{"id":2926,"date":"2026-03-20T17:38:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T17:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/?page_id=2926"},"modified":"2026-03-20T17:38:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T17:38:35","slug":"the-secret-of-contentment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/the-secret-of-contentment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret of Contentment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here you can find the video script written for our sixth session as a reference.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have to confess, I used to think thanking God in prayer was kind of the thing you just had to, a tip of the hat before you got to the best part \u2014 your lists of demands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But have you ever noticed, that even in the very process of expressing gratitude to God, you may actually receive back more than you give? God\u2019s just wired it up like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just by thanking our Creator, we begin to acknowledge that all of life is a gift. Its blessings are undeserved; even our every breath. It helps break that negative bias, so ingrained into our core \u2014 that life isn\u2019t just filled with tests and trials and all sorts of trouble. But it’s beautifully peppered with wonderful things. Amazing blessings that are so easy to miss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just by taking the time to notice, and give thanks, it helps quench that sense of entitlement \u2014 this idea that creeps in, suggesting that we are somehow ‘owed’ more good things, and that God hasn\u2019t already given us so many of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet this simple process of saying thanks lifts our eyes upwards. It takes our gaze off ourselves, and the things we think will satisfy. It helps us realise \u2014 it\u2019s personal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone has blessed you.\u00a0
Someone magnificent.
The God of the Universe sees you, and knows you. He knows your needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfulness reminds us that he provides, and that he has done so many times in the past. We\u2019re not cursed if others receive things that we haven\u2019t. In fact, when one part of the body is blessed, the whole body is blessed. And love means we prefer one another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all this, thankfulness actually brings peace and calm. It\u2019s a reminder to us that God\u2019s in control, and that we don\u2019t have to be. Even if the world ended tomorrow, we would still be safe in his presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfulness reminds us that there\u2019s more to come. That our infinite and eternal God never runs out of good gifts. He never stops giving, never stops blessing. There is always more to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfulness helps us through the trials. To get our eyes off ourselves, to stop us being consumed with ourselves. They help us see the presence of another. They help us see future glories, even if now, for a little while, we have been grieved by various trials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfulness sees a bigger timeline, and sees this life in its true context: a flicker at the beginning of eternity. Thankfulness helps set our hope in the future, as we meditate on heaven, and the new creation, and all that God has got in store. That\u2019s what gets us through today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an earlier video we talked about how lament and gratitude are joined at the hip, like a mirror image of one another. They are the before and after of God moving in our lives and both express our utter dependance on God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over these last six years I\u2019ve actually found that when I\u2019ve put all my questions to one side and just worship and praise God in a Spirit of thankfulness, I\u2019ve actually felt his presence like nothing else. It actually happened a lot while listening to this album, African Praise, which I can’t really explain. It\u2019s just so joyful \u2014 and it\u2019s powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s definitely one of the tools of contentment, and helps bring us peace. But there\u2019s two more things I want to talk about in this video \u2014 two things which I think are at the core of contentment, which the Apostle Paul models for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Secret of Contentment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Philippians 4 Paul states that he has learnt the secret of contentment in facing every situation, no matter how bad or good. Which is an incredible skill, and I think is one of the reasons he was so used by God. He wasn\u2019t afraid \u2014 he didn\u2019t run away from difficult things. He instead ran through them, to what was on the other side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what he doesn\u2019t do, in chapter 4, is tell you what that secret is. He tells you he\u2019s learnt the secret of contentment, but doesn’t tell you anything about what that might be, other than the fact that the Holy Spirit is involved \u2014 stating \u201cI can do all things through him who strengthens me\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found that mildly puzzling for a few years, because there must have been a technique, a knack or a mindset involved that helped him lean into God, and see things in a particular way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually I realised that all you have to do is rewind a little bit \u2014 just one chapter in fact, to Philippians 3. And I think he shares something right at the heart of contentment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s let go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1 \u2014 Letting go<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    <\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Paul was a very educated, qualified and privileged individual. He was born a Roman citizen and a Pharisee, and he probably could have lived quite a comfortable life if he wanted to, as a part of an elite, just writing and teaching. But he completely let go of all of that stuff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I think you see this most pronounced in Acts 20, where Paul sets a course straight towards Jerusalem, straight towards trouble, which leads to his imprisonment and ultimately his death. He knows it in advance \u2014 he\u2019s been warned through the Spirit, who I think is giving him a choice. Yet he comes out with this beautiful line in verse 24:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cBut I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the grace of God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He\u2019s not clinging on to this world, or to comforts, or to leisure and pleasure. He\u2019s not trying to amass impressive worldly achievements, good experiences or fame. He seems to have fully withdrawn all his hope from what this world can offer; and put it all into Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He still has many struggles \u2014 he\u2019s just a normal human like us, and you can feel the depths of his emotions sometimes, especially in 2 Corinthians. But there\u2019s something underneath that allows him to keep going. He waits on the Lord and renews his strength, every single day. He\u2019s able to keep going, on and on. Running and not growing weary. Being able to get out of bed each day. He has a centre of gravity and a hope that no one can get to. He\u2019s fully at God\u2019s disposal, and that made him an extremely dangerous Christian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So a question we could ask ourselves is this: Have we fully withdrawn our hope from the world? Are we fully at God\u2019s disposal? Or are our hearts still tied to lots of other things around us, which in fact hold us down and make us vulnerable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    #2 \u2014 Meditating on just how much he’s been forgiven<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    And the second thing he does is meditate on his own unworthiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You see this theme develop as he writes his letters. He\u2019s so aware that, in his old life, he persecuted the church. And while he starts out saying \u201che\u2019s the least of all the apostles\u201d in 1 Corinthians, it progresses to being \u201cthe least of all the saints\u201d in Ephesians, before branding himself as the “chief of sinners\u201d in 1 Timothy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In one sense he really seems to get hung up on his past life, and can\u2019t seem to get over it or forgive himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But what I actually think he\u2019s doing is meditating on his own unworthiness \u2014 meditating on just how much he\u2019s been forgiven \u2014 to kill that sense of entitlement that we all tend to struggle with; that God should only give us good things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This I think magnifies his sense of gratitude and the grace he\u2019s received through the gospel. It puts him in God\u2019s debt, and kills off any sense that God is holding back good things that he might think he has the right to receive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We all need grace <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    As someone who was born into a Christian family and knew God from a young age, I think it took a bit longer to fully see just how much grace I\u2019m in need of. I never persecuted the church or killed anyone. I never did anything super-bad. But as I\u2019ve got more and more acquainted with my own heart and seen what\u2019s in there, it\u2019s like \u201coh gosh, Lord help!!\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We’ve all been forgiven much<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    As a Christian, all the sins I\u2019ve committed in a sense are far worse, because I knew the truth. I should have known better. Each falling short came from a lack of faith. And the Bible says we will never be tempted beyond what we can bear, and God will always provide a way out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Which means, everything I\u2019ve done wrong is 100% my own fault. No excuses, I have to take full responsibility. I wasn\u2019t lost. I knew God. I did it anyway. I\u2019m so in need of his grace and mercy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jesus says \u201cWhoever has been forgiven much, loves much\u201d. We\u2019ve all been forgiven much, even if we were kind of \u201cborn into grace\u201d \u2014 which is a huge privilege. We just need to be able to see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Grasping the true extent of your forgiveness propels us into gratitude, and kills off that sense that we should never go through hard things, never be refined by fire, never learn to trust God in the storm, or experience all kinds of weakness.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Paul heard the Lord say \u201cmy power is made perfect in weakness.\u201d And actually goes on to say \u201cThat is why, for Christ\u2019s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    God uses weak people to do amazing things. Which is a wonderful thought. So never count yourself out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Progressing in the art of contentment, I think,\u00a0can very much be life of death for your faith when you walk through difficult things. But yet an incredibly valuable treasure, often born out of dark times, because it becomes so necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If only __________<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Perhaps as a final thought, why not take a moment to complete this sentence: \u201cIf only ________________\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If only this could happen\u2026 if only that never happened\u2026. What\u2019s the very first thing that comes to mind? Quite often this sentence reveals where our hope is. Do you feel it does that for you? Does it reveal something to let go of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And what, have you found, has helped you progress in the subtle art of contentment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Anyway, that\u2019s it for now. I\u2019ve no idea if anyone\u2019s really going to watch these videos, but I\u2019ve certainly been massively blessed by writing them! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And if it did bless you in anyway, we\u2019d love to hear from you, whether that\u2019s dropping a comment, or an email, or saying hi on a Sunday. It just helps us know whether to produce stuff like this in the future, or to try different things.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nBack to Treasures of Darkness<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Here you can find the video script written for our sixth session as a reference. I have to confess, I used to think thanking God in prayer was kind of the thing you just had to, a tip of the hat before you got to the best part \u2014 your lists of demands.  But have … Continue reading “The Secret of Contentment”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2926","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2926"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2928,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2926\/revisions\/2928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}