Paul says he has learned the secret, in whatever circumstances, to be content in them (Philippians 4.11-12). I was once tempted to write this Bible reference in the Comments column of a dreadful guesthouse in Newcastle - but in the end was content not to. Paul has known contrasts in his life - substantially different situations at different times of well-offness and deprivation.

He uses two rather technical terms. 'Learning the secret' is a religious term of being initiated into a secret rite, typical of the so-called 'mystery religions' of the world of his time - dressing up, rituals and passwords, esoteric knowledge revealed . 'Content' or 'self-sufficiency' is language typical of the Stoic philosophers - whatever life throws at me I can take it. But he uses both terms in a Christian way. Initiation is by coming to know Christ. Self-sufficiency is not 'I've got strength for everything' but - I can cope with anything because though I'm aware of my own weakness I ask Christ to strengthen me. He uses other people's words but fills them with a meaning to do with Jesus.

There are contrasts in the life of Jesus himself. He knew the life of a settled home and ordinary employment and he moved to a life of itinerancy totally dependent on the hospitality of others. He knew modest conditions and constantly warns against the lure of greed but he also had friendships with rich people and ate in their homes. He was well-known for eating and drinking in a party spirit but could also go for weeks hungry and fasting in the wilderness intent on intimacy with God and his mission ahead. He knew health and vigour and yet he died bruised and broken, wounded from the crown of his head to his feet. His life is an outstanding demonstration that God has given us many good things to enjoy and be grateful for - homes, food, health, family, friends, possessions. Jesus accepted these and he accepted when they were taken away. What we see in Jesus is spelt out again in the experience of Paul.

It is a strong point of realism that we may have things or we may not have them. It's great to have them, but if it happens that we haven't got them - or the call of God on our lives is that we haven't got them - we learn to say, 'we can cope'. To have is not a ground for pride, not to have is not a reason for shame. To have is a reason for saying, 'Thankyou God for these things'. Not to have is a reason for saying, 'Thankyou God, I haven't got this and that but you are still there'.

Christian contentment doesn't mean not working for things we'd like to have, not striving for goals. Of course it doesn't mean just shrugging shoulders to what's wrong with the world and the suffering of others. It doesn't mean there isn't emotional pain and a felt gap when things or people we would dearly like to be there are not around. But life is not lived on a mirage of always striving for something different, the constant frustration of 'if only that were different' or building existence on things of secondary importance.

Stanley Jones, who had long experience of Christian ministry and mission in India, wrote the following in one of his books:

There are two ways people try to meet material insecurity, one by accumulating as much as possible, the other is to renounce the material entirely and try to extricate onself from it. But the really free person is the one who like Paul has learned both to abound and to be abased... You are free if you can take poverty as it comes and use its limitations to penetrate the heart of God and you are free if you can take plenty as it comes and use it in the purposes of the Kingdom of God.

Once while waiting for a train in India I asked an Indian gentleman if he was going on the train that was due shortly. He replied that he was not for there were only third class carriages on it. I told him that I was going on it. Oh yes, he replied, you can go on it for you are a spiritual man. If you go first class it doesn't exalt you and if you go third class doesn't degrade you. You are lifted above these distinctions but I have to keep them up.

If I had given way to my impulse I should have danced on the platform! First class doesn't exalt, third class doesn't degrade, pleasure doesn't turn our heads nor pain break our hearts, plenty doesn't entangle our spirits and poverty doesn't crush them, for we see in them all an opportunity to use them for the central purposes of our life, which are deeper than any of these. Poverty and plenty are our incidents, the Kingdom of God is our life.

First class doesn't exalt and third class doesn't degrade. We can dwell on that all sorts of ways. We should ask God to write these things on our hearts in the way that he wants. Enjoying having any particular feature in our lives or wishing we could have some particular thing which isn't there - God knows all that and can carry us through it. To have is an incentive for generosity and sharing. Not to have is a place for more reliance on God - Lord, please supply what you know we really need.