“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in every state I am contented.”
The Storm
Paul names learned directly here, worth noticing this specific word, not natural temperament, but something genuinely acquired over time, worth holding as encouragement if genuine contentment currently feels distant, not a permanent disqualification but a skill still, genuinely learnable.
Notice both how to be abased, and how to abound, this contentment named as genuinely available in both directions, not merely enduring lack while secretly longing for abundance, but genuine contentment across both extremes, examined against however much your own peace has depended on which state you occupy.
This is worth applying honestly to whatever state you currently find yourself in, trusting Paul’s testimony that contentment is learnable in either direction, not contingent on your own circumstances first shifting toward whichever state currently feels more desirable.
Whatever state currently describes your own circumstances, receive today Paul’s own testimony as genuine, learnable possibility, worth pursuing deliberately today, regardless of which specific state you currently, actually occupy.
Find the Still
- Consider what state you currently occupy, abundance or lack, and examine your own contentment within it.
- Practice today one deliberate step toward learned contentment, not waiting for circumstances to first shift.
- Trust contentment as genuinely learnable, not a fixed trait you either have or permanently lack.
Prayer
Lord, teach me, like Paul, to be content in whatsoever state I am, both how to be abased and how to abound. Let this be genuinely learnable, not fixed by my current circumstances alone. Amen.
Carry this today
Contentment is learned, not automatic, available in both abundance and lack.