have.
You understand that billions of dollars each year coming across the screen in every magazine ad. are designed specifically to make you what? discontent. In other words, that set of clothes will make you.
So I got to go get that. This food will make you. This drink will make you. This job will make you. This surgery will make you.
This diet will make you. When, then, when then? Paul says. Human nature is we focus on what we don't have, don't have, don't have. He says, here's what I've learned.
I habitually, relentlessly, obediently thank God moment for moment for what I do have. And this is not like a sort of a nice suggestion, you know, power of positive thinking. Jot down, if you will, 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 16 through 18. Sixteen says, rejoice always. Seventeen says, pray without ceasing.
Eighteen says, For giving thanks in all things, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. The giving of thanks in all things. And for all things, it's God's will. Let me give you a picture. By the way, Christian or not?
You can be a Christian and be a very ungrateful, grumbling person. And it can be very, very subtle and destroy your contentment. I married a wonderful, wonderful woman named Teresa sitting over there. And we had no premarital counseling. And she loved God, and I loved God.
And within six months, we were in seminary. And everything about her Was she's East, I'm West, North, I'm South. I mean, we only have to take one test on all those inventories. Whoever takes the test, then whatever that person is, you just put the exact opposite and that's what you are. Saves a lot of time.
And so Differences attract, I mean, like two magnets, it was like, boom, oh man, this is awesome. But about nine months into our marriage, or a year, year and a half, as we kept going, those opposites, she was very, very faithful.
Now she's rigid. She has great integrity.
Now she's just picky over little things. And so, you know, I had a list after about six or eight months in our marriage. I'm thinking, you know, this is, you know, it's a good marriage, but. I focused on the 5%. I just kind of unconsciously said, Yeah, there's five or six things that she can improve, and when she improves, we'll have a great marriage.
So I started the self-help program of how to make Teresa who she needs to be. You know, if she was a little more that way, a little more that way, a lot less that way, if she would do this, stop doing this, this is going to be great.
So, you know, it's a project, got to do what you're supposed to do.
So I decided to focus on those areas you need to develop.
Now a lot of times I never said anything, but this is what's going through my mind. And it comes out in my habits. And pretty soon, we're, you know what, we really love each other, we really love God, and I'm in seminary preparing for ministry, and we're making each other nuts. And I got to tell you something. Not only did God provide some wise pastoral counseling, and we went to some counseling and worked through some of our baggage and we learned all that, but I'll tell you at the heart of it.
And I still do it, you know, almost, I don't know, 27, 30 years later, I still do it. I begin the process of being grateful and thanking God for what I did have in my life and stop focusing on the 5% that I didn't have. It'll change your world. I mean, to this day, I'll still go out to a coffee shop, and sometimes, just when I'm struggling emotionally, and everyone does, and you have these little kinds of distances in your marriage, I will often get out a napkin and start writing down. She is faithful.
She's an awesome mom. Man, she prays for me. She is beautiful. And I'll just write down all the things, and I'll thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God. You know what happens?
My emotions change. And when my emotions change, I treat her differently. And when I treat her differently, that 5% keeps shrinking. What's your situation? What relationship, what issue in your life are you constantly focusing on what you don't have instead of thanking God for what you do have?
The Apostle Paul says: if you want to experience contentment, it is well with your soul. Practice number one, be grateful. Second. Secret to contentment dispels the myth that contentment is a future event.
Somehow in America and multiple places around the world, we think there's some future event, not just a win-then, but it's sort of like there's a lotto out there. The lotto might be a person, the lotto might be the actual lotto, and I'm gonna get $35 billion, zillion dollars. But there's this event, and when it occurs, Oh Notice what the Apostle Paul says. Principle number two: contentment is an attitude we learn. Not a thing that we achieve.
You say, well, where do you get that?
Well, look at verse 11: I have learned. Look at verse 12. I have learned.
You might circle those if you haven't. Contentment is not out there. External contentment is God doing something in you, through you, so it's in here. Epicurus said to him, who little is not enough, Nothing is enough. The practice be Teachable.
B teachable. You know, if you really want to learn to ride the bicycle of contentment as a way of life, you learn to practice gratefulness, thankfulness. And then be teachable. Ask God what he wants you to learn in your present circumstance instead of telling God what you want him to change. Wouldn't it be interesting if we put a little recorder under your pillow or somewhere where you pray if you pray out loud?
Or we could record your mind and we could listen to your prayers. My prayers. I wonder how many of our prayers are totally about. God, I want you to change my boss. I want you to change my wife.
I want you to, actually, I'd like to change something because I don't have a wife. I want you to change this. I want you to change that. I want you to change this about me. I want you to change this about that.
God, here's your agenda. I know you're the great self-help genie, and your whole goal of being the creator of all that there is is to make me happy, fulfilled, warm, and fuzzy every day in every way.
So here's my list. Take care of it, will you? See, unconsciously, that's the lie we've believed. People that are content. First say, thank you, Lord.
Not pie in the sky. Thank you, God. It's hard. It's difficult. I don't like it, but I choose to say thank you.
And then they're teachable. God, because of these circumstances, what do you want to teach me? Instead of asking you to do something out there, what is it you want me to learn? This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. And you've been listening to part one of Chip's message in difficult circumstances from our series, I Choose Peace.
Chip will be back shortly to share some helpful application for us to think about. What does it mean to be at peace? Is it having a thriving career, happy household, financial security? While many strive for these goals, they often bring only short-term satisfaction, leaving us seeking more. In this 12-part study in Philippians chapter 4, Chip explains where this attitude of discontentment comes from and the ways it steals our peace.
Stay with us to learn how to move beyond temporary calmness and develop a lasting, peace-centered life that comes from God. If you've missed any part of this series, catch up anytime at livingonthege.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Well, before we go any further in this program, here's Chip. I'll be right back in just a minute to give some final application to today's message. But I just want you to know that peace is possible. And I don't mean just circumstance get better or some of your dreams come true. The peace of God is a part of the Spirit of God living inside of you.
And I think we're settling for far too little instead of gaining all God wants us to have. We tend to redefine peace as I finally meet the right person or I have enough money or I got a new car or my life's working right now. And we go from sort of circumstance to circumstance and things are kind of hard and I lose my peace and then things are great and I feel peace. Here's what I want you to know. Life will always have its ups and downs.
But God is teaching us in this series that His peace can be yours. A calm, a serenity, regardless of circumstance. And the book that I wrote from this series, I choose peace, is how you can have calm in the midst of stress and anxiety and the demands. Of this world. I want to encourage you to get a copy of this book and read through it slowly, or better yet, at the end of each chapter, there's some questions.
You could discuss it with a friend or with your mate, or get four or five people together and say, hey, let's go through this together. Your peace matters to God. It's not elusive. It's not out there. God has provided it, but you need to learn how to access it.
And I choose peace is the doorway for you to experience it on a regular basis. Good word, Chip.
Well, to learn more about this practical and insightful resource, visit livingonthege.org or call 888-333-6003. If you're desperate to quiet the worries of your heart and the anxieties of this world and experience genuine peace, you gotta check out this book.
So go to livingonthege.org or call 888-333-6003 to get your copy of I Choose Peace. App Listeners tap special offers. With that, here's Chip to share a few final words for us to think about. As we wrap up today's teaching, I want to begin practicing with you the process where you learn to be content. In every circumstance, there's two practices that I've learned over the years.
In fact, I learned them from the Apostle Paul. And number one is to be grateful. I mean, this isn't something that, you know, I learned once and I put in a message. This morning, the Lord awakened me very early. I have a lot on my plate.
You know, all that jumbling in your mind, demands, right? And I opened my journal and I just started thinking, okay, God, I want to thank you for. And then I listed a moment my wife and I had yesterday. Then I listed a little time with my son and my granddaughter. And then some staff members who were just so gracious.
And then, but it was just thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. And I put a little star by each one of them. And what I want you to know is the jumbled emotions began to settle. As I'm grateful for what I have, as I'm grateful and look at that through the lens of gratitude, it's amazing what God does in your heart. The second step that we learned is be teachable.
In other words, when you're going through difficulty and when you don't understand things, or when you're frustrated, or even when you're angry at someone, here's the question: Lord, what do you want to teach me in this? Show me how you want me to respond instead of, God, I want you to do this, God, I want you to do that, God, I want you to do this, and if you don't do that, if you can surrender that demanding spirit and ask Him for help. As we learn to choose peace, we do some positive things, gratefulness, teachability. Then we eliminate some negative things, too much T V, Netflix, and social media. See if the Spirit of God doesn't use that starting today to bring you peace.
Really timely advice and challenge, Chip. Thanks. Just before we close, I quickly want to thank those of you who regularly give to Living on the Edge. You're making a big difference in helping Christians live like Christians. But if you're benefiting from our ministry and haven't started giving yet, let me encourage you to join the Living on the Edge team.
You can do that by setting up a recurring donation at livingonthege.org or by calling us at 888-333-6003. Again, that's 888-333-6003 or visit livingonthege.org. App listeners, tap donate. And thanks for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do.
Well, thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
Next time, we'll continue Chip's series. I choose Peace. I'm Dave Druy and I hope you'll join us then.
