Rejoice! And, Again I Say, Rejoice!

Last evening I was asked to cover one of the mid-week Bible classes. In choosing the passage to use, I first did a very brief introduction to the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church located in Philippi, Macedonia, and then read through that entire letter making only a few comments as we worked through the text. The interesting thing about this letter is its emphasis on joy and rejoicing. The Apostle Paul was actually imprisoned at the time he wrote this letter, yet he sees even his incarceration as a part of God's plan, therefore, he rejoices in those he has been able to reach with the gospel message and sends encouragement to the impoverished local Church in Philippi to also have joy and a spirit of rejoicing regardless of their circumstances.

Now that's pretty difficult for us to grasp. This Church was very special to Paul because of their faithful support of him from the very beginning of their contact with him. Because Christianity was hated by the mainline Jewish establishment and had begun to be persecuted by the Roman authorities, these Philippian believers were undergoing tough times. What was Paul's message to them? God is at work in you and for this reason you should remain faithful and be in a frame of heart and mind that demonstrates your faith, that being one of joy.

I don't know about you but that's a pretty tall order for me when I'm going through tough times and having to deal with issues and challenges in my life. It is so easy to pick up on that song which says, "Why is everybody picking on me?" and lose our persona that broadcasts who we are in Christ. Paul told the people in Philippi that whenever they showed no fear of those trying to harm them, this act alone would be a testimony of judgment against those trying to cause them hurt, as well as a confirmation that God was with them. In other words, we sometimes have to take action based on our believing the truth and as we do God gives us not only the strength we need, but He gives His assurance to our heart that we are His own and nothing, including any and all things, can change His relationship with us.

Paul made the point that even his imprisonment was a blessing because God had used it to further the cause of Christ. He had good reason to have one big pity party but Paul, with God's help, chose to see the 'all things' of his life to be in God's hands, therefore, he could rejoice even in times of trial and suffering. One of my challenges is to not only know what the Word says but to have it mean what it says in my daily life. Whenever we begin to fully appreciate that God's Word is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and we begin to live by what His Word says, we will often be swimming upstream against the flow, but He will give us the strength through the power of the living Christ, that will allow us to deal with life, bring Him the honor He deserves, and influence others with a testimony of faithfulness and love. Tall order? You bet! Tough? Absolutely! But here's how the Apostle Paul said it, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength".

I call what we did last evening 'power reading' since we covered the entire letter, (four chapters as we have it divided), in less than forty five minutes. However, I came away with and I believe others did too, a sense that while this life can be really challenging, and is, more often than not, yet, we have REASON to rejoice because of our relationship with God which He worked in and through our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The status of our circumstances, our feelings, and even our sense of our well being do not define us. In fact, they are only a part of the 'all things' that make up the life God has given to us. May we all be encouraged to live a life of joy that pleases God and best illustrates Him to others. Amen. ........More later.