I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13
“A contented spirit is like a watch; though you carry it up and down with you, yet the spring of it is not shaken, nor the wheels out of order, but the watch keeps its perfect motion.
So it was with St. Paul, though God had carried him into various conditions, yet he was not lifted up with the one, nor cast down with the other. The spring of his heart was not broken, the wheels of his affection were not disordered, but kept their constant motion toward heaven, still content.
The ship that lies anchor may sometimes be a little shaken, but never sinks; flesh and blood may have its fears and disquiets, but grace doth check them. A Christian having cast anchor in heaven, his heart never sinks.”
Thomas Watson in The Art of Divine Contentment (London: L.B. Seeley and Sons, and Hamilton, Adams, and Company, 1829) 25.
Watson’s use of the the word picture of the watch seems fitting. Through the ups and downs of wear, it still keeps time. He also notes (rightly!) that our affections must remain ordered. When they are disordered, then we are drawn to find security and contentment in something other than God.
The order (or lack thereof) of our affections will shape our generosity. When they are ordered, that is when we trust in Christ, we will live open-handed lives. We know where everything came from and what to do with it. When, alternatively, our affections are disordered, we will follow the worldly pattern in handling God’s money.
The secret (according to both St. Paul and Watson) is to anchor our lives in Jesus and nothing else. When we do, we realize (by experience) that we need nothing but Christ to make it through the ups and downs of life. No wonder Jesus exhorts us to let go of all else! Reset your watch to Jesus today and put your anchor in Him alone!