Mike has an adorable beagle who shows his contentment in an odd way. His sound of contentment resembles that of a pig bellying up to the trough, but he doesn’t make that noise when he eats, when he plays, or even when he chases cats around the house. The grunting noises of contentment come only when he is curled up next to Mike. The apostle Paul shared the secret of his contentment to the Philippians, and it wasn’t in his circumstances either. As a matter of fact, when I think about it, much of Paul’s public ministry was marked by horrendous conditions—imprisonment, hunger, shipwreck, being stoned and left for dead, beaten countless times, and cold, sleepless nights. Yet Paul was content with his life, and his sound of true contentment was just one word, “Jesus.” When we have Christ, our present circumstances don’t matter all that much. There are many competing voices offering us contentment from lots of different places. The voice of the world says contentment comes from buying stuff. The voice of the flesh says contentment comes from giving in to temptation. The devil promises contentment, but always delivers a lie. The Holy Spirit offers us the true contentment of Christ. Where are you looking for true contentment?