Gratitude as Resistance

Nov 20

She checked her Amazon cart one more time. The deals were amazing, up to 70% off. She thought, Ok, if we get a good end-of-year bonus, we can pay off the credit card, too.

Next to her was the church’s Angel Tree catalog. Families needed the basics - warm coats and hygienic supplies. So, did they really need to replace the TV? And what about their student loans?

We live in a culture of algorithmically engineered discontent. Terabytes of data about our internet activity enable marketing professionals to personally target our insecurities, drive our FOMO, and get us to buy, buy, buy.

Consumerism is so prevalent that, in some circles, it has overtaken basic Bible teaching. According to research by a major giving platform, Christians give away about 2.5% of their income. Yet they found that during the Great Depression, Christians gave away 3.3%.

We could turn to the old levers of guilt and shame to try to turn the tide.

But what if gratitude could be an act of resistance?

Since high school, the book of Philippians has been my favorite letter in the Scriptures. But did you know this entire letter exists because of gratitude? Paul wrote it as a thank-you note to the Philippian church for their persistent generosity toward his ministry.

Further study taught me that the Philippians lived near a prosperous gold mine, surrounded by opportunities for wealth and luxury. Yet they pooled their resources to send their beloved brother Epaphroditus on a dangerous journey to support a preacher confined to a Roman jail cell.

Toward the end of his thank you note, Paul tells them,

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it.
I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot.
In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship (Philippians 4:10-14, CSB).

So, how do we resolve the anxious need to have more?

One solution is to increase our consumption. But I’ve never met anyone who had enough. From 2013 to 2022, the net worth of the world’s ten wealthiest people tripled, from $39 billion to $115 billion.

Still, that’s pocket change. Today, Elon Musk is estimated to be worth over $300 billion.

Unless you’re in poverty, if you think more money would fix your need for more stuff, you’re wrong.

Wouldn’t you like to be content? Paul tells us he learned the secret to finding it.

But what is the secret?

The scholar F.F. Bruce explains, “He was constantly conscious of his total dependence on God. He was not so much self–sufficient as 'God–sufficient'” (UTB Commentary).

Gordon Fee echoes this interpretation: “[Paul] is a 'man in Christ.' As such he takes what Christ brings. If it means 'plenty,' he is a man in Christ, and that alone; if it means 'want,' he is still a man in Christ, and he accepts deprivation as part of his understanding of discipleship” (NICNT).

It’s important to emphasize this is more than a mindset hack.

The transformation comes from a living connection to God through the sustaining work of the Holy Spirit, received in faith, that changes our very being.

It replaces our cravings with a grateful satisfaction that Christ is more than enough. Instead of measuring our value by what we own, we thank God for adopting us as his beloved sons and daughters. Instead of needing wealth to feel blessed, we feel blessed because we are with God.

Even as Paul wrote from prison, awaiting release or a death sentence, he could live in contentment. Even more than peace, Paul’s letter bursts with joy.

Why? How? Because it delighted him that God could use either abundance or deprivation to advance his kingdom!

Ultimately, gratitude invites us into a richer way of living—one where the relentless need for more does not enslave us, but we are free to delight in what we already have in Christ.

Gratitude is not about denying ourselves joy but discovering its source: the God who gives us more than we could ever ask or imagine because God gives us his very self.

Go Deep with God

Prayerfully read Philippians 4:10-20.

How does Paul's perspective challenge your relationship with material possessions and contentment?

Go Deep with Others