Well, good morning. Grab your Bibles and open to Philippians 4 once again. Philippians 4. We're going to be in v. 10-20 this morning. Turn your hearts and your minds with me to the Word of God. Paul says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I'm speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble, And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. As Paul begins to draw this letter to a close, once and for all here, he takes this opportunity as he is wrapping things up to thank the church there, the church in Philippi, for the gifts that they sent him. that had ministered to him. They had sent them, remember, by way of Epaphroditus, who came as a messenger and a minister to Paul's needs. Paul mentioned this gift a couple times earlier in the book. really rather obliquely, remember he said in chapter 1, he called the church there partners with him in the gospel and fellow partakers with Paul in grace, both in his imprisonment and in the defense of the gospel. So Paul saw this church as partners, partnering even in his imprisonment, through their fellowship with them and sharing in his sufferings by sending this financial gift and then also the presence of this dear friend Epaphroditus along with the monies that they sent there. Well, now it's time for Paul to address this more directly. Almost any time we write a letter, we ought to find occasion to thank the person we're writing to. That's just good practice. Paul's doing that here. And as he begins to thank the church, he reflects on his own station in life, just the condition that he finds himself in. And as he pens these words, he prepares to send Epaphroditus off, it gives him this opportunity to reflect on what it means to be content. He's a man who's had really his needs boiled down to the simplest things. Paul needs food. He needs clothing. We've mentioned several times that prisoners of the Roman state were dependent on their own resources, on the resources of their friends, most of the time to provide for their basic needs. Paul sees that God has supplied that through the church, what it means to be at rest in the Lord, what our needs really are. Paul's probably been sitting under house arrest for quite some time at this point. He's been stripped of all of his earthly comforts. He is bereft of all of his companions for the most part, all of his friends he's been separated from. He has been opposed by people that are supposed to be on the same side as him. He said that there are ministers that are trying to afflict him in his imprisonment. That particular grief, as I think about it, has to have been one of the most painful things for Paul to have brothers in Christ who are preaching the gospel, at least in some way, but are doing so healthy, fleshly motives trying to hurt a man who's already hurting and sitting there in prison. It's no wonder that as Paul begins to thank them that his mind drifts to this subject, this subject of contentment. This is a very personal passage. Paul spent his life, he says, alternating between hardship on one hand and abundance on the other. He just goes back and forth between the two. And along the way, through these ups and downs, he says, you know what? as God has carried me through these valleys and these mountaintops, along the way, I've made a discovery. I've learned a secret. I wonder if he describes the secret of contentment in this way, because this is something that's so hidden, or at least seems to be hidden from so many people's existence, from their experience. We think about being content in this world, being truly happy in the Lord. This is just foreign to our experience so often, isn't it? It's something that. If we were just to survey even the body of Christ, we might describe it as a secret. Something that not a lot of people appear to enter into. Well, Paul says he's learned the secret. He knows what it is. I don't know about you, but as I think about my desire to be content in this world, I hear the Apostle Paul says, I've learned the secret. That gets my ears perked up. That's something I want to sit down and learn from. I want to hear from this man who has learned the secret, who can relay to me what it means to truly be happy, whether you're on the mountaintop or the valley. That gets me excited. This is a very practical passage. This is something that is relevant to every one of you this morning. No matter what situation you could possibly find yourself in, Paul talks about this experience of contentment or rest or satisfaction, however your Bible might translate it, as being applicable to whatever situation. He says, in whatever situation. He says, in any and every circumstance. In other words, this is something that reigns every single one of us in. It applies to every single one of our lives. Well, what does this really mean? When we talk about being content, when Paul says, I've learned what it means to be content, what is he talking about? What is he describing? What is that experience like? This word is used in just a few places in the New Testament. 1 Timothy chapter 6, passage we studied recently in our men's and women's studies, Paul says, Godliness with contentment is great gain. That's 1 Timothy 6, 6. For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. So he says contentment is something that happens inwardly. It's an inward sense of satisfaction that is related not to our circumstances, not to having great success, great riches or wealth in this world. If we have food and clothing, and godliness, together we will be content." So this is describing a state of mind, a personal experience where the flesh is not lusting, the flesh is not pining after the things of this world. It's not eager to see what kind of pleasure it might derive from things of this world. The mind is not set on wealth. It's not fixed on accumulating more and more. It doesn't lust after the things that the world lusts after. The heart is not busied. The heart is not spent constantly in anxious toil, just looking around for the next thing that will tickle the flesh, the next thing that will bring some reprieve from the discontent that we experience in this world, the dissatisfaction that we have in our lives, in our relationships, in our homes, whatever else. The man that is content is at rest. He says, if I have food and clothing and godliness, this summary of being in Christ, of walking in the Lord, I am content. His heart is full. It's satisfied. Well, what is this secret that Paul talks about? He describes this mystery, if you will, by way of autobiography. This is a very personal passage. It's similar to that passage that we looked at in chapter 3 where he talks about his personal history. the life that God has led him through, where he's counting it all as loss. Now he's looking at Christ. This is kind of a similar passage to that. And he's talking personally about what he has learned. And so I want to look at his testimony together and draw out just a few aspects of this contentment, some things that we can observe about Paul's life and what it is that has led him to this place where he can sit in prison He can be separated from most of the worldly comforts that we desire in this life and say, I'm happy. I'm happy in the Lord. I'm blessed. I don't need anything more. I'm at rest in my heart and mind in Christ. Well, first of all, notice just the way that his whole countenance, every word that he speaks is marked by gratitude. Gratitude in every circumstance. Give thanks. in every circumstance, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Paul does that, doesn't he? He gives thanks. Paul begins this section, as I said, by recognizing the kindness of the Philippians. Just glance again at verse 10. He says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. It seems at some point the church, while they cared for Paul, they didn't have the chance to show it. They didn't have the opportunity to demonstrate it to the Apostle Paul, at least in tangible needs. Paul knows that they were concerned for him. He knows that the church loved them, but they didn't have the opportunity. Maybe Paul's dealings with the Roman government had caused him to be occupied in some sense. They didn't have an avenue. Maybe the church didn't have a messenger. We don't really know. But whatever the case is, the church has never slackened in their love. They never slackened in their care for them. Somehow Paul knew that They loved him. They were concerned for him. And now at last they've had the opportunity. They get to send this gift with Epaphroditus. And Paul's just very grateful. He's very grateful for the generosity that they showed to him. But what I want you to see is how The nature of the thanksgiving that he gives reflects something important about his heart, what it reveals about his own heart. How does Paul begin this expression of gratitude? He begins by saying, brothers and sisters, when this gift came to me, I rejoiced greatly in the Lord. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord. As soon as Epaphroditus walked through the door, my heart was directed Godward. It was lifted up to the Lord. I saw immediately that this was a work of the Lord, that God had ministered to me through you. God had shown his provision. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord. Paul knew that what had happened when Epaphroditus showed up was not just a financial transaction between two human parties. God had involved himself in Paul's life. God had seen Paul's suffering. God had seen his needs and providentially sent this church and their hard-earned monies to minister to the Apostle Paul. Paul recognizes it immediately. He says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. He knew that every good and perfect gift, where does it come from? It comes from the Father of lights. with whom there's no shifting, no shadow, no change. He knew that this had to have come from the Lord. And so he begins to publicly bless God's name for the provision that has been mediated through the church. He knows that ultimately his praise needs to be directed to the Lord. He's thanking the church there, but he's doing it by way of blessing God. In fact, Paul has been criticized by some critical scholars in this passage of saying thanks without really saying thanks at all. You know, he never really says thank you, but he does, doesn't he? He says, I blessed God. What greater reward could there have been for the church there in Philippi to hear that their ministry, their sacrifice resulted in God being blessed, God being praised. Isn't that the heart of all real ministry? A desire that God's name would be extolled, that God's name was blessed. We don't look for praise ourselves. That's not where our hearts ought to be directed. But when God receives blessing because of us just simply serving as a vessel. Glory to God. What a thing to rejoice in. What a thing to glory in. So Paul is content first by seeing that everything that he has, everything that has been given him is a gift. It's a gift that comes from God. Do you recognize that this morning? Do you see right now that if you have food and you do, sometimes we can smell it wafting in here on Sunday mornings. If you have clothes and I see that you do, you can be content, praise God, that you do. Contentment begins by recognizing everything comes from God. Everything comes. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights. You know, in many ways, Paul is walking out in this passage what we looked at last week. If there is anything of excellence, if there is anything praiseworthy, think about these things. Paul says, here is something that's praiseworthy. Here is something that I can rejoice in in the Lord. Here is something that I can publicly bless God's name. You notice he didn't just choose to do that privately. But he said, I want to make this known. I want the world to know that God is worthy. God is the one who deserves to be praised for what He has done in such a simple way, providing food on my table. So the more you grow in this grace, the more you discipline your mind, as we talked about last week, you begin to fix your mind on those things that are praiseworthy. You discipline your thoughts. They're shaped by an awareness. The manifold blessings of Christ that are yours, so many things, the more you grow. The more you grow in contentedness, the more your countenance, the more your heart is shaped by a gladness. Why? Because your blessings begin to outweigh all those woes, all those things that tend to consume your heart and your mind. You begin to see the greatness of God's name, how really we have infinitely more than we deserve. God has been exceedingly, abundantly gracious to us. Amen. Now, notice what also we see revealed about Paul's attitude, not just toward the Lord, but toward his circumstances. Verse 11, not that I am speaking of being in need. Not that I'm speaking of being in need. Well, this is a curious thing to say to someone who has just gone to great lengths to sacrifice for you. Someone that has just sent a gift. Not that I speak of being in need. It's almost like if you had someone that knocked on the door, they had spent time baking you this wonderful meal, they were concerned for you, they knew that you had been outlaid by a number of cares, and they showed up on your doorstep, they wanted to minister to you, and you received it, but you said, well, not that I really have a need. Is that what Paul's saying here? Why does he say this? Notice what this says. Notice what this says about his heart. Well, first of all, can it really be said that Paul doesn't have a need? Does he really have a need? I think most of us, if we were in his position, would say we have some needs. Most of us would say, you know, there are some things that I would like satisfied in my life. There are some wants. It's not that Paul does not have want of some things. The Philippians, they had just reason to be concerned for Paul, didn't they? They did. It was a good thing that they ministered to him in this way. Paul had considerable needs, far beyond what most of us will ever experience. But brothers and sisters, that's not where his heart was focused. That's not what consumed his mind. This is the fruit of contentment in Christ. Not that I speak of being in need. Paul is in a rough spot, humanly speaking. But from a spiritual perspective, he says, I have no lack. There is nothing wanting in my life, for I am in Christ. Not that I speak of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." What is your attitude this morning toward your circumstances? What's it like? What is your mind fixed on? If you had to draw a pie chart that showed the different things in your life, and the weight that you gave them in your hearts, what would that look like? Not that I speak of being in need. What dominates the things that you think about every day? Paul will not allow his earthly wants to dominate his mind. He has a disciplined thought life. Your Bible might say, not that I complain of being in want. That really gets to the heart here of what he's saying. Paul never felt that he had been forgotten. He never courted with self-pity. He never felt neglected by the Lord. He was really a self-forgetful man. He had some needs. Yes, he did. But he would not speak of them. Perhaps I have some things in my life that would, if they were met, they would bring some comforts to my life, but I will not be caught grumbling against the Lord. I will not let those things dominate the way I think about God and His provision for me. Remember what he said to the church in chapter 2. Do all things without grumbling. All things without complaining or disputing. Not that I speak of being in need. He's grateful. He rejoices in the Lord. And yet, he won't allow it to dominate his mind. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 captures this attitude, this attitude of realism, of Not a hyper, super spirituality that says, oh, I'm not affected at all by the things in this life. A realistic view of hardship, but at the same time, being satisfied in Christ. Listen to what Paul says. We are treated as imposters and yet are true, as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and behold, we live. as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing everything." Having nothing yet possessing everything. This is an amazing statement. Paul says, I feel on the one hand as if I am unknown and yet I am known. What is he talking about? He's talking about God. God knows him. He is known by God. Not that just God knows about him or knows of him or even knows his needs, but he is known savingly by God. He is known by him. He's not ignored as having nothing, yet possessing everything. Paul's saying, if I have Christ, that's enough. I have everything I need. In fact, I have more than I need. Are you prepared to say that this morning? Having nothing, yet possessing everything. This brings us to what Paul says in verse 12. He says, I know how to be brought low. I know how to abound. In every circumstance, I've learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger and abundance and need. What is Paul trying to drive home to us this morning? He's saying true contentment, being truly happy in the Lord is not rooted in your circumstances. It's entirely unrelated to your state of life. It has nothing whatsoever to do with how big your home is, how fat your bank account is, all the troubles that you have in your life, whether things are going swimmingly for you, whether things are successful. contentment comes outside of circumstances. It cannot be tied to our temporal condition. Paul knew how to be brought low. He knew how to be trampled on. He knew what it was like to be at the end of his rope, to be trodden upon in the valley. He knew what it was to be stuck in the miry bog. He understood that. 1 Corinthians 4.11, to the present hour we hunger and thirst. We are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. When slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things." Brothers and sisters, when Paul talked about knowing what it was to be brought low, he meant really low. The scum of the world, Paul says. I know what that's like. But as all of the temporal comforts were stripped from his life on repeated occasions, we could read a dozen passages that share the litany of his woes and travails. As all of those comforts were stripped away from him, he began to learn. He began to learn what really mattered, not that I speak of being in need. But notice that. Notice that Paul does describe that as something that he had to learn. In fact, twice in this passage he says, I learned this. I've learned in whatever state I am to be content. I've learned the secret. I think we can read between the lines here and presume that there were some earlier seasons in Paul's life and in his ministry that were more trying for him. They were more difficult for him to endure. Remember, church, that Paul was an apostle, but he was also just a man. He was familiar with all of the same things that we are familiar with. His flesh wanted to be comfortable too, just like ours does. And so the secret that Paul talks about is something that has to be learned. It's a long process of having God tenderly, graciously work in our hearts, show us that, well, look at that. I've been looking for contentment once again in things that can't provide it. God does that in our lives, doesn't He? He's so gracious in the way that He tenderly exposes us and shows us yet again of our need for Him, that we need to run to Him, that we need to cling, hold fast to Him. God does that through our circumstances. Paul did not wake up one day with this complete contentment in Christ. He had to learn it little by little. What are you learning today? What are your circumstances teaching you? What are they teaching you about your own heart? What are they teaching you about Christ? Now Paul is able to look back and he says, you know, when God brings me low, when I've been brought low, I have now learned not to rebel in my heart. No longer does my heart and mind buck against the providences that God brings into my life. I've learned. I've learned how to be content in Christ. The Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs really wrote in the 16th century the classic work on this passage. It's called The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, and I would commend that to you. I wanted to read a little section from that book where he describes what contentment looks like in these low times. He says, when affliction comes, whatever it is, you do not murmur, though you feel it. Though you make your cry to God, though you desire to be delivered and seek it by all good means, yet you do not murmur or repine, you do not fret or vex yourself. There is not a tumultuousness of spirit in you, not an instability. There are not distracting fears in your hearts, no sinking discouragements, no unworthy shifts, no risings in rebellion against God in any way. Well, there you have it. There's a picture of contentment when you've been brought low. You know, we do not often learn what it is to be satisfied in Christ when things are going smoothly, when all is easy. when things are plentiful. But when the Lord does this, when He carries us into the valley, and He does so out of love, we learn. We learn what it means to cling to Christ, to trust Him in circumstances that are untrustworthy, that cannot be depended on, that are shifting to and fro. So that the tested genuineness of our faith, isn't that what Peter says? Though it perishes by fire, may it be found a result in praise and glory to Christ's name. What are your circumstances teaching you? What are you learning? Are they driving you to Christ? And we may think about contentment as only being a problem that we have when we're brought low, but Paul actually says in this passage, this is something we need when we're on the high end of things. When things are going well, Paul says, I know how to abound. There were times in his life where his needs were richly supplied. There were seasons of ministry when he was the guest of people like Lydia, probably a well-to-do woman, a seller of purple cloths from Asia. He probably attracted the attention of a few wealthy patrons from time to time in his ministry, but his heart was not set on these things. You know, it's not any easier to be satisfied in Christ when you're in a season of abundance than it is when you are brought low. It's easier to disguise discontent when things are going well, temporally speaking, when you have worldly success and earthly pleasures at your disposal. But true contentment is not a result of these things, is it? Maybe you've been in a long season of abundance. Maybe the Lord, by his grace, has allowed you to prosper in your relationships, in your workplace, your bank accounts. How do you know if you're really content in Christ? How do you know? Ecclesiastes 5 verse 10 says, He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income. This also is vanity. So if the Lord has blessed you, do you recognize that? Do you recognize that it is a blessing that God is the one that has graciously extended His arm to you and prospered you? What are you doing with that prosperity? Are you using it as an opportunity to minister to others, to bless others, to love the world around you? No husband or a wife, children, the perfect job. None of these things can bring contentment. It doesn't matter how worldly successful you are in this life. I think about King David. He rose to the highest heights of Israel. He lived in a palace. He was surrounded by incredible wealth, by untold luxury and yet his heart was not satisfied. There was at least a season of his life where he wanted just a little bit more. He wanted something that God had not given to him and his greed and his selfishness led him to sin. Led him to sin with Bathsheba and that led to a considerable period of spiritual decline in his life of running from the Lord. I contrast that with a man like Joseph, a man that was abandoned by his brothers, a man that was sold into slavery. By God's grace though, he too rose into the heights of the kingdom. And nevertheless, in whatever situation he found himself in, he honored the name of the Lord. When he was low, he was free from resentment. He was free of bitterness against his brothers. When he was abounding, he was not haughty. He was not arrogant. He did not boast in what had happened to him, his station of life. He didn't lust for more and more. In fact, he used his riches The way that God had prospered him to act generously toward others, even toward the ones who had harmed him the most. When reviled, we bless. You see, if you're not content in Christ today, adding comforts, adding more pleasures, adding more luxuries will not bring it. There's a marketing engine in our world that is fine-tuned to tap into your inner sense of discontent. Your flesh is longing for fleshly satisfaction, those fleeting pleasures in this world. HGTV, it certainly knows it. You turn it on. What is the point? The point is to say, what you have is not enough. You need more. Come, cater to your flesh. Come and cater to your heart's desire. Give your life to these kinds of things. You'll be satisfied if you just have this, if you have one more thing. We see it in our world. You know what, church? So we see it in the church. This is prevalent in Christian books and authors. There's a whole world of literature out there in the Christian world that says, you know what, if you adopt this particular system, if you implement this particular regimen in your home, if you put into practice these particular business strategies so that you learn productivity. That will satisfy that inner sense of discontent. That will allay the longing in your heart. But it's all catering to our flesh. Only Christ can satisfy a longing heart. That's what the testimony of God's Word is. Only the Lord can satisfy those things that our hearts desires. Nothing will ever be able to replace that. A living, vital relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is telling us here, true contentment is independent of our circumstances. Those things change. Your circumstance is going to change. They cannot be depended on. Those of you who are prospering today, you may be brought low tomorrow. I know that's not what we want to hear, but it may be. You may be brought low before tomorrow comes. That is the nature of this world. That may be alarming and disconcerting to our flesh, but when we listen with spiritual ears to what God is saying here, this is a glorious comfort for our souls. If you have Christ, if you walk with Him, if you know Him, you may go without. You can be abased and yet at the same time be truly happy. be truly satisfied in the Lord. You may even learn to say with Paul, I glory in my sufferings. I glory in my sufferings because of what they produce, because of the spiritual fruit that they are harvesting in my life to the glory of Christ's name. We rejoice in our sufferings, Paul says, knowing that suffering produces endurance. It teaches me to cling to Christ. As these things have been stripped away from my life, I learn yet again I must hold on to Jesus. God is using this, this circumstance, this situation, to teach me what it means to hold, to cling to Christ. Endurance produces character. It roots out all that wickedness in my own heart. God uses this, it's a means of cleansing as I forsake my self-reliance. Character produces hope. It causes me to quit having my eyes locked up on this world. to not allow worldly success to consume my vision, to dominate my quest in this life. Character produces hope. My eyes are set on the heavenly horizon. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts. That's the hope that comes when we're content in Christ. Look at verse 13. This brings us to this well-known confession by the Apostle Paul. He says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Again, it is so important that we read this verse and this passage in context. I think you would readily say, agree with me, this is probably one of the most misapplied, abused verses in the entire Bible. Paul has just spent a couple of verses listing the spectrum of life that he has experienced from hardship to abundance. He says, I know how to face it all, but this is the reason. This is his declaration. Christ alone is his source of contentment. I can do all things. What are the all things? The things are these circumstances. The things are abounding or being abased. I can do all of this, every circumstance I can do, I can endure through Christ who strengthens me. In fact, I can delight in Christ in these circumstances because of His great strength that He brings to my life. Paul's point here is that no circumstance that you ever face will ever be able to deplete the supply of God's strength that is available in Christ Jesus for you. No circumstance will ever be able to deplete it. It can't be done. You will never encounter a hardship so severe that Christ will not be sufficient for your needs. His grace will never not be sufficient. He will always be there for you. It hardly needs to be said that winning a football game is not what Paul has in mind here. Exerting natural strength is not what Paul is speaking about. I can endure. I can be satisfied in Christ because of the strength that he grants to my life, whatever the circumstance. If you wake up tomorrow and you experience the lowest low that you have ever faced in this world. It still remains that Christ is enough. It still remains that His grace is sufficient for our needs. Isn't that what Paul says in verse 19? He now turns his attention from his own life to the lives of his readers and through God's Holy Spirit and preserving this Word for us today, His attention is turned to our own hearts. He says, and my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. And again, I will say what is so astonishing about this verse is that it is written by a man under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who is sitting in prison, bound in chains. Paul says, just as He has supplied my need, So also will he supply yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. And I think implicit in this verse is that Paul has come to a place in his life where he has learned to allow God to determine what constitutes a need. He has left it up to the Lord to say, this is a need or this is not a need. He makes His request. He prays. He, in everything by prayer, lets His request be known to God. But in the end, He trusts the Lord to supply what is truly his need. Paul sat in his cell and he said, I have received full payment and more. I am well supplied. Somehow I don't think that Paul is only talking about finances when he says that. I am richly supplied. I have received more than even I need. And when Christ is your all, you can take the providences that come into your life in stride because his grace is sufficient. The church know this. It is only in possessing Christ that you can say it. It is only in clinging to Him day by day that you will be able to make this confession. Christ is sufficient. He is enough. You need His grace today. The Israelites had to wake up every morning and collect fresh manna. You need His grace every day. You need to depend on Him moment by moment. to have this become part of what you're learning, part of your increasing experience. It's only in possessing Christ that we can say, you know, I have nothing, yet I possess everything. As you think about your own needs, you think about the things that are on your prayer list today, the requests that you frequently desire to make known to God. I want to read you a prayer from Proverbs chapter 30. Maybe you could take to your lips. The writer there says, two things I ask of you. Deny them not to me before I die. Remove far from me falsehood and lying. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and still and profane the name of my God." See, the writer here says, I don't deny that I need to eat. I don't deny that I need to pay my bills. But he says, rather than filling my coffers with excess, rather than giving me a super abundance, give me just enough. Give me just enough. Why? So that the Lord would be at the center of my life. so that your name would be at the center of my being so that I would be content in him. He didn't ask for riches. He didn't ask for wealth. He didn't ask for poverty either. His heart longed for better things. He said, Lord, you are my portion. You are what I most desire. Let that be your prayer. Let's turn our hearts to him.