Gospel Calculus
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, . . . . Philippians 4:12
I never was a good math student. I actually flunked algebra in the eleventh grade. Although, it really wasn’t my fault. I had it after lunch so I was ready for a nap and the funniest guy in the whole school, Kenny Klaufter, sat behind me. So, I didn’t really have a chance. In college I took logic instead of math.
So I couldn’t tell you a thing about Calculus except that Isaac Newton is credited as one of its inventors. He needed Calculus to explain the Laws of Motion and Gravity.
Can you imagine observing some realities and then coming up with a new math to make sense of them?
This Sunday at the Gathering Church I will be completing the series, A New Perspective, from the New Testament book of Philippians.
In the last passage, 4:10-23, we have to learn some new math: a calculus of contentment. The Apostle Paul makes an outrageous claim. He says that he has learned to be content no matter what. He’s talking particularly about his financial and material well-being; having plenty or having little.  But I’m sure that the principle applies to other situations.
To understand what he’s talking about we have to learn a new math about tough times. We’re prone to use a math that says tough times mean that God must not love us or is unhappy with us.
When Paul writes these words he is in prison, awaiting trial, possibly execution. What is the Gospel Calculus that allows him to still have joy, peace and contentment?
Anyone already too full of contentment? If not, see you this Sunday.