“I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.”
Philippians 4:11
These words show us that contentment is not a natural propensity of man. “Ill weeds grow apace.” Covetousness, discontent, and murmuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil. We need not sow thistles and brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth: and so, we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education. But the precious things of the earth must be cultivated. If we would have wheat, we must plough and sow; if we want flowers, there must be the garden, and all the gardener’s care. Now, contentment is one of the flowers of heaven, and if we would have it, it must be cultivated; it will not grow in us by nature; it is the new nature alone that can produce it, and even then we must be specially careful and watchful that we maintain and cultivate the grace which God has sown in us. Paul says, “I have learned … to be content;” as much as to say, he did not know how at one time. It cost him some pains to attain to the mystery of that great truth. No doubt he sometimes thought he had learned, and then broke down. And when at last he had attained unto it, and could say, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,” he was an old, grey-headed man, upon the borders of the grave–a poor prisoner shut up in Nero’s dungeon at Rome. We might well be willing to endure Paul’s infirmities, and share the cold dungeon with him, if we too might by any means attain unto his good degree. Do not indulge the notion that you can be contented without learning, or learn without discipline. It is not a power that may be exercised naturally, but a science to be acquired gradually. We know this from experience. Brother, hush that murmur, natural though it be, and continue a diligent pupil in the College of Content.
From Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening
Wings of the Wind 
Thanks for the good thoughts from Spurgeon about contentment, Chris. He’s right, no one has to be taught to whine and complain, but true contentment is from the Lord and we can cultivate it by His grace.
That stuck out to me as well, Tom! How scary it is that even if my complaints and whines aren’t expressed aloud, they are most certainly screaming in my head and as we know, our Lord hears them all! Lord have mercy on me a sinner! Thank you Tom and Chris for sharing this!
Thanks, Mandy! I confess to being a world-class whiner at times. I’m so grateful for God’s forgiveness and grace.
You’re welcome, Tom. Spurgeon’s thoughts are generally above mine but I am always able to find things from him that really resonate with me and that I think can “speak” to brothers and sisters as well. Thank you for your comment. 🙂
What wonderful thoughts! Thanks for sharing them Chris. Sometimes it’s not easy when we’re in the middle of a crises… or ill health but the Lord can help us wait on Him and He can carry us through.
You’re welcome, Elizabeth! I’m glad this “spoke” to you as it did to me. Christians experience the same difficulties that everyone else does but, like Paul, in the seemingly awful situation he was in when he wrote this, he had been through enough already that he knew what you have expressed here:
“…the Lord can help us wait on Him and He can carry us through.”
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Hi, Chris! The Lord knows I needed to hear this today! Thank you for sharing this! “Do not indulge the notion that you can be contented without learning, or learn without discipline. It is not a power that may be exercised naturally, but a science to be acquired gradually.” This is an absolute fact! I have been meditating on what it means to be content in all seasons of life. I’ve always been thinking of what Paul said to Timothy, “godliness with contentment is great gain.” How I long to gain more attributes of God and less of the world. Thank you again for sharing this, Chris. Prayers for you and Hannah!
Hi Mandy! You’re welcome and thank you for your comment and for sharing your response to these words. We can have momentary contentment but the contentment Paul is speaking of is exactly as the quote you noted; it is godliness with contentment. This type of contentment is why Paul could write words like this while in prison. Paul’s experiences and how the Lord had saved him time and time again, put him in a position that he lived these words. It is not a natural thing to be able to write these words in his position. As we Christians well know, the Holy Spirit can help us through things we never thought we could face. The words He inspired Paul to write, the words you have shared from him to Timothy were generally thought to have been written by Paul after the verse highlighted here. The verse in 1 Timothy that you have shared is thought to have been written between his release from house arrest (when Philippians was thought to have been written) and his final imprisonment and martyrdom. God was with Paul to the end.
Thank you for your prayers, Mandy. Hannah goes to see one of her doctors today but it is mostly a routine thing. She has been doing well. 🙂
Spurgeon never fails to get to the heart of human nature.
Thank you for your comment, Mitch. You are so right. I have yet to find someone who can use the English language as well as Spurgeon did to express the things of God (besides the translated English scriptures of course).
a diligent pupil in the College of Content.
My greatest contentment is spending time with my Beloved Poppa, Jesus and The Holy Spirit Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah
Thank you for your reply, ropheka. I’m glad you are a diligent pupil in that College. We will all be pupils until God brings us home. Spending time with your Lord and His Word certainly puts you on the road to a life of contentment.
Yeah and I am looking forward to recieving my graduation certificate from Jesus at Heavens Gate 😇
Amen. Thankfully, we will eventually graduate. Thank you for this thought, ropheka.
Like Paul, we grow into it through trials, prayer, and surrender. Even in hard places, God is enough.
Lord, teach my heart to be content in You.
Amen, Willie. I have the same prayer. Even in hard places, God is enough for sure!
Thank you for your comment!
You are welcome