I Choose Peace - In Difficult Circumstances, Part 1

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. And over the past few years, I'm sure we all, at one time or another, felt like peace was an unrealistic, unreachable idea because of the chaos and uncertainty in society or in our own lives. 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 and me 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 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 when you say, you know, if I ever get a car, any kind of car, a beat up junker, 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, you know.

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 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, etc., etc. But, you know, that horizon keeps moving and, you know, it's kind of a funny thing. You think to yourself, you know, I really, I like this watch until we went to the mall yesterday. I mean, this was a great watch, you know, hypothetically. Then you walk by and see Bulova, Rolex, you know, I guess it's an okay watch. And so no matter, but if I turn 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 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 I don't know about you but we got a little problem here. If getting more and more and more and more can never bring contentment and if desiring less, less, less, then the question is how can we be satisfied today? And the answer to that is 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, 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 it is well with your soul 24-7, 365, 24 hours a day. Now, it's a journey.

It 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 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 them. 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 got bad food. It's cold. It's damp. There's rats.

There's probably the smell of excrement. 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 gonna 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 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 gonna 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 isn't a tense of the verb. It's not present tense. I am learning to be content.

This is a tense of the verb that's punctilier, 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 may have been 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 what he's saying, 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 ride 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.

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 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.

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. 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. The question is 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, someway, 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-then syndrome.

Here's the win. When 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 into this college, win, win, win, 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 win-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. Win, then. Win, 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. 16 says rejoice always. 17 says pray without ceasing. 18 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 don't, 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 whoom, oh man, this is awesome. But about nine months into our marriage or 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 five percent. I just kind of unconsciously said, you know, there's five or six things that she can improve and when she improves we'll have a great marriage. Because I started the self-help program of how to make Theresa 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 she needs to develop. Now a lot of times I never said anything but this is what's going through my mind. And it comes out 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 wife 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 kind of distances in your marriage, I will often get out a napkin and start writing down, she is faithful, she's an awesome mom. And 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. 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 in 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 going to get 35 billion zillion dollars. But there's this event and when it occurs, notice what the apostle Paul says, principle number two, contentment is an attitude we learn, not a thing that we achieve. You say, but 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. Be 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 some place 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? You've been listening to part one of Chip's message, In Difficult Circumstances, which is from our series, I Choose Peace.

Chip will be back with us in studio shortly to share some helpful application for us to think about. Have you ever thought about what it means to be at peace? Is it just a fulfilling job, happy household, financial security? Well, many people put stock in those things, but they don't last.

Eventually, the shine wears off. In this 12-part study of Philippians Chapter 4, Chip explains where this attitude of discontentment comes from and the ways it steals our joy. Stay with us as we learn how to move beyond that temporary feeling of calmness to a lasting peace-centered life. To help you on this journey, during this series, we're offering every listener a copy of Chip's popular book, I Choose Peace, at no cost. We want to encourage you to completely lean on God and trust Him through the highs and lows of life. So to learn how to get your free copy of I Choose Peace, go to livingontheedge.org or text PEACE to 74141. That's the word PEACE, P-E-A-C-E, to 74141.

Limit one book per customer while supplies last. Will Chip join me in studio now to share a quick word? Thanks so much, Dave. You know, I want to pause today from the teaching and everything else just to say thank you. You just can't imagine how overwhelming in a really, really good way it is to have people who pray for the ministry. We get emails and people that have signed up and pray with us, to have people who give financially and generously, to have a whole group of people that every single month they support us.

I mean some it's $25 a month or $15 a month or $50 or $100 or $500. It's people from all spectrums who give monthly. And what that does is we now know kind of what's going to be coming in. It allows us to plan.

It allows us to strategize. And I just want to pause and say thank you very, very much for giving so generously, allowing us to love and serve and help others, to help Christians live like Christians. And if you're one of those people who think, wow, you mean so that's how you're able to reach a million people each week and, you know, create all those small groups and help all those pastors all around the world. If you want to get in on that, could I encourage you? Become a monthly partner. Just go to the website livingontheedge.org and join today. Well, as Chip said, if you're already a financial partner, thank you. With your help, Living on the Edge is ministering to more people than ever before. But if you're benefiting from this ministry and haven't yet taken that step, now's a great time to join the team. To become a monthly partner, go to livingontheedge.org or text donate to 74141. That's the word donate to 74141. Or visit livingontheedge.org.

App listeners, tap donate. Well, with that, here's Chip to share some final application. As we wrap up today's teaching, I want to begin practicing with you the process where you'll 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 TV, Netflix, and social media. See if the Spirit of God doesn't use that starting today to bring you peace. Thanks, Chip. As we close, our mission at Living on the Edge is to help Christians live like Christians. And one of the best ways we can continue to do that is through programs like this. So when you hear a particularly helpful message, we hope you'll pass it on to others. Now, you can easily do that through the Chip Ingram app or by forwarding them the free MP3s you'll see at LivingOnTheEdge.org. And don't forget to include a note about how it made a difference in your life. Well, until next time, this is Dave Druey thanking you for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.