In last week’s blog, I said the way to not get bogged down in chasing the future was to find contentment in the present. But how do we find contentment that will leave us with a deep calm and equilibrium in our souls?

In the New Testament, as you read Paul’s letters, you see a consistent theme on the importance of being content. Here’s what Paul wrote in the book of Philippians:

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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 (Philippians 4:11-12, author paraphrase).

Note that as Paul wrote this letter from prison, he did not know how long he would be there, nor did he know what the future held. I find it interesting that Paul says, in essence, “I have learned the secret of being content.” When you tell someone you have learned a secret, what you are generally attempting to communicate is that what you have learned is not self-evident; it is not obvious and is not found where most people would look.

Paul makes it quite clear that his contentment was not based on outward circumstances. He says, “[I am] content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

So what had Paul learned that can help us in the here and now? What was his secret? As you read the book of Philippians, you will notice four distinct yet closely related perspectives that clearly contributed to Paul’s life of contentment.

In this blog I will cover the first two perspectives. In next week’s blog I will cover the final two.

First, it strikes me that if the peace and contentment in our hearts are dependent on outside circumstances and how we compare with others, then we are in trouble because we have little or no control over so many of the situations we face. As we have seen, the truth is that comparing ourselves with others can never serve as a true measure of anything in an absolute sense, but only in a relative, temporal sense. Comparison as the sole measure of one’s self worth and happiness becomes the virtual death of contentment and peace.

Second, I believe Paul was able to draw upon all that he learned as a Pharisee before he had become a Christian. As a Pharisee having developed a great knowledge of the Old Testament, he would have been very familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, which speaks of the wonderful plan God has for each of our lives:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for your welfare, not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope” (author paraphrase).

Paul trusted God’s plan for his well-being; he knew he had a future and a hope. Paul also knew that the reason most people never find that plan is because they are seeking to execute their own plans for their lives:

Woe to the obstinate children, declares the Lord, to those who carry out plans that are not mine . . . (Isaiah 30:1, author paraphrase).

Therefore, Paul’s contentment can be attributed to the fact that he lived his life with a sense of mission and calling. He understood and believed in God’s good and sovereign hand on his life and circumstances. Paul understood that God had a purpose for him being in prison, and he was thus content to live in harmony with God’s plan for his life.

This blog was taken from The True Measure of a Man by Richard E. Simmons. Richard E Simmons III is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership and a best-selling author.