Contentment and Sincerity

We cannot move on from Philippians 4:11  without mentioning the impact godly contentment has on our sincerity.  In the previous verse, Philippians 4:10, Paul thanks the Philippian Christians for the gifts they had sent to meet his material needs.  The apostle then assures them his motivation in saying this was not a monetary one, “Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content.”   Paul had no hidden agenda, he just wanted to sincerely thank them for being so generous.  He was not hinting that he needed more financial support from them; he was not trying to manipulate them into giving more.  That is so common today!  All kinds of so-called evangelists and preachers promise believers an outpouring of blessing on their lives if they will just give to their ministries.  They manipulate people with guilt in the most shameless ways.  God abominates this kind of hypocrisy, and so does the world.  People who are not content with what they have cannot be trusted.  They consider other people only as means to get what they want.  To genuinely love others, we must be content with God’s provision for our needs.