Memorize: Joy of Christian fellowship
Key Verses: 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 21, 29
Do you remember the last time you were filled with Joy? I mean the kind of joy that bubbles up and leaks out of your eyes joy. Paul is filled with joy as he remembered the believers in Philippi. They had jumped right into faith and into service. They gave themselves and then everything they had for the cause of Christ. And Paul knows that Jesus will continue to work in them. I have a life filled with moments of joy: a new grandbaby, a loving wife, the garden blooming, and small miracles in the therapy room. These reflect the joy that is mine because Christ lives in me.
Love is a powerful force. When love is given full reign in a life, things change. We get knowledge and insight, discernment, purity and the fruit of righteousness. And all this brings glory and praise to God. Love changes us. When we realize God’s love for us, we feel compelled to love others. His love changes our outlook on life and on other people. We end up loving people that we used to hate. This can be very difficult for some of us who are in the military. We have seen our enemies kill our friends and use small children to protect themselves. It can be hard to allow God’s love change us to the point that we love them. But this is one of the goals of love.
Paul came to see his imprisonment from love’s perspective. The Good News of Jesus came to people who needed to see love in action. High in the political structure there are those who don’t know what love is. They live their lives in power, but not in love. And Paul was put right in the middle of them by love. Some were preaching Jesus just to get Paul in more hot water, but Paul rejoiced that more people were hearing the message.
Paul knew that his death could be right around the corner and he faced that fact. He didn’t run for it. What he wanted was for Christ to be exalted by his life. It made no difference to Paul, life or death, since he had Jesus, nothing else mattered. Paul sees a positive outcome whether he lives or dies. Part of him wants to die and end the struggles. Part of him wants to stay and continue his fruitful ministry.
One sign that Paul gives that the Spirit is working in the Philippians’ lives is the fact of their suffering. In our culture that avoids suffering at all costs, this sounds crazy. How can suffering be a sign of God’s presence? How can someone suffer and be in the center God’s will? And yet this is exactly where Paul places the Philippian believers. We can be in the center of God’s plan for our lives and suffer.
The Arnold Journey 